Enjoying food in a restaurant in Barcelona is an amazing experience. The delicious meals of the exotic Japanese cuisine are capable of impressing even the pickiest food lovers thanks to its vast range of dishes spread throughout the city.
One of the best ways to get to know the long history of Japanese culture is through the art of its cuisine, especially during the celebration of the Japan Restaurant Week, this year including international gastronomy, such as Peruvian cuisine.
As a result of its old and rich tradition, the Japanese cuisine offers a unique experience to its guests, where the most important thing is the wide variety of products and combinations used to preprare a meal. You will be greeted with an endless list of delicious dishes, which are prepared to the smallest detail in order to impress the most pickiest visitors.
Japanese cuisine has long been present in the city of Barcelona. Restaurants with long standing traditions, together with fresh approaches, are where fusion cuisine makes all the difference.
Junichiro Tanizaki once said that “the Japanese food is not to be eaten, but to be looked at”. However, not only by looking can we feel full. Therefore, we would suggest you take a walk and discover your favourite Japanese restaurant.
We guarantee that it would be hard to choose only one!
Imperial cuisine in Barcelona
The city of Barcelona is the meeting point for Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine: Sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki or tuna tataki combined with local ingredients. This combination creates delights with even better tastes and textures.
The hardest thing to do is to choose among the 200 Japanese restaurants in Barcelona. With such a vast amount of admirers of the Japanese cuisine, we dare to recommend you some of the best Japanese restaurants.
In Koy Shunka (C/ Copons, 7) you will find a creative menu also including traditional Japanese cuisine. This elaborated and unusual gastronomy evidences why this restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Spring onion tempura or kokotxas hake are some of its suggestions. The simplified versions are prepared by the older brother, el Shunka.
Tasca Wakasa (C/ Laforja, 140) is considered by many the best place to eat sushi. It was originally located on Nàpols street, in a small Tokio-style spot. Its toro is excellent and its service truly unique.
On Sushi (C/ Rosselló, 154) is a luxurious and modern restaurant, whose bar is surprisingly extense, so sit back and enjoy the experience of the art of making sushi!
In Shibui Barcelona (C/ Comte Urgell, 272) the most important thing is to know what to eat before coming in since the store is distributed into two levels, both of them offering different menus. While the upper floor features the usual service on the tables and a sushi bar, the lower floor offers private rooms and grills on the tables.
Nomo (C/ Gran de Gràcia, 13) offers quality Japanese cuisine right in the heart of Gracia neighbourhood. The makis gras, yakimeshi and tuna belly are, indeed, worth trying. A restaurant linked to this one is Kuo, although Nomo opened first. Both of them offer a take away service.
Pakta (C/ Lleida, 5) is already a referent in Barcelona. It is a Japanese tavern also including a Peruvian twist. It is known as one of the most mediatic Japanese restaurants due to its owner Albert Adrià and his rediscovery of Japanese cuisine.
Ikibana (Pg. Picasso, 32) is another place where Japan is rediscovered. Based on the classic Japanese cuisine, exotic Brazilian ingredients are added. The result is the ‘rainbow roll‘ (a varied and surprising uramakis). Its caviar and truffle banana chips are also recommended.
2015 Japan Restaurant Week
With the goal of getting to know the rich and varied Japanese cuisine, Madrid and Barcelona come together to celebrate the Japan Restaurant Week. During this 10-day celebration, Japanese restaurants in both major cities will open their doors to the public.
From October 16th to 25th, the Japan Restaurant Week prepares the tasting of special delights in 35 restaurants spread throughout the County of Barcelona.
Among the restaurant groups participating in the event, there is the exotic offer of Doble Zeroo (C/ Jaume Giralt, 53), located in Born neighbourhood and known for its fusion cuisine and ingredients used. Next to it, we find Tomoe by Doble Zer00 (C/ Sant Delfí, 11) and Doble Zer00-Maresme (C/ Buenos Aires, 22, El Masnou).
Iki Barcelona (C/ Aribau, 174) is also worth mentioning, offering a combination of Japanese and Brazilian cuisine. This year, Ikibana Paralelo (Avda Paral·lel, 148) is also participating in the event.
There are two other restaurants that are known for their European urban decoration, called Miss Sushi Aribau (C/Aribau, 39) and Miss Sushi L’illa (Av. Diagonal, 557).
Many of these restaurants are located in the city centre.
In Eixample Esquerra, there are vanguard stores, like On Sushi (Rosselló, 154), and zen restaurants, such as Shibui (C/ Comte d’Urgell, 27). Some others choose the izayaka style, like Hisako (C/ Londres, 91) or a cared environment, such as Taverna Miu (C/ Enric Granados, 23).
Meanwhile, in Eixample Dreta, Yubari (Avda Diagonal, 339) stands out for its combination between vanguard and traditional styles and Kaguya-Hime (C/ Bailèn, 22) for its minimalist touch.
Of course, gastronomy is the main character, for instance, teppanyaki in Takenori Mito Daruma (C/ Villarroel, 237) , gyosas in Hana Bishi (C/ Balmes, 55) or the bakery in Sushi & Cake (C/ Muntaner, 152), without forgetting the traditional Japanese food in Midori Ya (C/ Comte d’Urgell, 198).
Although you may think these are enough offers, there are more new option to get to know, especially when it comes to fusion cuisine.
In Sant Gervasi Neighbourhood, there is the fusion between Korea and Japan in Koryo (C/ Reus, 4) and Oishi (C/ Aribau, 254). In Gràcia Neighbourhood, we can find fusion cuisine between Japan and Thailand in Jap-Thai (C/ Vic, 25) and the high quality gastronomy in Yokomo (C/ Sèneca, 4).
Reaching Parallel Avenue, in the heart of Poble Sec Neighbourhood, there is a restaurant with an excellent ‘ramen‘ and good Japanese recipes, called The Tatami Room (C/ Poeta Cabanyes, 19).
And now it is the turn of Ciutat Vella, where a variety of worthy options can be found.
In the Old Quarter, there is a high quality restaurant called Kynoto Sushi Bar (C/ Correu Vell, 8) and if you like ‘ramen’ with bright letters, you should go to Koku Kitchen (C/En Carabassa, 19).
Between Born and Vila Olímpica, Japanese and Mediterranean fusion cuisine can be found in Big Fish (C/ Comercial, 9) and there is also a restaurant specialized in ceviche called Ají (C/ Marina, 19-21).
If you are thinking of going out of the city towards the outskirts or the coast of Barcelona, there are also plenty of options to get to know.
From the restaurants of Izakaya Tavernes Group: Izakaya Sabadell (C/ Sant Quirze 35-Sabadell), Izakaya Sant Cugat (Rambla Can Mora 22, St Cugat del Vallés), Izakaya Terrassa (C/ Font Vella 5-Terrassa) and Izakaya Vilanova (Rambla Exposició 85-Vilanova i la Geltrú), to the sushi option with a local touch of Minato (Port Esportiu, 26 El Masnou).
Japan is admired for its gastronomy, which can be tasted in our cosmopolitan city. Get to know the Japanese restaurants in Barcelona.
