Barcelona Vegetarian Restaurants

Barcelona Restaurants & Barcelona Italian Restaurants

2007-11-05T02:52:00.000-08:00

Sincarne has been in somewhat of a limbo state for the past year - work commitments have meant that it hasn't had the attention it needs. This has changed tho and we are now in the process of making lots of interesting changes. There is a new section for vegetarians who like pizza and pasta on Italian restaurants in Barcelona and also a new Barcelona restaurants section for non-vegetarians who would like an honest opinion on which are the best restaurants to visit in Barcelona.

Barcelona Vegetarian Restaurant Guide Update

2007-10-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

Barcelona vegetarian restaurants are popping up all over the place. The best place to look for all this information is Sincarne, the number one Barcelona Vegetarian Restaurant guide in Barcelona.

If you have any information you think they are missing, contact them and they will add this to the site. They also accept reviews written on vegetarian establishments which don't currently have reviews written.

Organic & Vegetarian Food Prices in Barcelona

2006-09-04T03:50:00.000-07:00

I went to Veritas in Barcelona yestarday on via Laeitana and was looking for some tasty vegetarian food to buy for the week. They have done the place up nicely, although it now looks rather more like your average brightly-lit supermarket, and less like the inviting and homely cavern of veggie and organic goodies of the past.

So as they are now more like a supermarket, can we expect cheaper prices? Can we hell.

My girlfriend asked me for the money to buy an apple. I gave her a euro. We both discussed how much we thought this single apple would cost. My girlfriend said 70c and I said 90c.

We were both wrong. One single apple cost 1 euro!!!!! We were absolutely disgusted with this outrage. How they can have the nerve to charge the prices they do is totally beyond me. Ok, I understand that organic techniques are a little more expensive than non-organic ones, but who buys this stuff?

Often, the profile of your average vegetarian is someone with a social conscience - perhaps a little crusty, hippie, animal-loving in nature and maybe a hint of socially-aware, anti-capitalist ethics thrown in for free. This group has never been in the high-income bracket and probably never will be. So how on earth are they going to afford to pay the prices that the likes of Veritas charge? 2 veggie burgers - 5€. 400g of tofu - 3.50€. 1 chunk of 350g seitan - nearly 4€.

These products are what they are: vegetables, with a few spices, served up in plastic packet. There is no justification whatsoever for the elevated prices, except to rip off the paying public. How comes you can buy 500g of tofu for 90c in the chinese supermarkets? How comes you can go to India and buy a veggie burger for a few pence? (200 veggie burgers bought at Veritas, and you've even got your flight to New Delhi). Why does it cost about a euro to make 30 veggie burgers at home?

Someone needs to start asking these questions, because for many of us, being a veggie is not about a trendy fad which looks good to our mates. It's about a response to the abhorrent treatment of animals and an industry which is in desperate need of a total ban. So let's come together. Let's refuse to pay these ridiculous prices. Let's buy all our products at the places that don't rip us off. Or let's make our substitutes at home.

Enough is enough.

Pizza Marzano Barcelona

2006-04-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

I had the Rúcula (rocket) pizza today, and when it arrived I was rather suspicious of the green stuff on top, because it looked more like somthing you find at the bottom of the garden than Rocket.

I took some off, removed the cheese and put it in my mouth. It tasted more like common or garden grass than the salad ingredient which has become so popular these days. In fact, it didn't taste like rocket at all. I mentioned it to the Italian waiter, who admitted it was definitely NOT the unique-tasting salad leaf.

So, the big boss came over and although he wouldn't admit it wasn't rocket, he said that it was the rocket that THEY had, and that he would change my pizza if I so wished - an admission of guilt, perhaps?. He fell a little short of actually tasting it, but what can you do? I felt cheated - I can't believe an Italian-based restaurant (albeit a chain) could be so devious as to try and fobb us off with some cheap imitation of the unmistakeably, spicy-tasting Rocket.

So my advice is this - take some rocket in with you when you go, and get them to do the test. Unless of course, they've read this and made the appropriate changes. Either that, or go for the Margarita.

Gente de Pasta

2006-04-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Just as important as the vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Barcelona, are the vegetarian non-friendly ones.

