3 Best Restaurants in Barcelona, Spain

Diners who can plan far enough ahead to deal with the waiting list for tables at this multiple-time winner of Restaurant magazine's World's Best Restaurant crown) are rewarded with an all-encompassing feast for the senses. Fine dining doesn't get any better than this. Brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca deliver a one-of-a-kind "freestyle cooking" experience that blends classical cooking with cutting-edge techniques.

This ordinary-looking village restaurant is the preferred dining place for many winemakers in the Penedès region, less than a one-hour drive from Barcelona. The traditional Catalan cuisine here is as good as anywhere, with a vast wood grill adding a smoky touch to dishes such as escalivada (grilled vegetables) with romesco sauce. The faux burger of pig's trotter sounds awful but tastes sensational. Desserts, including a note-perfect crema catalana, are equally good. Owner Santi keeps a wine cellar to please even the most demanding enophiles.

This famous pilgrimage—one of the best restaurants in Catalonia for the last 50 years—is 39 km (24 miles) up the beach north of Barcelona. Sisters Paquita and Dolores Reixach, officially retired, continue to oversee the same line of classical Catalan cuisine that, despite the name Hispania, has characterized this spot from the start. Faves amb botifarra negre (fava beans with black sausage) ranks high on the list of signature dishes here, but the fresh fish and seafood from the Arenys de Mar fish auction are invariably excellent. The dining room, a long glass rectangle surrounded by nature, adds to the elegant experience. It is easily reached by the Calella train from the RENFE station in Plaça Catalunya.