Location: Barcelona, Spain
Cuisine: Catalan
Barcelona is an incredible city for eating, although visitors do not always encounter much distinctly Catalan food. The city is filled with tapas bars and restaurants serving dishes from across Spain, while traditional Catalan cuisine can be comparatively understated. Rooted in seasonal ingredients and humble, comforting cooking, it has much in common with the Italian concept of cucina povera.
Restaurant Embat shows just how exciting those traditions can be when approached creatively. This cosy restaurant in Barcelona’s Eixample neighbourhood serves modern Catalan dishes that feel inventive without losing their connection to familiar ingredients and flavours. We have now eaten at Embat three times, returning in different seasons to find a menu that continues to change while remaining consistently thoughtful.
Our First Visit to Restaurant Embat
On our first visit, we started with Embat’s interpretation of patatas bravas and a sweet onion tarte tatin served with cheese sauce. The bravas were delicious, but the onion tart was the unexpected star of the meal. The sweetness of the deeply cooked onion was complemented beautifully by the delicate, savoury cheese sauce.
Next came confit leeks with smoked sardines and dill. The gently cooked leeks were wonderfully soft, with their subtle onion and garlic flavours released into the oil. Combined with a creamy sauce and the smokiness of the sardines, they became something far more indulgent than the humble ingredients might suggest.
Our next two dishes were roasted sweet potato with locally made kimchi and grilled octopus with roasted tomato, potato and quail egg.
I was particularly pleased to see a vegetable dish on the menu that did not rely on fish, seafood or meat. The sweet potato was creamy and naturally sweet, while the kimchi and other toppings created a lively combination of flavours and textures. The octopus was equally successful. I am always slightly nervous about ordering octopus because it can so easily become tough when overcooked, but this one was beautifully tender.
For dessert, Victor’s parents ordered Embat’s lemon pie, which was wonderfully light, airy and refreshing. Victor and I shared the torrija with sour apple sorbet.
Torrija is the Spanish answer to French toast, although Embat’s version was exceptionally soft and fluffy, almost melting in the mouth. Its richness was perfectly balanced by the freshness and acidity of the apple sorbet.
Returning in March
Our first experience was so memorable that we returned in March, when the menu had changed to reflect the season. We began with a creamy carrot soup topped with burrata, ham, and sesame seeds. The sweet earthiness of the carrot worked beautifully with the richness of the burrata and the salty ham. We also ordered an egg dish with bacon, cheese foam and crispy breadcrumbs. It was rich, comforting and full of contrasting textures, with the soft egg and airy foam offset by the crunchy breadcrumbs.
For our main courses, we had cod with ratatouille and croaker with aubergine and vinaigrette. Both dishes allowed the fish to remain the focus while pairing it with vegetables and sauces that added depth without overwhelming it.
For dessert, we returned to the now-famous lemon pie, along with a serving of flan. The lemon pie was every bit as refreshing as we remembered, while the flan offered something more traditional and comforting.
A Third Visit in June
By June, Embat’s menu had changed again. We started with beetroot gazpacho, an earthy and colourful interpretation of the chilled Spanish soup, followed by a salad topped with smoked fish.
For our main courses, we shared a rice dish with cuttlefish and a plate of white fish with chickpeas. The rice was deeply savoury and full of flavour, while the fish and chickpeas demonstrated Embat’s ability to transform simple, familiar ingredients into something refined.
Naturally, we ordered the lemon pie again. By this point, it had become something of a tradition.
We also tried a deconstructed mille-feuille with strawberries. The dessert retained the familiar combination of crisp pastry, cream and fruit, but presented it in a lighter and more playful way.
A Modern Catalan Restaurant Worth Revisiting
What has impressed us most about Restaurant Embat is its consistency. The individual dishes change with the seasons, but the restaurant’s approach remains the same: humble ingredients, deep flavours and thoughtful combinations that feel creative without being overly complicated.
The food is satisfying in the way you want restaurant food to be — memorable and beautifully presented, but also warm, generous and comforting. Run by a talented chef and a genuinely lovely front-of-house team, this small-scale restaurant deserves all the praise it receives. After three visits, Embat has become one of our favourite places to eat in Barcelona, and we already know we will return.
Even if only to order the lemon pie again.
Have you tried Catalan food before? How about modern, Catalan food?
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