La Biblioteca Gourmande

Just a warning that all the english reviews here are outdated (there is a more up to date review but it was in spanish so it wasn’t shown at the top). I believe they have changed chef/​owner and the food was nothing like what all the previous reviewers have said.
My wife had read both the Unilocal reviews and watched some youtube vlog review of this place so she was really looking forward to coming here. We tried going there earlier the week at 9pm but was closed for whatever reason. We tried again a couple days later and waited until it opened (the times listed on Unilocal was inaccurate — they opened at 7:45pm). I wont go into the reception or the service but it was adequate and the décor was quite nice.
We tried to order the mussels and the croquettes but neither was available. Their «signature» lamb was way overcooked and their idea of side «vegetables» were a couple strips of what looked like onions and a splash of dates. Their eggplant had way too much breading and the qualify of the shrimp in their red shrimp dish were really small and left much to be desired. I devoured the shrimp but we did not finish the eggplant nor the lamb (the latter was too chewy). We were extremely disappointed and left without giving their dessert a try.
I really wish we knew of and read the more up to date spanish review before coming here.

Han cambiado de dueños… Ahora está vacío, todos los platos son horribles y el que se hace llamar chef piensa que los chipirones a la plancha son un plato de sopa asquerosa con chipirones flotando en mal estado.
En fin, uid insensatos.

This was the best meal we had while in barcelona. We totally splurged and had lobster and sangria and cheesecake and it was absolutely worth it. I get that the wait staff is a little gruff compared to what we’re used to in the states, just ignore it and drink more sangria. It’s damn good food and surprisingly reasonably priced for the portions you receive. Also my wife has requested that I mention how great the mussels were.

No more fried milk but still a great little lunch spot. I would recommend if you want to stay a little central!

We loved our experience here. Not only is this restaurant super cute and well decorated, but we found the pre fix menu option here to be very reasonably priced and delicious! We sat at the table nearest the open kitchen area so we had a great time seeing what the cooks were doing. The restaurant was small so there is only one waitress (poss the other owner) who was super friendly and warm. She happily translated the menu for us and we all ended up getting the pre fix menu which was only 25 euros AND included a glass of wine. We couldn’t believe how amazing this price was! The food was excellent and the portion sizes were a good amount so we were very stuffed and happy leaving this restaurant. Would highly recommend a visit to this place!

Get away from the Ramblas! Great place. Not a tourist place. Creative tapas, relaxing atmosphere.

Best meal of my entire life! A group of 10 friends stumbled upon this place for dinner while in Barcelona for a few days and it was hands down, the best meal I have ever had! We asked for a chef’s menu and he created the most amazing and decadent dishes. Plus the service was fantastic! We had so much fun chatting with the chef and the crew. I would recommend this place to anyone!

It’s got cute, charming atmosphere, and is on the side streets, well off La Rambla. The menu looked great, and the ingredients were very high-​quality… However, every dish we had, especially the blue-​foot chicken and the steaks were very bland — nothing had much flavor at all, except the tomato, onion, and mustard ‘chimichurri’ that came with the steak. The staff was great, the wine was excellent — but for four not-​quite-​foodies from the San Francisco area — it was seriously underwhelming.

Do yourself a favor and go here.
The reviews for this place do not do it justice. And neither do most of the photos. When we visited in late November they had gone through a bit of a refresh and it served them well. It was our first night in Barcelona and we were rolling with a group of 8 people. When we showed up at 9pm on a weekday the restaurant was empty (no surprise) a few hours later the place was packed and we were on our way to one of the best meals any of us had ever experienced. Not knowing much about local food we asked Chef if he would do a tasting menu. He agreed and delivered us with multiple small plates, proteins and desert. We had croquettes, sashimi style salmon, local mushroom salad, brie and jamon on toasted bread with pesto and truffle oil, roast duck, some sort of deconstructed/​reconstructed chicken, cakes, the list goes on. I have no idea what if any of it is one the menu but everything that came across the table was amazing.
As good as the food was the service was just as critical to our experience. The head of the front of house at the time was Oriole (I’m sure it’s spelled wrong). He was fun, welcoming, and found a way to make each of our unique requests come to life. He also delivered amazing tasting wine to pair with our meal. His English was proficient and he had a way of describing our food that made it taste even better.
We had 3 nights in Barcelona and we ended up here two of those. By then end of the second night we closed the restaurant with the staff, made one last toast and hugged goodbye. If any of us are ever in Barcelona again La biblioteca will be a destination.

This was a cute little place down an alley way in Raval. The food was good and the menu had lots of great options. They were able to accommodate our party of 8, which was nice.
My favorite things were the tomato carpaccio, the «chicken fingers» and the lamb.
One person at our table had an issue with her steak not being cooked properly, but they were incredibly polite and kind about fixing the problem and didn’t end up charging her for it.
The desert was the only thing that didn’t really meet our expectations. For example, the apple tart tatin was just cubed apples. No tart!
Overall, this is a solid spot for a long dinner in Barcelona.

