Bar Cañete

Squid sandwich and honeyed aubergine at a long open-kitchen bar

⚠ Book ahead; closed Sun

Hours: Mon-Sat 13:00-24:00, closed Sunday; also closed evenings of Dec 24 and 31, and Dec 25 and Jan 1 (official site)
Budget: Plates €7-27
Address: Carrer de la Unió 17, a block off La Rambla

In a lane behind the Liceu opera house, cooks in white jackets send plates across a long bar non-stop. A family from Seville started it, so Andalusian frying is the strength. The signatures are a mini brioche bun stuffed with fried squid and aioli, and paper-thin aubergine fried and drizzled with honey; spicy octopus and razor clams are popular too. It's listed in the Michelin Guide and has become hard to get into at peak hours.