Bar del Pla (a guidebook favorite) in Barcelona was packed all day with locals and tourists alike. I’m not here to bash the guidebooks, far from it. They serve a useful purpose, enlightening first-time travelers to a city or region. But, just like wine ratings written by the casual drinker with no experience, the conventional wisdom often leads to a herd mentality, “if everyone else is drinking/eating Brand X, maybe I should too”.

Praise the Braise!

Bar del Pla is located in the heart El Born. It’s a classic place to eat The highlights for me were the ox tail topped with foie gras and the long braised braised cheek. Yep, two braised dishes that were solid and worth singling out Bar del Pla. These two braised dishes were the best braises the whole trip! Sauces were concentrated and reduced, flavors were bold and warming, classic execution of braised meat.

However, the rest of the food wasn't worth the hype online that this place gets. The croquettes at del Pla were the size, shape and crispiness of an egg roll or spring roll; not a bad thing. The inside was sort of creamy and chicken filled. Was it good? Sure. Should you drop everything to come here? Nah. If anything, I suddenly wanted an actual Thai/Vietnamese style spring roll. Croquettes are served practically everywhere in Spain. Keep searching. Bar del Pla are good, but there are better.

There was even an attempt at tacos here with another braised meat. Perhaps, to a European who’s never been to Mexico and never had tacos, the tacos at del Pla will be totally new and interesting. To me, they were meh.

Come to Bar del Pla for a braised meat tapas, a drink, and move on if you’re hungry. Trust me, there are croquettes, jamon and patatas bravas everywhere else in Barcelona and you should give them a try and move on from the guidebook. And skip the tacos.

Croquettes on the left, Ox Tail with Foie Gras on the right