The restaurant must be run by different people. We went there right after 8. There were no one in there. We didn’t see the right chef there. Soon after, there were 3 groups came in. One left shortly after. The real disappointment is the 19 EUR red prawn we ordered. They are not fresh. We realize later that they are not red prawn. They looked different. Just larger prawn. They charge more than 11 ear for the artichoke we ordered. We couldn’t understand all the 5 stars reviews here. Their web site showed the Spanish looking chef and you can’t see and local working there. None of the local customers either. What happen to the old chef? They should update their web site too. You will not enjoy the Spanish food cooked by foreigners. I can’t trust Unilocal forever. Next time, if I don’t see any one in a restaurant with a good review, I will not go in.

Quite terrific. Beef tartare, tender fresh mussels, tasty crostini with cheese, sausage, tomato (like your favorite grilled cheese sandwich) and the stuffed braised chicken was sensational. Only off note was the crab fritter which was overly breaded. Well worth a visit.

A definite stop while in Barcelona. My only regret is that we were not with more people as the table next to us ordered the lamb (which was to share) and it looked amazing. You can sit down at a truly open kitchen or grab a table.
Probably the best meal we had in Barcelona you will not be disappointed.

Get away from La Rambla and treat yourself to an awesome meal at La Biblioteca. The food is out of this world and the staff is unbelievably attentive and kind. Not only was the food we ordered fantastic, but the wine list was great as well. I read (on Unilocal) about their fried milk, and thought I would give it a try and I’m so glad I did. It was absolutely incredible, and I have been craving it ever since returning to the U.S. Prices are fair for the amazing meal you get, and the staff will make your evening an enjoyable one.

Food was great! Service was great tho there was a hiccup, but they comped dessert and gave us free coffees!
I had the S.S. Memorial meal which was bacon and bacon with potatoes. It did take 45 minutes, but its Barcelona. It was good, but rich and my system didn’t like it later… But that’s me.
We also had the fried eggplant which was delicious! She had the bruschetta which was more like a sandwich, which she loved! Fried milk too… Which was like fried flan. Didn’t win me over, but it was interesting.
Intimate. Chef comes and talks to you. Liked!

Delish food, friendly customer service, cozy atmosphere. It’s located on some side streets near La Rambla, so this is definitely a find and its the most authentic place I was able to find in the area that wasn’t a tourist trap.
Try the artichoke chips! Also the wine and dessert is legit. The service was great as well. The place gets packed after 8pm.

delicious! This place was a true find in Barcelona. We enjoyed the spicy calamari and some incredibly good seafood. Try the fried milk for dessert. It sounded weird, but it was unbelievably delicious. It was like eating a pillow of soft goodness with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top.

This is a charming restaurant that met our expectations. The menu was not loaded, but the four courses they brought us were all tasty.
The ambiance was dark and romantic with soft lighting and the bookshelves that give the place its name. I recommend asking what the specials are or what is good for that day.

Wow. While it still has a Spanish flavor with some starters such as jamon croquettes, Biblioteca provides a nice change of pace from the typical Catalan cuisine. Service was great, prices were appropriate, and the food was sublime. My wife had the duck and I had the venison, which was served in a pot pie. With Texas roots, we know our game, and this was the best duck and venison we have ever had.

Biblioteca is a gem of a restaurant, located just off the Ramblas in El Raval. It is a small spot open for dinner only, but the food is fresh, high-​end, and fantastic. Plus, I felt like I got really fancy food for the fraction of the price (main courses are around 13 – 14 euros). Each dish was made with precision and care. I highly recommend the risotto or squid casserole, as well as the salt cod ceviche starter, and ANY of the desserts. The warm chocolate cake was like a piece of heaven, and my husband’s banana dessert tasted perfect. They also give you homemade bread, and an amuse bouche of something (we got onion soup, yum!). The only thing that we didn’t really care for was the bowl of salad — the pieces of lettuce were huge and it was a bit oily. We basically got 3 starters, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, a bottle of wine, coffees, dessert apertifs — and the whole bill came out to a little under 100 euros. For a restaurant serving fancy food, that is a deal!
Service was wonderful and they spoke both english and spanish (and had menus for both). If you are looking for a nice romantic dinner, or a fancier dinner, but you don’t want to break the bank, then Biblioteca is your kind of restaurant. We are going to come back before our trip ends!

Un buen lugar dónde, mientras uno toma tranquilamente, puede escoger un buen libro.

This place is incredible. The décor as well as the food is stunning. A little pricey for Spanish salaries but well worth the price. Should probably reserve. They’ve collected old menus from the 1930s and used them as covers for their actual menu, some really brilliant designs. I had the house white which was really nice, then a falafel salad to start. Then I had an incredible stewed venison in puff pastry that was to die for and for dessert it was banana with toffee and vanilla ice cream that was also fantastic and accompanied by a glass of Sauterne.