The food was not good. I am a educated Chef an i have never eaten food i disliked more. The waiters and the cooks were talking, laughing, showing their tattoos off to one enother right in front of us. It wouldent bother us that much if it didn't cost as much as a gourmet restaurant. The food was not god, and the service was not good. The price was extreme. Recommend to go someplace else.

we couldn't chosse the dishes. all the customers there seemed to order 4 tapas which were recommended by the restaurant. it was such a small portion that me and my husband were still very hungry. the bill was 56 euros for 4 small tapas!!!!
all the customers were obviously foreign toursits. it was ripped-off

PERHAPS YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CUISINE!!! CAL PEP HAS MAINTAINED AS ONE OF THE DINE TO PLACES IN THE WORLD!!! I'VE TRAVELED A LOT AND CAN HONESTLY THAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED THE BOAT!!!

Completely over rated,nothing special,who ever enjoyed this restaurant clearly have no idea about seafood! The food is SO Salty!very disappointing.don't bother .

I can't agree with the folks whose feet are tired, and who miss sweet home Alabama with it's excellent customer service. Cal Pep is a real restaurant with a recognizable determination to make good food. The good customers they can only hope for.

Not worth the hype. Don't trust the "pre selected" tapas. Order what you want. I had 7 tapas, only 3 were worth it. Don't get the bread, the sandy mussels, the tasteless poorly battered fried seafood plate, or the padron peppers (unless you have never had padrons, then you wont know what you are missing. Big waste of hard earned money.

best tapas for sure.. just very annoying to wait.

This restaurant is definitely worth a visit!! Yummy, simple, tasty fresh food! Best Tapas by far in Barcelona!! ENJOY

After reading the reviews, I have no idea whether I should go to Cal Pep or not. Some of the reviews are absolutely scathing...while others indicate it is the best food around. My wife and I are travelling there on August 19th,2011 and want to know where to eat.

Quelle bonne Adresse ! Tapas excellents et ambiance conviviale assurée ... Attendez votre tour en dégustant un apéritif et observez les tapas défiles en attendant votre tour au bar ! Les tortillas ( omelette de pomme de terre et oignons) les palourdes ... Et J en passe ... Tous fabriques devant vos yeux ... Fraicheur garantie et soirée inoubliable ! A recommander !!!!!!!

Went there with my parents. We got there early and got seats no problem. I was very worried because I'm vegetarian but I told the waiter and he said there was no problem. I communicated with him in Spanish but his English seemed quite good, which is always nice just in case. We asked about a couple of dishes we'd heard of and he ordered them as well as a few others. Everyone was very nice and very helpful, and we had a great time. The food was all at least very good, some of it better than that (a little salty occasionally for my palate but still good)
Yes, it is expensive but personally I thought it was worth it for the experience. Whether or not it is for you is a personal decision.

(For reference we had fried peppers, tuna tartare, chicken/spinach croquettes, monkfish, chickpeas with spinach, mushrooms a la plancha, baby clams with ham in broth and fried baby anchovies with egg)

it was spectacular. if you like a surprise don't order your meal but ask them to make something for you. mmmmmmmm great
we receive some recepies at home know.
if you are going to barcelona you must eat at Cal Pep.
we hope to go again soon.

It is a spectacular place to visit if you don't go you'd be crazy. Love this.

Nous (couple 40 ans environ...) faisons partie des chanceux qui n'ont attendu que...20 minutes pour déjeuner chez Cal Pep. Ambiance authentique, produits très frais, pas de menu, bienvenue dans l'atmosphère plutôt huilée de Cal Pep. Il faut le faire, le vivre, le voir, se faire son avis et ça s'arrête là. Pour bien manger il faut effectivement prévoir 40 euros par personne et là, avouons qu'à ce prix on trouve des restaurants d'un autre niveau à Barcelone. Pain frotté à la tomate + huile d'olive, bon sans plus. Mélange de calamars/poissons/crevettes fris, sans plus. Petits poivrons fris, que les inconditionnels de Cal Pep nous expliquent la différence avec les poivrons des autres... Tartare de thon : excellent. Moules au vin, ouais, fraîches quoi les moules...Couteaux sautés, bons. Saucisse au foie gras, réduction au Porto, le tout sur haricots : excellent. Verres de vin blanc, vin quelconque mais serveur généreux. Au verre il vous laisse la bouteille et jauge votre consommation, c'est beau joueur. Bonne adresse, malgré tout réputation exagérée et tarifs un peu élevés.

