Eating Out in Barcelona and Catalunya: A Personal Guide to over 75 Local Restaurants

Rating:
Summary: Buy if you plan to spend >10 days eating out in Barcelona.
Review: As the only English language guide I know to restaurants in Barcelona and Cataluña, this is a worthwhile book. There are accurate reviews of most, but not all, of Barcelona's best restaurants and some intelligent suggestions about off-the-beaten track places to visit. After living 18 months in Barcelona, I've visited about 25 of his recommendations and agree 80 ith his conclusions. Book dates quickly as the Barcelona restaurant scene is extremely fast moving and quality restaurants like Muffins, Targa Florio and Barceloneta are missing. You might find the style a little grating too, especially the references to the "lovely" girlfriend. But it's helpful as the Spanish language guides tend to review like Michelin, giving too much credit for tradition and not enough for modern ideas and a willingness to take risks. If you have to spend more than 10 days in Barcelona and have the opportunity to eat out several times, this book is a good investment.

Rating:
Summary: A lot of great stories about going to restaurants!
Review: Even if you don't go to Barcelona, you'll enjoy reading about the great meals that Craig Allen and his friends had. I used it as a guide in May 1996, and I found his reviews to be right on. You get much more of a sense of what the food and ambiance is like from this book than from any of the usual travel guides.