The value for price ratio is very high at this superb restaurant in the Hotel España in El Raval. The menu is created by star chef Martín Berasategui (of the high-end Lasarte), who’s based in Basque country but visits often. Because he focuses on traditional fare rather than the more inventive dishes served at his other restaurants, he’s charging less (and using fewer organ meats, a blessing for squeamish diners). Look for grilled kid chops (like lamb chops), baked monkfish, or fried mullet. The most Basque of the desserts is a glass of slightly sparkling txacolí wine with strawberries and a scoop of lemon peel ice cream. Management recently restored the main dining room to Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s designs; the Art Nouveau mosaics positively gleam. For guided hotel tours, see Hotel España.

 

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