Pitarra

Nice place with old and long tradition. From outside you can find a lot of diploma and recommendations.
Inside it looks like and quite old room with wardrobes, clocks and old pictures.
Service is rather too noble. They can make you feel uncomfortable and a little overwhelmed.
We’ve tried launch menu.
The good thing is that you receive a full bottle of wine, and around half of the bottle is included, so this is a lot more than one glass of wine.
Wine was ok, similar to the simple house wines.
Fish soup was very good, but the second plate not quite.
This should be grilled steak, but I’ve received very thin meat (5mm) which looked like chicken breast.
There was almost a half of it fat and not eat-​able part of the meat. Potatoes was not enough cooked and full of oil.
That is why only 3* — tradition is not everything.

Best carne paella I’ve had in Spain with delicious chunks of pork, chicken, and rabbit at a very reasonable price, making Pitarra a good option for hungry travelers and Catalans alike. In addition to great food, Pitarra offers a terrific overall dining experience. The owner really cares what people think and goes from table to table asking how everyone enjoyed their meal. This level of customer service is a rare find on the European dining scene, maybe rarer than good paella in Spain! Pitarra is a bit off the beaten trail in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, but it’s definitely a trip worth taking.

Super cool place in a very authentic neighborhood. We had the mushroom special and gamberis to start and for main the Seafood Paella. All very tasty and authentic. Servers spoke English and very nice. I had a special edition beer by Adrian Ferra (El Bulli) which I was surprised about… had no idea he made beer now… lol

Great restaurant, I ate here my last two days in a row in Barcelona. I had the seafood paella and the black rice, both were excellent. They also are gluten free friendly and even had some great gluten free bread they gave me for free as an appetizer. This is a very friendly and relaxed restaurant, a great oasis from Las Ramblas.

Very authentic and very accommodating. Great time!

We ordered some tapas, like garlic prawn, foie, octopus, cured meat, all was awesome, top qualitiy

We went there due to all the positive reviews, but were a little bit disjointed. The taste of seafood paella was satisfying but on the salty side. The portion was very small compared to the price, and actually with very few seafoods. Besides, there were not so many locals.

Standards are important, and that is why I decided to go to a high end place for my first Paella in Barcelona. I was not disappointed. The paella with black rice was excellent, and I recommend you to try it. Service and food was good, and I was satisfied.
This is not a place for young tourist out in Barca to party. Good for a quiet meal.

Small quiet place. Food was good and portions were huge.

We went there for our last meal in Barcelona. After reading the reviews we were expecting a restaurant that specialized in rice dishes. In reality this restaurant is a Catalan restaurant, that prides itself in the traditional foods of Catalonia, and has some rice dishes.
We were looking for something more upscale, and different from the usual tapas that we had been eating during our stay in Spain, and this place delivered. The restaurant is an old fashioned restaurant, with experienced waiters that take care of your needs, and provide you with very good guidance as to what to order. The staff was friendly and very informative, and really made our experience a very memorable one.
The food, was traditional, but really well done, and honestly a great change from the usual stuff we had during our stay. We had the young roasted goat and the asparagus with romesco sauce. The goat was incredibly tender and beautifully flavored, served with potatoes and roasted tomatoes, my friend, that was concerned about eating goat, ate the whole thing! The asparagus served with the romesco sauce were perfectly grilled and the sauce worked great with this dish.
The surprise was the dessert. We had a delicious chocolate cake served with mandarin ice cream (following the recommendation of our server) that was out of this world, and an Xixona style ice cream that tasted like almonds are supposed to taste, it really spoiled almonds for me!
The location of the restaurant is an old clock shop that was owned by Frederic Soler, an important literary figure in Barcelona, known as Serafi Pitarra. The place is covered with pictures from early Barcelona, and old clocks, it is worth a visit around the place, while you wait for your food to be ready.

Great, authentic-​feeling paella place in the Barri Gotic. Went for a late lunch one sunny day in April and saw mostly locals in here. The décor and vibe here is old-​school and authentic. It’s clear they’ve been serving these same staples for years and it’s no wonder. The food here is very good and the service is friendly and helpful. We both ordered paella, of course, and it was excellent. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place to anyone looking for an more authentic Catalonian experience.