Today I went to Gente de Pasta for the lunchtime menu del dia. Now as it is just round the corner from my house and the fact that I have visited on many occasion, I didn't expect any problems. However, as I arrived outside and quickly scanned the menu, expecting a salad for starters and a pasta dish for main course, I soon realised there was no vegetarian option for first course.

Now I have to say that even in the most non-vegetarian restaurants in Barcelona, they are nearly always more than happy to make an exception for vegetarians and if no option exists, they will quickly knock you up a green salad to start followed by the ubiquitous tortilla con patatas.

So I thought I'd better check and asked the lady. It soon became apparent that I was in for a struggle. I was informed that if I wanted to have a green salad for starters, I'd have to choose from the 'carta' (main menu).

The whole object of a menu del dia (lunchtime menu) is that they prepare a number of starters and main courses, which due to economies of scale, provide a fast and easy way to feed the masses without having to get into the minor details of a cacophony of choices from the carta. The outcome of this is a cheap lunch.

So when it was suggested that I have a salad from the main menu, I looked at the prices and found that the starter would have cost the same as the entire menu del dia price. So I tried to appeal to the waitress's good nature to make an exception out of the kindness of her heart and just knock me up a simple green salad - I'm sure it can't be that much hassle. I was wrong, and ended up eating elsewhere.

All I am saying is that if a restaurant has no veggie option, don't assume they will be as kind and giving as they often are - check first, so you don't have to sit down, get comfy, start ordering, only to either find out you'll be paying double the price of everyone else, or that you have to get up and go some place else.

So, for the price of making a simple green salad, they lost 2 peoples' business. Perhaps that's why they call it Gente de pasta.

Juicy Jones

2006-03-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

After a long Barcelona weekend, there's nothing quite like cleansing your body and soul with a fully vegan 3-course meal accompanied by a deliciously fresh, multi-fruit juice packed with all the vitamins and minerals your body seems to be aching for.

That's why Juicy Jones is so much the ticket when you're in need of a pick-me-up. I usually opt for the soup and Thali, while my girlfriend goes for the salad and 'plato'. This time I changed my mind when I saw there was vegetarian lasaña on the menu. Now I've had many vegetarian lasañas in Barcelona, and most of them are pretty tasteless stacks of pasta sheets and vegetables, topped with a bland bechamel and even blander cheese. But I've sampled the Juicy Jones version on more than just the one occasion, so my tastebuds were beginning to show signs of expectancy. This was allayed somewhat, by the arrival of our starters.

Mine was a very warming, thick carrot soup which hardly touched the sides. The salad was ok, but they seemed to be short of ingredients, as was confirmed by the fact they had run out of oranges (probably the only place in the whole of the Iberian peninsula to have none that day). But our juices arrived too and mine, which included mango and strawberries (the strawberry season is upon us again), made me start to feel human once more.

Unfortunately, that's when the 'hiccups', which for some reason (complacency?), have started to become customary at this place, began.

My vegetarian lasaña (fully vegan, just like everything else at Juicy Jones) arrived and it was barely warm. We then had to wait until I had practically finished before the other main course arrived. This also seemed to us sub-standard, for Juicy Jones. It was all wrapped off by waiting for an eternity to receive our second juice and the postre, by which time, it - the lemon cake - had run out.

Now I regard Juicy Jones very highly - they repeatedly manage to serve up some of the tastiest veg*an dishes in Barcelona and have done so for many years. But I wish they would try and make more effort with the customers. I appreciate the time it takes to elaborate the hand-prepared food and juices, but often it seems that either they're under-staffed, or it's not just me who's suffering the effects of a long Barcelona weekend.