La valutazione di Elio del 4 Gennaio 2011, relativamente alla ristorazione del Cal Pep é evidentemente di persona che é abituato a pranzare in pizzeria, locali che personalmente poco frequento per ordinare esclusivamente pizza o spaghetti, che talvolta sono di qualita' discutibile. Frequento Barcelona per motivi di lavoro da oltre 15 anni e riconosco nel ristorante Cal Pep il locale tipico delle tapas Catalane, espressione della vita Catalana: qualita' e sapore del cibo Catalano, simili allo slow-food Italiano, serviti in fast-food come una pizzeria Italiana al taglio.
Punteggio: 4 stelle, consigliato per break saporiti e veloci, tipici della frenetica vita Catalana, ma da provare, previa coda o prenotazione, da ogni turista che voglia sentirsi per istante un Catalano.

ATTENZIONE !!!!
A tutti gli Italiani che vogliono mangiare bene e cercono come me la qualita' e il piacere del palato del nostro mangiare regionale,non cercatelo qui.A Barcellona ci si puo' solo NUTRIRE per cui un posto vale l'altro.Ho cercato e provato diverse varianti ,anche questo ristorante piu' riconosciuto ma il risultato e' sempre il solito,il rimpianto di una qualsiasi pizzeria ITALIANA

I came for the tapas and the tapas were really good. Waiting is part of the game: and we were lucky iy was fast that night. best fish tapas around.

Judy - I don´t agree with your description - I am not discussing your taste and your personal impression - but your comments are misinforming other people.
How do you explain that this bar - not restaurant - is known as Barcelona´s best tapa bar - and every day people - not only tourists - are queuying to get a place.
All these people don´t understand about food - all these people are prepared to be cheated - including my spanish friends and I who are frecuent guests in Cal Pep?
Sorry - I don´t buy it.
Best regard from Barcelona

DO NOT EAT HERE. Had the WORST FOOD and EXPERIENCE here. Left an extremely bad taste in our mouths, how we were treated. It ended up being 30 euros per person for 8 small plates of crap quality food.

When we walked in, they herded us to the back room and told us they don't have a menu, that we wouldn't understand it anyway so they would order 6 dishes of popular items and then after 6 they would ask us if we wanted more. If we were wise, we should have left after hearing this... However we sat down and they proceed to bring us 7-8 small size portion dishes one after another. (plate of ham, 3 croquettes, plate of clams, tortilla, fried little fish, 3 bruschetta, etc) After 8 dishes they didn't seem to stop and ask us anything so I asked for a check. They said NO. We already put another item in the oven for you. You must eat it, it's been cooked for you. We didnt eat it, but insisted on the check, that they are supposed ask after 6 dishes before bringing anymore food out. They charged us for it anyway. Since our spanish were rudimentary, we felt we could not argue and got ripped off. I think this place is a scam to rip off tourist. The food is less than mediocre and overpriced. If Spain had a Better Business Bureau, they would have been shut down already.

The waiter also insisted ordering for us and we got all sorts of things we did not want including very poor and expensive whole fish. The bill was enormous as well. To be fair about half the food was excellent but overall we felt completely ripped off.

