Ocaña

Premier soir de notre city trip à Barcelone, on arrive assez tard et on meurt de faim.
On atterrit sur la terrasse de l’Ocana.
Superbe vue sur la Plaça Real, ça il faut bien l’avouer. Par contre, le service est un peu moyen. On a attendu assez longtemps pour avoir la carte.
Ensuite, nous commandons du pan con tomate, des crevettes à l’ail et des patatas bravas.
Tout était très bon sur le moment même, mais nous nous sommes toutes les deux senties barbouillées. Je n’oserai pas prétendre que c’est dû à 100% à ce qu’on a mangé, mais étonnant tout de même.
Ca me semble plutôt être un lieu à touristes où le but n’est pas de garder sa clientèle.

Before our Flamenco performance stopped in here for drinks… two drag queens greeted us and we knew this was a cool place immediately! Amazing ambiance and he servers look like they could tell some interesting stories… had the Cava sparkling wine and listened to great music… highly recommend

Décor and ambience deserve 5 stars, the starters 4, but the main dishes and service 3. I’d suggest you come here to grab a drink and snack… but not full dinner. They did seem to accommodate several large groups, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Decent place to eat in the gothic quarter. Slow service, food is just okay but located in a good square. I wouldn’t come back as we have had much better meals throughout our trip.
The grilled shrimp lacked taste, paella was really saucy and the salad was just a bunch of tomatoes.

My family & I came to Ocana at 3:00 this afternoon after walking through La Rambla. We planned to order paella & sangria. We sat at an outdoor table on the plaza & were given food and drink menus but no one came to take our order. We repeatedly tried to make eye contact with wait staff, but no one came to our table. After sitting for about a half hour we got up & left. Weirdest experience I have ever had at a restaurant.

I was in Barcelona for 5 days, and came here twice. The paella is different from most other places I’ve tried, it’s cooked in a seafood broth, not as much butter, and served on a plate. It’s lighter and not as traditional, but the flavor was wonderful. Tapas we tried the octopus, mussels, cheese plate, and croquettes. Everything was wonderful, the mustard sauce that came with bread (I think it’s part of the cheese plate) was amazing!

Amazing drinks and food ! The atmosphere is very chill. Had the octopus and cheese plate which were great. Tried the mojito and Rose gin tonic which were fantastic! Love love this spot.

It was almost a year ago when we went here but I wanted to review this place b/​c all the memories of Spain are flooding back to me. I want to go back badly! This restaurant stands out from others in the plaza for its uniqueness. We went here lunch the day after my cousin’s wedding and I remember really enjoying my meal. If we ever go back to Barcelona we would definitely come back!

Un lugar perfecto para tomar una copa antes o después de pasear por las Ramblas, ir al teatro o disfrutar de una noche de verano.
Los precios super razonables y el ambiente genial.

Great location in the Barri Gotic close to Las Ramblas on the Plaza Reial, a quaint square that hosts a rare coin and stamp market during the day and several nearby clubs that go late into the night and early the next morning. Ocana has one of them downstairs. The restaurant is beautifully designed in vivid colors reminiscent of Godard’s Contempt with grand floral arrangements. I especially like the peach gazpacho.

Went here last July — I know SUPER old review but I thought about it and it would be fun to review some place foreign!
This was our second stop in Barcelona for the day. We had some ice cold beers and bravas and it was so good.
Loved being able to sit out on the patio and just watch everyone coming and going in the center.
I would totally go back for dinner too!

I didn’t eat anything as there are way better places to eat in Barcelona than this rather touristy spot — but — the cocktails are quite delicious and the ambience and décor are cool and retro so I’d definitely say it’s worth chilling on the sofas and grabbing some drinks. Better than most places in this area!

