PHLReview
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Barcelona Wine Bar
Included In
Philly is a city of versatility. One moment you can be in a park more relaxing than a meditation app, and the next, you can be cursed out like you’re in a Tarantino film for wearing Cowboys’-blue sunglasses. We even made up a word that can literally mean anything (it’s “jawn” if you’re new here). In a city with so much range, our restaurants have to have just as much. And that’s exactly what Barcelona Wine Bar does so well. The Spanish restaurant on East Passyunk has a charming plant-lined patio where you’ll see families splitting paella and cheese boards on a sunny afternoon, a dining room that transforms from a sexy date night spot to Jersey shore-level rowdy, and a menu that fits all of these occasions.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
The dimly lit, rustic wood-paneled space is always crowded, and come Saturday night, it borders on chaotic. People are busy picking out the perfect red at the marble u-shaped bar or yelling their tapas order over crowd noise and Spanish guitar. The menu is made up of about 1,000 great tapas options, like eggplant caponata, patatas bravas, and steak paillard, along with a few salads and solid larger mains. Wander in for a date that ends with an unforgettable dessert, a charcuterie board paired with a sherry you’ve never heard of, or a Choose Your Own Adventure-style group dinner. Either way, you’ll have plates of satisfying food in a restaurant that, like the wine-fueled Philadelphians inside, can adapt to any kind of night you may want to have.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Food Rundown
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Prawns A La Plancha
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Eggplant Caponata
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Mussels
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Paella Negra
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Whole Roasted Branzino
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Olive Oil Cake