This place needs to be re-reviewed.
It is below standard and leads hundreds of unsuspecting tourists to one of the worst meals they could possibly have in Barcelona.
After telling the waiter we wanted chicken, meat, prawns and fish he told us he will pick for us (DONT LET THEM!) Their choice is the cheap rubbishy things for the tourists eg omlette, very oily deep fried calamari and 2 inch size dried out fish, over salted clams, oily mushrooms. They told us there were no prawns and chicken (though we saw other diners with prawns)
Everything was oversalted and drowning in oil so dont come here if you have heart disease!
It cost 90 euros for 2.
The night before we went to another one recommended by our local hotel Cindad Condal near Les Ramblas- absolutley thrashed this place for quality and freshness and variety- it cost 60euros for 2
The night before that we went to el bulli- what can I say! Superlative!

Dommage ferme en aout

This was our last night in Barcelona and we had read good comments about the restaurant - went there for dinner tonight and it was terrible -greasy , oily, deep fried food that was unedible. We each ordered a glass of wine and got a bottle each! It was also by far the most expensive meal we had on our trip. The staff was not helpful, ordered for us and it was truly a disaster! I am so disappointed and want to notify others so you don´t make the same mistake we did! What a night!

the toilets are so bad i went to the nearest tolet

well.. sorry for the "few" bad comments on this page.. but went to cal pep last week.. just the better tapas around... wish I could find similar places for our next trip in Barcelona

This is theatre at its best. I was alone - stranded without flight- but an experience such as this almost made the whole nightmare worthwhile. Shown immediatley to a stool-a plus to being solo?- amazing tapas chosen by the waiter- try the baby clams-enjoyed every moment. Overpriced? Try one of the street cafes on La Ramblas. Small crit- I wanted BUY one of the paper placemats and it seemed the Patron was not impressed. The day we stop asking, is the day.....

my favourite tapas bar when in Barcelona... just waiting to come to Barcelona another time to run there.. of course a waiting line sometimes but worth it for sure... my favourite is tapas of pulpo gallego... hummmm and patatas bravas.....;;hummmmmm

Cal pep c énorme!! un des serveurs est français(Paco) et vous conseille sur ce que vous devez manger(pas de menu!) en fonction de l'arrivage du jour, c donc toujours super frais! Et en + c la surprise à chaque fois vous ne savez pas à l'avance ce qu'il y aura, j'adore!!!

Le meilleur resto de tapas de Barcelone sans aucun doute!!

Fantastic tapas, service and atmosphere at Cal Pep!!

Inoubliable ! personnel sympathique qui parle avec vous malgré la barriere de la langue. Sans compter les délicieux plats et le vin.(et le digestif) Je crois n'avoir jamais autant mangé !
A ne rater ! nous n'avons meme pas eu à faire la queue, un "midi" en semaine.
nous ne manquerons pas d'y retourner.

Je reviens juste de chez Cal Pep. Je suis extremement decue : tout est extremement gras, ca baigne dans l'huile, le repas m'est reste sur l'estomac (et pourtant j'ai l'habitude!). La tortilla n'est presque pas cuite (tres tres baveuse), elle est imbibee d'huile et ils rajoutent une couche de mayonaise dessus... immangeable.
La derniere surprise a ete la note. Ils n'ont pas de menu a l'interieur. Le patron m'a propose du filet de veau, tres bon mais copieux comme un tapa... 20 euros !!! Au total j'en ai eu pour 40 euros , j'ai peu et mal mange !! D'ou vient cette reputation ?

We went there today for lunch on this sites recommendation, BUT having lived in spain for 9 years we have eaten much better tapas for a 3rd of the price than those offered in this pretentious, over-rated and franky snobbish tapas bar! if you want to be seen with your posh clothes and rolex this is the place to be, otherwise look for the other great bars in the back streets of Barcelona.

Do not go there! This is a place that is looking to rip off non Spanish speakers.

se vuoi mangiare tapas ottima scelta, l'unico inconveniente..........devi aspettare un'eternita' prima di poterti accaparrare uno sgabello!!!!! a meno che non fai la fila prima che apra. Io ho preso la varieta' di tapas proposte dalla casa ,ottime devo dire ma anche care(69 € in due, senza vino), se dovessi tornarci sicuramente farei una selezione piu' accurata scegliendo personalmente le porzioni. nel complesso ho mangiato molto bene, simpatico e cortese il personale. Tappa da non perdere.

côté tapas il n'y a pas mieux... file d'attente un peu longue mais cela reste ma référence dans cette ville!! et lâchez vous un peu même si l'addition sera un peu au dessus de la moyenne.. le rapport qualité prix est sans égal!!