In early August, myself, and some friends jet-​setted off to Barcelona for a long weekend of food, excessive quantities of vodka, more food and lots of giggling in the sunshine.
We happened to find La Plaça Reial square and restaurant Ocaña by complete chance.
This square is simply beautiful. The buildings that line it are beginning to show their age and you can almost see the paint peeling from the art work but somehow, their impressiveness gives you the feeling they are steeped in history — war, love, secrecy, deceit — i’d bet they’d seen em all. In the middle of the square are a 50 or so enormous hanging palm trees offering snippets of shade as you meander through.
Peering round the cafes and restaurants hidden in the arches of the square walls we resolved to find the most ‘chic’ place. ‘Chic’ had become our catchphrase of the holiday and although i couldn’t have felt less chic at that very moment, we were ravenous and desperate — but determined to do it in style.
What attracted us was pretty simple — Ocaña was lit up by dressing room style light bulbs; we were immediately sold by the bright shiny lights so we trundled over.
Ocaña’s menu was creative, inventive, fresh and exciting. It’s not often that I can say that honestly but as soon as we started perusing the menu (printed on old catalunyan newspapers) I knew we would not be disappointed.
After quickly ordering a bottle of the house dry white (hair of the dog right?!) we set about the food. We were all drawn to the ‘Urban Plates’. Tabitha and I went for ‘Fried Egg with Iberian Han and Potatoes’ whilst Holly and Hannah both chose the ‘Ravioli with Smoked Salmon and Orange Butter’.
What can I say — the Jamon Ibirico was exceptional — it melted just perfectly on your tongue as it’s supposed to when you get the real deal. The potatoes — phoar! Perfect amount of oil muddled with garlic, hints of parsley and oregano and then softly confited so they absorbed every morsel of flavour on the plate. And the eggs? For those that know me, know i’m somewhat of an egg fanatic — these did not disappoint.
I know it seems a bit basic to have ham egg and potato — but the guys at Ocaña have got it spot on; they created something that wasn’t there — in my eyes, that’s a true skill.
The ravioli masterpieces were lapped up with great enthusiasm. They were bowled over by the intelligent use of orange which transformed the dish into something both indulgent and fresh. Delicious!
Ocaña let us eat, sip and laugh away our hangovers — both vital and thoroughly enjoyable.

Un petit paradis sur la Plaça Real, j’adorais déjà cette place, la découverte de ce bar renforce mon coup de cœur!
Un endroit trouvé au hasard d’une ballade en amoureux, on a été attiré par les fauteuils qui avaient l’air confortables. Faut dire qu’on avait marché tout le weekend, du coup, l’idée de poser nos fesses sur des coussins moelleux nous a tout de suite tenté.
Bien accueilli par un des serveurs, installés dans un petit coin tranquille avec vue sur la grande salle; lumière tamisée des lustres à bougies, un œillet rouge sur la table et une carte originale imprimée sur des pages de journaux, ça commence déjà bien.
On commande un mojito fraise et un mojito passion, certes c’est 10 € le cocktail, mais le prix et largement justifié, par un service irréprochable et puis surtout parce que c’est le meilleur mojito qu’on ai jamais bu!
On a aussi mangé quelques tapas, tout aussi excellentes que les mojitos.
Une clientèle éclectiques, jeunes, moins jeunes, groupes d’amis, couples, de tous les styles, ça fait du bien de voir de tout dans un même endroit. Et un magicien qui se ballade dans le bar pour vous faire un tour ou deux, plutôt bluffants.
Bref, un endroit où on reviendra avec grand plaisir lors de nos prochains séjours à Barcelone! Vraiment, un endroit à né pas rater!

Cool bar and restaurant with a high energy atmosphere. Being in such a touristy area I was a little worried that the food wouldn’t be up to standard. I am glad to say there wasn’t a thing we ordered that wasn’t delicious. The cheese croquettes were an explosion of flavor on the palate. We decided to do it Tapas style and shared plates. We all had a great time and the prices were reasonable. I should also mention the Baron who greeted us at the door, looked like the Hannah Barbara Baron met Liberace, a true character.

Great for drinks and people watching! If you want a place for light tapas before heading to Flamenco next door, this is your place. Cool dance club downstairs after-​hours, too.

Nous avons découvert la place par hasard avec ma fille 16 et nous avons été attiré par cet endroit pittoresque. Cuisine, serveur, ambiance très sympa, a voir.

