Vegetarian restaurants in Barcelona: top addresses for healthy eating
Vegetarian restaurants offer a number of advantages. They’re often a more environmentally-friendly option, featuring organic produce, and a meat-free meal from time to time is known to offer certain health benefits. The ever-increasing range of options available mean that it’s easier than ever to find tasty, healthy vegetarian food.
Biocenter: the filling one
Biocenter is an organic vegetarian restaurant – just what your body is calling out for! There are a variety of options on offer:
- All-you-can-eat salad bar: approx. €8
- Daily special: approx. €7
- “Combinado” lunch menu: daily special + salad or soup or dessert: approx. €9.5
- “Completo” lunch menu: salad or soup + daily special + dessert + bread: approx. €11
- A la carte
Salad bar
The salad bar is impressive, featuring pasta dishes, potatoes, pulses, eggs, olives, cheese, vegetables and a whole range of salad leaves – enough for even the biggest appetites! One of the best features of the lunch menu is that you get to make your own salad from your very favourite ingredients. The seasoning is also pretty much perfect.
Daily specials and desserts
The daily special is usually a great option, and there’s a wide selection of desserts. When we visited, we had a generous helping of vegetarian lasagne with sesame bulgur salad and a superb tomato sauce, followed by a delicious apple and pear cake. There are around ten different desserts on offer.
- Note that the photo at the top of the article was taken at Biocenter. Pretty, isn’t it?
Why?
To fill up on healthy food
How much? Approx. €11
When? Monday – Thursday, 10am – 11pm; Friday, 10am – 11:30pm; Saturday, 1pm – 11:30pm; Sunday, 1pm – 4pm
Where? Carrer Pintor Fortuny 25, Raval (metro Catalunya: or Fortuny)
Veggie garden: the cheapest one
Colourful décor, a relaxed atmosphere, a wide range of fruit juices, reasonable prices, continuous service and 100% vegan menus (no ingredients of animal origin): welcome to Veggie Garden!
Veggie Garden has a number of advantages, including a terrace and an even cheaper set menu (starter + main + dessert + bread + water). Food-wise, we were rather disappointed by the pizza, but we loved the pasta with tomato sauce, the veggie burger (under €5 on the a la carte menu), the thali (an Indian dish made up of rice, vegetables and pulses) and the delicious chocolate cake.
In our opinion, Veggie Garden offers the best value for money of all the restaurants on our list.
Why? For healthy eating at reasonable prices
How much? Approx. €9
When? Monday – Sunday, 12.30pm – 11.30pm
Where? Carrer dels Angels 3, Raval (metro: Catalunya)
- There is another Veggie Garden in Gran Vía de las Cortes Catalanas, 602 (metro: Universitat).
Teresa Carles: the hip one
A fashionable, if over-rated, restaurant
Teresa Carles has to be one of Barcelona’s best-known vegetarian restaurants. Ideally located a stone’s throw from Las Ramblas and the Plaça de Catalunya, it offers an original and varied menu. The restaurant aims to transform the reputation of vegetarian cuisine, sometimes perceived as boring and tasteless. It seems to have succeeded, even winning over many non-vegetarian customers.
- That said, we think the Teresa Carles is slightly over-rated, and it’s not the most welcoming place – not one of our favourites.
Non-stop service
The major advantage of the Teresa Carles is that the kitchens are open every day from 9am – 11.30pm. Go for breakfast, brunch, lunch, an afternoon snack, drinks or dinner… the starter + main offer comes in at just under €10 (excluding bread and drinks). If you want water, bread and dessert with your meal, allow just over €15 per person.
The lunch menu
The lunch menu changes every week. Choose from two starters (salad or soup), five mains (vegetable, rice/cereal, beans, pasta or stuffed pasta options) and three desserts (cake, fruit or yogurt-based).
We tried an oat and beetroot steak with mustard mayonnaise and guacamole. Both the appearance and the texture were extraordinary: exactly like steak tartare! The dish was also delicious – and that’s coming from a die-hard carnivore. The homemade lemonade was nothing special, though.
Why? For its originality
How much? approx. €15
When? Monday – Sunday, 9am – 11.30pm
Where? Carrer de los Jovellanos 2, Raval (metro: Catalunya)
Bonus: vegetarian restaurants, vegan restaurants and restaurants with vegetarian options
There are lots of “classic” restaurants which offer great vegetarian options! Here are some of our favourites.
- Federal: the Federal is one of Barcelona’s hottest café/restaurants, a great place to spend a few hours! Its sleek, clean lines and Scandi styling provide the perfect setting to try their vegan meals and drinks.
- Kasparo: if it’s vegetarian tapas you’re after, head for Kasparo. The menu is extensive, and pretty much everything is excellent – so you can order anything off the list without hesitating. To find out more, take a look at our article on shady terraces – Kasparo features on the list.
- Arc-iris: this friendly vegetarian restaurant offers simple and copious meals at very reasonable prices. For more details, see our article on places to eat around Sagrada Familia.
- El Trencadís: This restaurant, mentioned in this article, offers two separate menus, one of which is completely vegan. A great choice for groups or families with varied tastes! Highly recommended.
Vegetarian or otherwise, with a list like that you should find something to suit…