This was a very disappointing experience especially after reading the reviews on trip advisor. I can sum it up by saying… way over priced Paella, that lacked both lobster and taste. It was served for two and more resembled rice soup. The «lobster» shells were there with almost no meat at all. They did serve several mussels with the dish but that did not make up for the price.
The atmosphere was nice and the restaurant was busy, but we don’t know why. There are other much more reasonable places to choose and I would pass on this restaurant. We were looking for a very good example of paella and this was not it.

The best service! Tons of history (established in 1890), great food, superb service. Not a tourist trap! Off the beaten path bliss. Veggie paella, helado violeta, steak, asparagus, truffles, house cavo and sangria all superb!!! Hole in the wall gem.

Wow. what a great meal! I would give it 5 stars but the dessert was disappointing and rice in the paella was slightly undercooked. As for taste of the paella, it was delicious! We ordered the seafood paella and I was impressed at how ample the seafood portion was compared to the amount of rice. We also ordered the stewed monkfish with wild mushrooms and prawns… SO awesome! The fish was super fresh, perfectly tender, and so tasty. It felt like comfort food. I loved the mushrooms and the prawns too. When the server brought out the dish I was shocked at how large the portion was even though he split it into 2 plates for us to share. On top of such an excellent meal, the service was friendly and attentive.
The only downside to our visit would be the dessert. My guess is we made a mistake in ordering tiramisu but they didn’t have much variety other than ice cream.
I would definitely come back to try more of their delicious and hearty dishes. They have a wide selection of very fresh seafood and meat dishes. I wish there was a similar restaurant in the US!

6÷28÷2012
Had one of the best meals here I’ve enjoyed in a long time. Relaxing, untouristy setting with an old world motif. The cheese and mushroom starter was a stand out at the beginning which we split on the recommendation of the server, as most appetizers were quite large. We also shared a spectacular avocado salad with salmon and topped with caviar and a vinaigrette that was elegant in presentation and flavorful. The mixed seafood paella that followed was also sufficient for two. Several types of seafood were present in abundance, enough for a taste in each fork full. My only quibble was that it was slightly overcooked. Service was friendly and attentive as well. For what you get, the price is very fair. Go! You’ll like or love it enough to want an encore.

Great place for a relaxed dinner. Great food, good service and relaxed atmosphere. The portions are huge so you don’t need to order many dishes. Sharing is recommended if you have paella. Great place with interesting history in the gothic quarter.

One of the most memorable experiences in my travels. This restaurant is just amazing. The food is wonderful and vibrant, and the service is amazing. They make you feel like a part of the family when you dine here.
My boyfriend’s aunt came here a few years ago and fell in love with the place. She went a few times and made friends with the owner. Then my boyfriend and I went back a few years later and brought a photo of his aunt and the owner together. He remembered her well and showed us the photo he had of her. It was incredible!
I will recommend this restaurant as an absolute must when in Barcelona. I wish I could go more often!

Contrary to some of the reviews here, I actually had a fantastic experience at Pitarra! Me and 4 other people came here after reading about it on a Professor Paella’s blog and so we rolled in around 10:30pm after Barcelona had just lost against Madrid, which is why I think the restaurant was relatively empty. Immediately, you noticed the elegant décor, and although we were sporting our casual clothes and Barca jerseys, the owner and waiters were very friendly!
We ordered a salad, a charcuterie plate, 2 paellas, and sangria (this was more like a late night snack :]) Sangria was excellent! Salad was fresh! The cut meats were good and the paella was delicious! I would say that you can share 1 paella between 2 – 3 people. It was very flavorful and had the right balance between amount of rice and protein.
I later asked the owner about being able to accommodate large groups and he was very friendly and showed me the potential menus and the large group rooms. Definitely recommended!

Totally underwhelming. Gross paella with inedible pork, overcooked shrimp, and some unopened mussels (and not many shrimp or mussels either). Go to Cerveceria Catalana (amazing paella) or Ciudad Condal instead.

Just an awesome night! Great neighborhood, perfect Barcelona experience at Pitarra. The owner, James (Jaume, Jaime) gave us a night we’ll never forget… even though I don’t remember leaving. Fantastic Paella, Cava, Cuban cigars. I can’t recommend this enough, don’t be fooled by the conservative décor or clientele, it’s a fun time to be had.