Came here for cocktails after dinner… nice ambiance, cool scene, excellent cocktails! I asked for the bartenders recommendation and had an amazing butter infused vodka with vanilla and pomegranate… wow! We went back the next night too.

This looked like the least touristy restaurant in the very touristy Las Ramblas strip. Inside a square toward the south end, Ocana sealed the deal for my patronage with its 6-​foot-​tall man in drag working the hostess stand.
I asked for a table for one; she sized me up and down and decided I was to be sat inside (instead in the prime terrace area). The server shuffled a table and chair around and voila — table for one tucked up against the back wall so I still had a great view of the entire restaurant and the outdoor area too. Solo dining done right.
The décor is modern, luxurious and plush. Low lit with a conspiratorial vibe and very open seating plan. Crowd ranged from couples to small groups of birthday celebrators, all roughly in their late 20s to mid 40s.
The service wasn’t great. My waiter seemed put out by my every request (a wine menu, then one plate and a glass of wine, then another glass of wine, then the bill). He even huffed when I said «No, that’s for you» when he tried to give me the change from my € 20. I have no idea what was going on there.
I only had one plate (the Spanish tortilla at € 5 – 6) off the tapas menu but it was plenty and delicious (if a tad on the salty side).
The restaurant itself if huge, spanning two large rooms and an upstairs area as well. The kitchen is sealed off but a trip to the bathroom gives you a near floor-​to-​sealing window view of its goings on. Nice touch.

Cool décor but the food was mediocre at best. We had the burger, weird taste and texture, with a side of fries (not the homemade kind) and the coca with escalivada and mato cheese was plain and tasteless. Very disappointing…

Precioso local que te transporta a otro lugar del mundo. Tiene dos plantas. He preferido la de abajo más ‘nightclub’ pero finalmente me tome la copa arriba porque no había donde sentarse abajo. La decoración es muy sencilla pero exquisita y la iluminación a base de candelabros da un ambiente genial. Lo único malo es que cierra a las 2h30… cuando ya te has animado te invitan a marcharte…

Endroit magique dans une ambiance feutrée
Ou il fait bon de se poser après une journée à marcher dans barcelone. Le décor est féerique, les tapas sympas et pas trop chers. Le seul bémol: le service est un peu expéditif mais vaut quand même le détour!

Siempre que paso por la plaza real este es un lugar de parada obligatoria, es el que más me gusta para sentarme en la terraza a tomar algo. Hay gente que come, cena e incluso desayuna en este lugar. Ponen unas bravas que están de lujo! Son cortadas a mano y con dos salsas. Un tomate grumoso y nada ácido, por dentro de esta salsa unos trozo de chili que le dan un toque picante. La otra salsa es un all i oli suave, vamos que entra solo (Por lo menos a mi).
También hacen cocteles pero son un poco caros. Así que perfecto para tomarte una caña con una bravas y listos. Mientras tanto irán apareciendo payasos, saltarines, gente que se dedica al espectáculo… y todo esto en primera fila desde su terraza.
Si es invierno y hace frío fuera, es igual! entra dentro, no te arrepentirás… suelo de madera muy antiguo y como decoración piezas de anticuarios. A la gente que le molan las antigüedades se lo recomiendo.
Por otro lado el trato siempre que ido ha sido inmejorable! Sin duda el mejor de la zona