Our experience at Cal Pep was most memorable. The tapas was outstanding- fresh,modern and totally delicious. We cant stop recommending it. The service was so friendly and as it was the first place we went to in Barcelona we were really impressed. Nothing else came close to it.
If we ever have a chance to go back to Barcelona we will make sure that we eat there a couple of times.

delicious! im not big on spanish food but this is has to be the best ive ever eatin! im so going there again with my family!! :D

We just come back from Cal Pep and it was great!
The tortilla was like God himself created it. ;)

C'est l'endroit à ne pas rater à Barcelone.Vous y mangerez les meilleures tapas de la ville.Allez y à l'avance si vous ne voulez pas faire la queue..
Goutez à la tortilla , à la saucisse de foie cuite dans une réduction de porto ;et surtout laissez vous porter par la bonne humeur du chef

Dopo una bella esperienza da cal pep sono tornato con degli amici. C'era molto da aspettare e pep ci ha invitato a recarci dal fratello dove avremmo mangiato, secondo lui, tapas. Arrivati, ci ha accompagnato lui, abbiamo avuto la sorpresa di trovarci in un ristorante. Non abbiamo avuto la possibilità di scegliere gli antipasti ma resisici conto che c'era la fregatura abbiamo mangiato solo un risotto. Una bottiglia di Cava che ci hanno versato senza chiedere nulla ed una di acqua. Quindi una fetta di prosciutto a testa, 16 lumachine di mare, 8 gamberi con le cipolle, un piatto di vongole, 4 porzioni di riso per un totale di 38 euro a testa. Un comportamento da parte di Pep vergognoso. La lezione ci è servita!!!!

excellent, worth its reputation. get there around 8 pm if you don´t want to wait for a seat. Get pulpo a la plancha (grilled). they prepare it right in front of you. everything we had was great, we went 2x over 4 nights.

Great editor’s choice.. we like Cal Pep very much , one of our stops while in Barcelona!

A great experience and worth the wait!

The server was arrogant and condescending. Some of the food was decent, but most was mediocre; in fact, the omelette they served us was burnt...clearly going on reputation. For the 90 euros we paid, we could have gotten a whole lot more.

- molto buono, ma rapporto qualita' prezzo troppo sproporzionato.
45 € a persona per mangiare seduti su uno sgabello davanti la cucina e' veramente troppo.
- it was very good, but the relationship from quality and price is out of all proportion, we have paied 45€ each and we have eaten in front of the kitchen seated on the stool.

We arrived at 19.55 and left at 21.50 after having to stand in a crammed public-transport-like atmosphere, with people eating just a half a meter away. Having realized, after two hours of wait, that we would probably have to wait for another half hour or an hour or more (who knows?!), we left deeply frustrated, beyond hungry, angry and very disappointed. The proprietor and his waiters failed to inform any of the unsuspecting victims of their torture house about what’s awaiting them. Ridiculous experience. Once your sugar levels have fallen to sub-zero point and you feel like letting it all out on your partner, there is only one solution left- to leave!

En plein mois de janvier la queue dans la rue pour avoir le réel plaisir de manger des tapas avec des produits extra frais. Le chef anime son monde en étant complice aussi bien avec les clients qu'avec ses cuistots. Un vrai régal pour les papilles, une ambiance rare préservée. N'oubliez pas de réserver et faites confiance au chef, vous passerez une super soirée.

Le meilleur bar à tapas de Barcelone toujours surpeuplé.. prévoir une attente d'une quarantaine de minute pour avoir le privilège de manger au bar.. ne demandez surtout pas de sangria ni de patatas bravas (ils n'en ont pas!!) mais laissez vous guider pas les maîtres de cérémonies.. Un peu chéro mais à faire absolument!! J'ai adoré......

