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Smarter dining

Louro

The lobster rice is popular

Yes, Las Ramblas can be tourist hell. But not everything here is yellow paella and sangria in mugs.

There are no touts on the street tempting you up the stairs to Louro in the Centro Galego, which is the first good sign. The specialty here is Galician fare, in case the locale wasn’t enough of a hint.

The kitchen turns out some dishes of varying sophistication and success. Our last meal included some perfect padron peppers, gratinated scallops that were a little overpowered by the topping, plain steamed mussels that were clearly fresh but would have benefitted from some sauce, and some utterly spectacular smoked anchovies on toast. 

After several previous visits we finally relented and had lobster rice for a main. It seems this dish goes to just about every table in the restaurant, but there’s a reason for that – it is very, very good, and good value too by Barcelona standards at €24 per person (min 2 pers). 

Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable, and suggested a perfect wine for the occasion as well.

While there’s almost nothing to recommend in Las Ramblas from a dining perspective, Louro stands out by a country mile. We’ll definitely be back.

Tel: 937 308 280

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Smarter dining

Arume

Arume is a charming local restaurant in El Raval

A bit of a favourite this one, and not just because it is close to home. Almost every dish on the menu delivers on its promise, and most are fairly imaginative too, without going over the top.

The service is spot-on, and the pricing is too low for what they deliver. No wonder it is always full from ‘tourist hour’ at 7pm until late. (That, and the fact that TripAdvisor rates it the best paella in town. The paella is fine, but there are others that are better – TripAdvisor is hardly a reliable arbiter.) Book ahead.

The charming Arume's shopfront

Calle Botella, 11-13

Tel: 933 154 872

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