WORST food for the price. Astoningly bad. I think they put the term «Unique» as a euphamism for terrible quality and totally absurd food with matching prices.
Apprantly the bar downstairs is better, do not eat on the main floor. ugh.
So bad, let me count the ways.
1. Patatas bravas– Not fully cooked. How do mess up potatoes. seriously? How?
2. The thai basil drink tasted like grape flavour cough medicine with italian basil on the side. Wasn’t even thai basil man!
3. The goat cheese croquettes were retarded. It was a ball of goat cheese rolled in nuts. not good. not even tasty combinations.
4. The taco which WAS tasty came to the table cold.
and i forget, but there was something else that was also served hot in the center and cold on the outside as if it hadn’t been microwaved long enough.
Unlucky for them my table consisted of 1 chef, 1 frenchman, 1 ex-​baker/​restaurant worker and 1 giant who’d eat anything put in front of him.
I asked for the manager to come over after speaking to our waitress who also sucked by the way and got the run around.
the woman who was too busy looking too alternative to give two shits asked us if a glass of cava could fix things and we just looked at each other and winced. Uh no, this meal can’t be fixed with booze. And I NEVER say that because usually it can.
Finally we get our bill fixed and our terrible items taken off and thats when the bald fella with a big gusto comes over and starts talking to us in spanish and lets us know that he too thinks its worse than cafertia food. yep.
I really don’t know how these people could give this place 4 stars. I guess the bar downstairs is where its at.

Ocaña is located in a beautiful building in Plaça Reial, one of the prettiest squares in Barcelona. The indoor and outdoor seating area both looked splendid. You can see into the kitchen on your way upstairs to the bathroom, which is pretty cool.
We only ordered drinks here, so I can’t speak to the quality of the food.
We liked it here so much that we came back twice in 3 days!

This place is TRULY unique! Me and hubby came in from our flight looking for a cool place to eat and have a drink. Turns out that this was the place for both and not only that, it became a clubby loungey place downstairs in the basement!
This is called urban tapas, so i would say the food is more unique and not as traditional. The upstairs décor is really cool and had a swank cool feel. We had the lamb pita, which was quite tasty. It wasnt gamey at all, and a nice small size as well. We also had the patatas bravas, which I have to say was a little disapointing. The service was a bit lacking as well, but it was midnight – might be why.
We met up with a friend here later and were asked to join the party downstairs, which was an 80s meets funky ambient music place. The bar is cool and the waiters/​waitresses downstairs were excellent and had a whole mixology thing going on there. We really enjoyed our time; the décor was really cool and funky as well and had table service for the youngens who were out to dance. We had a great first night with this place all in all!

Mon endroit fétiche à Barcelone, l’endroit situé au beau milieu du quartier Gothique et de la place royale (Plaça Reial) est une pépite. Je me suis rarement senti aussi bien quelque part, l’endroit est simplement merveilleux, outré la décoration soignée (sans en faire trop), les bouquets de fleurs jalonnent les tables éclairées par des lustres aux vraies bougies… le lieu est féerique et se prête finalement à tout type d’évènements tant il y a d’espace: brunchs, déjeuners, diners, anniversaires, retrouvailles (nous étions 25).
Le service sur mesure, assez expéditif il faut l’admettre. L’ardoise est modérée en comparaison avec l’élégance du spot !
Plus tard dans la nuit, il se transforme en club: Apparition de transformistes en guise de bienvenue, une file d’attente s’allonge à l’entrée vous laissant profiter de votre dernier verre de vin avant d’entamer un pas de danse dans leurs caves voûtées.
Pour un apéritif ou pour dîner, pensez à réserver (pour le dîner, pensez à le préciser). Le roi Ferran VII traîné quelque part dans ces murs, sans aucun doute avec un sourire prononcé.
On né vient pas ici pour la cuisine mais pour le cadre.

En este momento es mi sitio Fetiche en Barcelona.
He estado 3 veces.
2 veces estuve tomando café con leche (1,50 €) que me pareció muy barato para lo excepcional del lugar.
Como ha dicho Sharon el personal parece estar un poco desorganizado pero son correctos en el trato.
También he ido de noche y me encanta la música de la parte de abajo para bailar.
Esta noche coincidí con una DJ de Venezuela y también he conocido a una de las camareras (majísima) es filósofa y escritora.

