La Boqueria is a market near Las Ramblas that long ago was a place to process bull meat, boc, and later served as convent of St. Josep. The peak-roofed space now houses stalls for butchers, bacalao, juice, vegetables, prepared foods and more. Seafood is clearly the specialty at El Quim de La Boqueria, whether it’s favorites like baby squid, or “new dishes prepared every day” using razor clams, gilthead bream, or cockles. Seasonal offerings are popular, though most people still order a signature item: Huevos con Calamaretti. Fried eggs provide a puffy base for tender baby squid, garlic, onions and chives.

Could it really be that Granja Armengol dates to 1086? That’s what the literature says for this lleteria, which is located across the street from Mercat de la Llibertat and features dairy products of the cow (vaca), goat (cabra) and sheep (oveja). A cow statue marks the corner spot, which is worth seeking for fresh cow’s milk cheese, thick, tangy lemon sheep’s milk yogurt, and creamy vanilla-flecked cow’s milk yogurt that drips from your spoon.

Nobody can match the imagination of famed Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudí, but Gresca chef-owner Rafael Pena has been known to get creative near Gaudí’s masterpiece, La Pedrera, since 2006. The spare space features white walls and brick with scattered paintings, a scraped-metal floor and jazz music. In Catalan, gresca is a party at a table with food and drink, and that ethos certainly carries over to the restaurant’s dishes. Kokotxas, slimy-outside, silky-inside cod cheeks, come in a shallow pool of Meuniere sauce with chanterelle mushrooms. Pork Noodles are in fact pig skin, seasoned with paprika and garlic oil, plated in chicken stock aromatic with citronelle and ginger. Pena’s signature Egg Souffle features airy meringue cradling an intact yolk, served on al dente potato “noodles” dressed with cream and chives. Roasted Veal Tongue with sage is substantial, with practically a whole tongue that’s braised and grilled, served with buttery mashed potatoes on buttered beef jus with baby root vegetables: radishes, scallions, Brussels sprouts. Tasting menus are also available in 5 (38€), 9 (55€) and 12 courses (70€)

This craft beer bar and “El Celler Cerveser de Sants” resides on bucolic Plaça d’Osca, which includes tables and umbrellas from surrounding establishes, Homo Sibaris included, on the terrace. Inside Homo Sibaris, you’ll find a small bar up front with rotating taps, handles that depict the drinking process, and a dining room in back devoted to bocadillos. If you prefer beer in bottles, shelves along the east wall double as an impressive bottle shop.

This craft beer bar in the heart of Las Ramblas debuted in May, 2014, sports white subway tiles, gold lanterns, and a stainless steel bar. Photos of elaborate door handles line the wall. A blackboard menu focuses on English, Norwegian, Belgian and German beers. They rotate 15 international taps and also feature beer cocktails like the Beer Pirinha with cachaca, weissbier and lime; and Black Velvet with Imperial stout and cava. I enjoyed a glass of Lervig Siste Dans, an amber-hued American Pale Ale from Norway, brewed with Cascade and Centennial hops, but don’t expect to find it when you visit. Kaelderkold is anything but constant.

Barceloneta, long the domain of fishermen, changed drastically as a result of the 1992 Summer Olympics. Thankfully, restaurants like Kaiku remain. The space features a green awning, dining room with wall-mounted jai alai canastas, and black and white photos from the neighborhood’s past. Seafood, plucked daily from the nearby Mediterranean Sea, is the star. Zamburiñas are sweet, tiny scallops sourced from Muxia market, cooked a la plancha and served on the half-shell with lime ginger sauce. Anemonas, dark, oyster-like sea anemones from Sant Carles de la Rapita market, are fried in a light tempura batter and dippable in wine reduction. Paella is King at Kaiku, and I’m now a believer in Arroz Negra with squid, squid ink, langoustines and mussels. Even the bread is from right down the street at Baluard, which contributes to a great DIY pan con tomate, where the bread’s rubbed with fresh tomato, drizzled with olive oil and dusted with parsley. For dessert, Kaiku serves a textbook Crema Catalan in a cazuela with torched top, creamy texture and halved grape garnish.