Sucursal

2005-09-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to the reasonably new Sucursal on C/ Comercio with a friend. I have been there a few times before and this time it was the usual visit with someone who's not a veggie.
They put on their blackboard outside that they have a vegetarian option, so that's what I had. First course was some vegetarian tallarines (fideo), stir fried in soy sauce with vegetables. The pasta was very stodgy and seemed like it had been cooked (overly) many hours before. I was hungry however, and it went down a treat as it was full of flavour. Next was the only vegetarian option for main course, which was a vegetarian cous-cous. I'm not the best fan of cous-cous as I find it's often prepared without any regard towards the flavour and just as an after-thought for veggies who have no taste buds. This did little to change my opinion and I ate less than 1/4 of the dish. As the menu includes coffee or dessert, I opted for the former. You get a drink included in the menu and I can't honestly remember the exact price, but it was around 10€.
Verdict? If you're starving, live next door and are eating with a non-veg friend, it's ok. But otherwise, stay at home or make the effort to look elsewhere.

Sushi Ya!

2005-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of Japanese food but are vegetarian, you can often find dishes to suit you. Maki can be made with avocado, carrot, mango, cucumber. There are rice dishes, and salads with algae are often more interesting and tasty than the usual dull everyday green salad.
Sushi Ya! offers a very reasonable lunchtime menu. Ask for the menu Tendon without the seafood ("sin marisco" or "solo verduras") and you will get a very good main course to accompany the miso soup/gazpacho starter and udon (cold Japanese noodles)/ salad second.
Add this to very quick, friendly service and you can share a pleasant centre-of-town midday menu with any of your fish or meat-eating friends.

La Veronica Pizza Restaurant

2005-08-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

Being a vegetarian and an avid pizza fan, I have visited this place many times. The atmosphere is that of nice dimmed lighting (inside), house music and friendly staff. They have an outside terrace in Plaza George Orwell and the food is very tasty - lots of interesting, well-presented salads and some unusual and very innovative pizzas.
My last two visits however, have left me rather disappointed. Reason being the service. I'm not sure how many staff they have, but it seems that they are lacking somewhat in the kitchen department. The last time I went we waited an hour for our pizzas. Then this time, we had to wait 3/4 of an hour after our salads and I think it's fair to say that many other customers were looking around with that "Where the hell is my food" look.
All good things are worth waiting for, but come on, we all have our limits - employing another chef or two would certainly make the experience far better and I don't think they have cash-flow problems as the place is packed practically every night.

Fair Trade Update

2005-07-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

I recieved a reply from Xarxa Consum about the seitán price increase. I was told that since Biográ have put up their prices, this was passed on to us, the consumer. However, I was also told that the previous price of 2,57€ was the member's price and the price for non-members was 3€. This may be true, but every time I went in and was served, I was asked if I was a member and I always replied 'no' because I am not. So they were probably charging too little it would seem. Now, the new price is 2,80€ for members and 3,20€ for non-members. I still feel cheated.

So today, I went back to buy some Seitán. Being Saturday afternoon the place was shut. So I hunted around and the only place I could find open was Veritas on Via Laietana. The prices in there are shocking (Tofu for example is over 2€ per 300g - compare this to 90 cents for 500g in the chinese supermarkets), but I eventually picked up 2 300g pieces of Seitán made by Vegetalia with a price of 3,35€ each. To my surprise, they were on special offer and I only paid 2,95€ each.

Which is fairest?

Mosquito

2005-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

This fine asian tapas bar tucked away on C/ Carders in the St Pere part of Barcelona is a great place to come and dine, chat, listen to cool music and relax. I've been here many times now and as the menu changes quite frequently, I'm never bored. There are many vegetarian dishes and of those that aren't, many of them can be made vegetarian, either by substituting the ingredients or leaving some out. The atmosphere is friendly and intimate. The portions are not very large (but isn't that what tapas is all about?), so you'd need a couple each to fill you up. It is the perfect way of sharing between your friends and therefore trying out some new dishes you perhaps wouldn't have tried yourself.

Friday and Saturday nights now offer Japanese food from midnight til 2am. Prepared by authentic Japanese chefs, there is a variety of options, although on the vegetarian front, you'll have to ask them to make a few changes here and there. The staff are all very pleasant so this is never a problem.

Closed on Mondays, but open every day from about 5pm til midnight and Friday and Saturday night open til 2am for the Japanese session.

Barcelona's finest asian tapas bar.

Barcelona Mosquito

Fair Trade?