Cal Pep is a great tapas restaurant in Barcelona... the best for sure!!

We went to this restaurant yesterday...

We eat very well but they sol us 4 gambas for 35€...

Se avete voglia di stuzzicare andate in questo locale,si mangia una meraviglia dopo Barcellona una città viva , lo raccomanda una espagnola que vie a Turin.SABORES DE ESPAGNA

Just come back from Barcelona and visited Cal Pep on the back of a recommendation from my sister.

6 of us went to this eaterie having seen it busy the night before and knowing we would be treated to some decent food.

Well decent does not do it justice. We were lucky to get 6 seats or should I say stools together and told by the staff that they would give us a selection of food off the menu. That suited us fine.

What followed was fantastic, both in terms of the quality of the food but also the ambience and the experience of seeing food being prepared in front of you. A real treat which cost us 20 pounds each with a drink.

It is well worth the acclaim and do not be put off by the queues which reduce a lot quicker than you think.

If you like Tapas then you will judge all Tapas that you have after this one by it. You are unlikely to have had nicer before and unlikely to have better again.

Best food in Barcelona by far! One of the best meals we´ve had anywhere in the world, including New York, London, Paris. Friendly service, creative dishes and plenty of wonderful food. Also, the best coffee we had in Barcelona.

the food was great, except it made me have the runs! Im not used to all this fresh fish malarky!

but tastes great!

Will go again next year.

i think this is the best resturant that we went to while in barcelona

Coeerente alle recensioni. Eccezionale il fritto di mare. CF'è da fidarsi.

Great place.. dont' miss it while in Barcelona. Thank you for this tip!!

We went again at Cal Pep.. and no surprise they are always the best tapas on town!! great!!

I want to travel in july in Barcelona and i want to see something beautiful.Can u suggest me somethink to see??(4-6.07.2007)

i absoulty love this resturant, it was sooo good, barecelona is very lucky to have a resturant like this! im like omg and the resturant was like omg and i was like omg! anyway, the food in this resturant was amazing and fabulous, me and my girlfriend loved it.

just great experience.. best tapas in Barcelona for sure!!

i poke my self every night and i live in whakatane call me 8686797 for a root

Cal pep is open again sorry for you ;-)
and it worth it … you hav to go there without any doubt !!

Just perfect place.. best tapas of Barcelona for sure!!

This morning I still was in Barcelona, now I am back at home. Three days
ago I was having lunch at Call Pep's!! Now I'm about to go to the supermarket.
I am not much off a fish eater, but I wanted to eat in a tapas-bar, in this
tapas-bar. I'm not in Spain to eat non-spanish food am I? So I were at
Call Peps and we had to wait a little while. Than it was our turn to eat at a
long bar, and the waiters didn't speak english very good, and we don't speak
spanish at all, but he helped us through!! and it was delicious!!! We had roasted
bread with tomato's, beans with spinach, fried artichokes and a tortilla.
It was SO good, and we were so full for the rest of the day!!
The shrimps were still alive, but I suggest you just don't look and sit down,
order and eat!

Mixed fri of calamari, small fish and shrimp was excellent, so was tuna tartar.
Recommended omlette also was great. The best tapas in town with great people. Be there before the open to get the table, queue started 10 min before the open on last Saturday. Or it's absolutely worth waiting !

Recommended by this website, this was one of most enjoyable meals one could hope to have in Barcelona. From the outside it looks quite dreary but once seated inside (you will have to wait a short time) it transforms into a marvellous experience of fine foods, beers, wines and service. Highly recommended. English speaking staff help immensly.

Visited Cal Pep last Friday - it was fantastic. Along wait for a bar stool but definitely worth it. The clams with ham and chilli is wonderful if a little bit pricey.

Go to Cal Pep and don't have a budget planned!

the best tapas in Barcelona... better be patient... always crowded.. josh