Under the porticoes by the old port since 1836, 7 Portes is the rice house of Barcelona — paella parellada, arròs negre and the long roll of Catalan classics served in a room of piano, brass plaques and waiters who have made careers of it. Picasso, Lorca and a century of the city's history ate under these arches. It is big, it is famous, and it has earned every year of its hundred and ninety.
Location
Passeig d'Isabel II 14
El Born, Barcelona
El Born, Barcelona
Map
Insider Intel
Must Try
The paella parellada — the house's shell-free invention — or the arròs negre, with a bottle of Penedès.
Best Time
Lunch, long and unhurried; the room hits its stride when the rice pans start landing around 14:00.
Know Before You Go
A rice institution since 1836. Reservations are wise but a stretch of the room is kept for walk-ins — the queue moves faster than it looks.