Bar Ramón: Cooking Into The Hall of Fame
Barcelona's Sant Antoni neighborhood is known for its bodegas and low key tapas bars. This area is fairly residential so the atmosphere is calm and approachable. It's a good break from the bustle of the Gothic Quarter or Gracía. In this quiet neighborhood, you'll find Bar Ramón, which was one of my favorite restaurants from my previous Barcelona visit.
PRO TIP: Reservations can only be made in-person or over the phone.
The restaurant has a lively vibe thanks to its young clientele and the 1950's Rock and Roll memorabilia scattered throughout the dining space. This spot has been serving delicious tapas since 1939 so they're popular among locals.
The menu is extensive and the bar has a few tapas/pintxos for your viewing pleasure. You can point at the ones you like just in case you can't read the menu, which, by the way, is in Spanish. There is no English menu. Google Translate is your friend! Despite The dishes at Bar Ramón are simple and affordable. I highly recommend starting with a bottle of wine. Most of their wines are priced between 15 and 30 Euros. I opted for a Spanish white wine (roughly 20 Euros) called La Flor y La Abeja (translation: The Flower and the Bee). Once the wine is ordered, go to town on those delicious tapas.
I'd 100% come back to Bar Ramón the next time I want a reliable and affordable tapas meal in Barcelona. The value, ambiance, hospitality, and quality is just too hard to refuse.
The Bomb (La Bomba) was alright. It's basically a giant croquette topped with brava and aioli sauces. Usually the center would be stuffed with some sausage meat to represent the "explosives" of the bomb.
The Toasted Bread with Tomato (Pan con Tomate) is, in my opinion, a must whenever you have tapas just because it helps cut through the richness and the fat. Pan con Tomate is usually slightly toasted but mostly soft and moist thanks to an overload of olive oil.
The Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo) was quite good. It came out hot and fresh. The flavor was solid with the garlic and olive oil flavors upfront. The shrimps may have been a bit overcooked but it was still good.
The House Meatballs (Albóndigas de la Casa) were tasty but not necessary. I probably wouldn't order this again because there was a lot of filler ingredients (e.g. the mashed potatoes). The meatballs were nice because they weren't dry.
Next, I had the Iberian Butifarra Sausage with Foie (Butifarra Ibérica con Foie). It was GLORIOUS. First of all, it had a generous serving of seared foie gras. Everything was chopped up into bite sized pieces so you can pair each sausage piece with a little bit of foie gras for explosive flavors. The sausage was also made with Iberico pork, a breed known for its marbling and sweet/nutty taste.
The Rabbit Ribs (Costillas de Conejo) were amazing. Again, I got a generous serving of rabbit ribs. Each piece was completely fatty and oily. I mean that in the BEST way possible. It was easy to eat and the meat was tender. 10/10 would order again.