Can Pitarra es un clásico de la Ciutat Vella de Barcelona, uno de esos restaurantes que han servido de escenario para grandes tertulias de la intelectualidad de la ciudad y también para grandes acuerdos políticos, cobijados por la discreción que da las salas privadas. De hecho dicen que el primer tripartito catalán se forjó en este restaurante del Carrer d’Avinyó, entre los objetos personales de Serafí Pitarra (padre del teatro catalán) que decoran el local. La primera vez que acudí a Can Pitarra fue para la celebración de un premio que habían otorgado a unos colegas. El motivo era de enorme alegría y el lugar acompañó: una decoración tradicional, coqueta y muy acogedora. Tanto el menú como la carta ofrecen típicos platos catalanes. Si os gusta la caza (perdiz, jabalí o ciervo, por ejemplo) no perdáis la oportunidad porque en Can Pitarra saben cómo cocinarla para que acabes chupándote los dedos.

No insistiré demasiado en la pequeña historia de este gran restaurante (Pitarra, o Frederic Soler, fue uno de los padres del teatro catalán contemporáneo, y vivió en esta casa, que era también relojería, hasta finales del siglo XIX. Aquí, también se reunía con compañeros y amigos dramaturgos e intelectuales).
En él, podréis encontrar obras y objetos del autor…, y buena comida tradicional catalana. Bien hecha, en buenas cantidades y a buen precio. Con cierta especialidad en la temporada de caza (perdiz, faisán, jabalí, mmm…), pero tranquilos, podréis encontrar un poco de todo por si no os gusta este tipo de carne: paella, canelones, entrecot, bacalao al horno (buf…), también alguna cosa a lo moderno como crêpes… Buenos vinos, buen servicio, buen ambiente…
Lo ideal, si vais unos cuantos, es pedir uno de los reservados, el del piso de arriba o el de abajo, son casi como habitaciones reformadas, auténticas e íntimas. Más de una vez, se ve a algún político comiendo y, para honrar al nombre, haciendo un poco de teatro. Hay que venir y conocerlo.

¿Te apetece un viaje gastronómico al S. XIX? ¡Ves al Pitarra! Fundado en 1890, se trata de un emblemático restaurante de Barcelona que lleva este nombre porque el establecimiento fue la casa donde vivió el prestigioso poeta y dramaturgo catalán Frederic Soler, más conocido como «Pitarra».
El local ha recuperado la obra, las fotos y muchos de los recuerdos del dramaturgo, y esto, unido al hecho de que su carta se basa en una cocina tradicional catalana especializada en la temporada de caza, te transporta directamente a la época de la Renaixença catalana.
¿En cuanto al precio? ¡Hiper justo teniendo en cuenta la calidad y la cantidad! Y es que siempre que he ido he salido llena… ¡Muy llena! ¿Será porque en el S. XIX se comía más? ¡Será, será!

Dieses kleine, aber sehr feine Restaurant beheimatete einst den katalanischen Schriftsteller Frederic Soler, genannt «Pitarra», vom dem das Restaurant dann auch den Namen entliehen hat. Unser Kellner war sehr auskunftsfreudig und führte mich sogar durch das Haus, um mir das ehemalige Atelier des Dramaturgen zu zeigen, der angeblich die ersten auf català geschriebenen Dramen verfasst haben soll.
Die Einrichtung ist sehr u (h)rig (der Onkel des Autors war übrigens Uhrmacher, was man den vielen Uhren an den Wänden ansehen kann). Das Essen war — auf jedem Fall nicht den preisen angemessen. Die Vorspeisenplatte war durchwachsen, die angepriesenen regionalen Spezialitäten mau, das Dessert habe ich schon um einiges besser in durchschnittlichen Lokalen gegessen. Die Getränkeauswahl hob sich positiv davon ab. Der Cava war sehr gut, der Wein vorzüglich und der orujo sehr aromatisch.
Allein die Preise waren ausverschämt. Mein Tipp: Niemals, wirklich niemals Gerichte sich empfehlen lassen, die nicht auf der Karte stehen. Diese waren unverhältnismäßig teuer und dabei von mediokrer Qualität.
Mein Fazit: Authentisches katalanisches Restaurant mit hohen Preisen, die nur für die Getränke angemessen sind.