2005-06-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

As you'll see from our site, Sincarne (http://www.sincarne.net), I purchase my seitán from the local 'Fair Trade' shop round the corner in Plaça de Sant Agusti Vell. I have advertised the fact that this is by far the cheapest place to buy seitán in Barcelona that I know of, and at 2,57€ a chunk, you'll be hard pushed to beat that price. Then today, all that changed. Nipping off round the corner to buy some seitán for lunch, I picked up two pieces as usual and went to the counter. The lady scanned them and up came the price - 3,20€! Imagine my shock. This is an increase of nearly 25% which I find totally unjustifiable. I have written to them asking for an explanation and I await an answer. Perhaps it is my mistake - they may have changed brands (although I am almost certain that they haven't - you can tell the different brands by the texture and appearance of the seitán), or maybe the size is larger that the one they used to sell (the ones I bought today were 290g, but I really don't think they are any bigger than before). So anyway, it appears that market forces affect even the most well-intentioned businesses and perhaps 'Fair Trade' is another nice idea, where the practice is rather different. We'll wait and see, but in the meantime it looks like I'll be paying 25% more for my seitán.
This situation is similar to the price of baked beans at Tot al Born, the supermarket in Pg del Born. About a year ago, they were selling Heinz baked beans at about 70c a tin. So obviously I (and perhaps everyone else in Barcelona) bought all my beans there. Then one day I went to buy some and noticed the price had increased to over 1€ - nearly a 50% pay rise. How can they justify this? They don't have to. Just that if everyone else is charging a ridiculous price for beans in tomato sauce, then so shall we. Is there no justice? Is would seem not.

Thai Café

2005-05-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

Went to the Thai Café last night - the only place in Barcelona where I've seen a 'menu de degustación' especially for vegetarians. What a very pleasant surprise. The place is quite new, at the end of C/ Comercio just off the Borne. A recent addition to the restaurants in Barcelona, the interior is warm and inviting. The service is attentive without being obtrusive. The food is simply delicious and it's fantastic to not have to keep asking "Does this dish have meat in?", or "What's this?", or "Is there any fish stock in that dish?", etc. The menu is for 2 persons, with around 6 dishes each. Starting with a warm slightly spicy Thai soup for starters accompanied by spring rolls (not deep-fried and filled with fresh mint and coriander amongst other things), the menu is reasonably priced at 18€ per person (dessert, coffee and drinks not included). This is followed by tofu in a sweet satay sauce. Then comes the main which comprised of egg tagliatelle, boiled white rice and a lovely sauce with huge chunks of pumpkin. This is certainly a menu for those with a good appetite, a welcome change to the minimalistic dishes that seem so fashionable these days. Desserts, although at an extra cost are very tasty - we tried the chocolate pyramid (a must for chocoholics) and the mango slice (very fresh and fruity). Add all this to a varied wine list and you can't go wrong here, if you like Thai food.

Thai Café

Pla

2005-05-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Went to Pla (C/ Bellafilla 5) on Saturday night. I have to say I love that place and have always had very good experiences there vis-a-vís vegetarian food. Also, the service is very good and the atmosphere is rarely bettered in Barcelonian restaurants. However, this time I was left a little unsatisfied. Pla is one of the few places that uses a logo (strangely, a little black chilli) for their vegetarian dishes. So, you just look for the chillis and make your choice. Saves a lot of time. Except this time, I noticed one of the starter 'vegetarian' options contained bacon!?? This keeps in line with the usual "bacon's not real meat" attitude that is so prevalent in Spain. My next disappointment was the 'vegetarian' pasta of the day, which on Saturday was ravioli filled with salmon. Add that to the fact that they didn't have the wine I asked for and we were rather swiftly hurried out at the end (they do insist you arrive on time as they have two sittings at 9:30 and 11:30pm, but we arrived promptly and didn't exactly take our time eating) and all of a sudden, the almost perfect restaurant falls a little short of it's customary excellence. In light of this, I am currently unwilling to add Pla to our database at Sincarne

Tomate

2005-05-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Went to Tomate last week. Very nice place, brightly lit and friendly service. I added the listing to Sincarne and included a review. The site is currently in need of a re-do. I will be getting the new version up in the next few weeks. I'll keep you all posted.

Tomate