Colmado Wilmot

When you’ve had it with the dry ice and foam, and want to see how real locals eat, go to Colmado Wilmot. This small tapas bar, deli, and grocery store in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi is busy and boisterous—you’re greeted by loud chatter and clinking glasses, and walls are full of shelves stacked with jars, bottles, and tins. This place does things the way they used to be done, which means great produce, friendly service, and not a squiggle of balsamic glaze or a decorative flower in sight. The menu is full of seafood, bought fresh from the market, like red Mediterranean prawns and plump baby scallops served mostly naked (lightly grilled with a pinch of garlic and salt). Catalunya is set between the mountains and the sea, and dishes reflect that, like the fricandó, a beef stew, with sea cucumber that has depth of flavor. The wine list is impressive, featuring some of the country’s top producers, like Ferrer Bobet.