Barcelona's Independent Review Website

Els Quatre Gats (4 Gats)
Click here to view map Click here to launch website Famed for being Picasso and friends’ true haunt in Barcelona, after it’s opening at the turn of the twentieth century, Els Quatre Gats truly is a sight to behold. In terms of its exterior, the building rivals The Palau de la Musica and even Gaudi’s creations in terms of style and opulence. In addition to his patronage, the restaurant also played host to one of Picasso’s own early one man shows and he even helped design the menu. But history lessons aside, is it still worth eating in? I imagine the atmosphere of the place has changed substantially in the hundred and ten years since it was first open. The one time hang out of fashionable artists and bohemians is now much more sedate with neatly dressed waiters and elegant place settings. The interior is a beautiful combination of modernist and fin de siecle art, rich colours and attractive light fittings, especially within the main dining room with its internal balcony providing a second level for. With dining at Els Quatre Gats being such an experience in itself, regardless of the food, there’s no way I’m going to recommend against it. The truth is however that the cuisine of is less than overwhelming. Despite beautiful presentation, in fitting with the restaurant itself, the dishes I have tasted tend to be somewhat cafeteria-ish. It isn’t that they are exactly bad quality but rather mass produced. Their menu del dia (changes daily) at €13 all in is very good value if you are thinking of sampling the restaurant’s artistic delights but forking out prices in the region of €30-40 per head seems rather poor value for money in comparison with what you could be getting in Barcelona for such a price. In all this is the problem, the owners know they are going to get a lot of visitors, including plenty on the tourist trail, and have obviously decided not to worry too much about their reputation as a truly fine restaurant. Having said this, the restaurant does do some Catalan standards pretty well. With truly some of the tastiest pan amb tomaquet I’ve ever eaten (which may sound like a hard dish to make wrong but it is actually a real art form) they also have good embutidos (cold meat selections) which combine perfectly as a starter. Regarding main courses, the meat dishes I have eaten have been a good deal tastier than the one time I ate fish there and I particularly recommend the two lamb options. There is often the very welcome live musical accompaniment of piano and violin played by two elderly Catalan gentleman with a good repertoire of songs. Such touches really do make the place stand out from the rest and I have enjoyed my various visits to Els Quatre Gats but if it’s a real culinary treat you’re after, I’d look elsewhere.

Address:

Carrer de Montsió, 3 bis, 08002

Area:

Gotico

Nearest Metro:

Urquinaona

Opening times:

8am - 2am

Price range:

€25 - €30pp

Food types:

Catalan
Menu Del Dia
Tapas