Me lo enseñó hace algún tiempo mi amigo Edu B pero hasta hace pocos días no pude sentarme a tomar algo en la terraza de este nuevo y flamante local. La verdad es que ha quedado espectacular, todo reformado y con un gusto exquisito, y rinde homenaje al célebre artista José Pérez Ocaña que falleció hace ya unos años. El lugar es enorme y consta de varios espacios: terraza, coctelería, salón-​restaurante y hasta una parte de club. Esta en plena Plaza Real por lo que la mayoría que verás por allí serán guiris, aunque este hecho no vi que influyera en los precios del local (un poco caros sí, pero teniendo en cuenta la ubicación y la inversión que han hecho no los vi para nada caros). El servicio está un poco desorganizado y me tardaron bastante en traer la cuenta, aunque también es más fácil que pasen estas cosas en sitios tan grandes y de tanto paso. Si estás por Plaza Real puede ser una buena opción tanto para picar algo, beber un cocktail, o asistir a alguno de los espectáculos que ofrece el club.

**** This review is only based on the downstairs club ****
Only in old European cities like Barcelona can you go into the basement of a building and discover that you’re in some Medieval ancient space — that has since been turned into a nightclub… This is where I found myself Saturday night (sunday morning?) during the weekend of the Merce festival 2012.
Just as most bars/​clubs in Barcelona, the action doesn’t really start until after 11:30 pm. When we first arrived, we were able to have a bit of a conversation with one of the bartenders… that didn’t last long as the place quickly filled up and the tunes got cranked up. By the time we left, we could barely wind our way back to the stairs, as the place was packed.
odd thing about the bar — each bartender has his own station. I’d suggest going to Anton’s station — he’s a *real* bartender, and will make you something excellent, and with great presentation… he’s got moves to match it, too.
There was no cover when we arrived (don’t know if there is one at all or not). I don’t know about the drink prices as i wasn’t the one who paid either.
Setting was great — music was great — drinks were great… if I have as much fun the next time i return, i’ll upgrade.

Quizá sea, junto a la Fábrica Moritz, uno de los proyectos de ocio+cultura+restauración más ambiciosos de las últimas temporadas en la ciudad. 8 años de obras y 20 dándole vueltas a la idea de la Sra. Laguna (experimentadísima en el negocio) han fructificado en un superlocal multidisciplinar de 1200 m2. Puedes desayunar, tapear, cenar, tomar cócteles, mirar a los guiris desde su macroterraza, asistir a exposiciones, desfiles, desfasarte en su club… pero sobretodo, admirar el faraónico trabajo de interiorismo que han realizado los múltiples diseñadores seleccionando piezas de anticuarios, restaurando el impresionante suelo de madera de roble de más de 100 años de antigüedad, o proponiendo obras que se han creado especialmente para alguno de sus extraordinarios espacios.
Me gusta pensar que va a triunfar, porque me encanta la intervención realizada en todos los rincones, sin excepción, pero paga muy cara su privilegiada ubicación en el corazón de la ciudad. Los turistas atestan su terraza e interiores mañana, día, tarde y noche (incluso el club, de madrugada). Dudo que sepan valorar todo lo que simboliza Ocaña (el transgresor artista) en la Plaça Reial. Los que conocemos la historia del personaje agradecemos muchísimo la idea, el entusiasmo y la inversión (descomunal), pero nos mantenemos escépticos sobre la recuperación de su figura en un entorno con un turismo tan agresivo. Muchos de nosotros albergamos muchas esperanzas en que los pingües ingresos que se generen con tal flujo de visitantes, se reviertan en el recuerdo de José Pérez Ocaña, pionero del farandulismo en nuestra ciudad y artista total.
Por ahora, todos los platos, tapas, cócteles y comida rápida que he probado en el local están correctos (sí, lo he frecuentado mucho y a diferentes horas por razones que no vienen ahora a cuento) y con los precios moderados/​altos, pero se acaba cayendo en lo de siempre: el servicio. No pretendo que un camarero me explique las trágicas circunstancias en que falleció el artista que da nombre al establecimiento, pero sí que un RR.PP. tenga un mínimo conocimiento del producto que se sirve y quien fue Ocaña en el marco de la Plaça Reial.
Esperemos que sean capaces de mejorar ciertos aspectos esenciales para que no se pierda el espíritu del proyecto inicial. Hay que tener confianza, que 4 meses de vida es muy poco.

cool place. Good drinks. cool service personnel. great music. great view. It really makes a difference. Go there and relax.