BARCELONA BEYOND TAPAS

EBRU ERKE

From Suru's discreet red light and Sukhulent's cross-cultural plates to Sips' theatrical cocktails, Barcelona unveils a culinary scene that thrives on intimacy, creativity and surprise

Barcelona’s gastronomic scene is often defined by Michelin-starred chefs, the glitter of hip restaurants and the dazzling frames of social media. Yet the city hides some of its greatest surprises behind seemingly invisible doors. In Eixample Esquerra, just across from Mercat del Ninot, Suru is one such hidden destination. Its façade bears no sign — only a single red light bulb above the door hints at what awaits inside. That red glow is a discreet clue to a world both small and profound: a smokeless yet fragrant grill, shelves lined with wines from small-scale producers and a modest culinary performance where every detail feels intentional.

Behind Suru are three familiar figures from Barcelona’s beloved gastronomic haunt Gresca: Chef Carles (Charly) Morote, front-of-house and wine curator Sergi Puig and the driving spirit of the project, Gemma López. In late 2022, the trio set out to create their own language with Suru. At its core is fire: A robata-inspired grill, brief cooking times and a restrained use of smoke that preserves the essence of each product. Robata, rooted in the Japanese tradition of gathering around a charcoal fire, is here reimagined through Mediterranean ingredients. The result is a style that both foregrounds the product and imbues it with smoke’s subtle saline and mineral touch.

Morote builds his menus around seasonal produce, though “seasonality” here transcends freshness. It is defined by proximity to the source — knowing the grower, engaging directly with producers and occasionally reaching beyond Catalonia to other Mediterranean shores. While the spirit of the menu bears Japanese influences, the plates reveal open dialogues with local culinary heritage. Calamar a la brasa con salsa balandra & bimi exemplifies this vision: Tarragona’s fishermen’s sauce, “balandra,” meets Japanese-tinged bimi (broccolini) and the savory whisper of smoke rising from the grill. One element distinguishing Suru from Barcelona’s many grill bars is its embrace of casquería—offal. The menu might feature chicken liver yakitori or sauces enriched with bone marrow. As Gemma López emphasizes, the approach to chicken alone is nose-to-tail: from breast to liver, down to stocks simmered from bones, no part is wasted. This is more than a sustainability statement; it echoes the long-standing Mediterranean tradition of “wasting nothing,” reframed for contemporary palates. The outcome is both a connection to the past and layers of flavor that are unusual yet compelling.

Suru’s wine list secures its place within Barcelona’s vibrant natural wine scene. Curated by Sergi Puig, it reads like a gastronomic diary. Each label carries a memory: a winemaker’s conversation, a vineyard visit, a tasting that lingered for hours. The list is less an accompaniment to the food than a second narrative of the house. A light-bodied Catalan red finds resonance in the smoke trailing from yakitori; a Jura white discovers balance in the salty-fatty dialogue of squid with balandra sauce. Suru’s interior is conceived like a minimalist stage: red and burgundy tones, raw concrete surfaces and unpolished textures. The most striking element is the bar seating facing directly onto the kitchen, transforming each dish into a live performance. 

Since opening, local media have hailed Suru as one of Barcelona’s most exciting new addresses. It is not a restaurant that shouts. Instead, under the glow of that red bulb, guests discover a union of technique and emotion on the plate, vintner narratives in the glass and a rare interplay of intimacy and sociability in the room. If Barcelona’s gastronomy is a stage, Suru is the whisper backstage — quiet, unforgettable and certain to inspire loyal devotees.

 A cross-cultural table

In Barcelona’s Poble Sec district, nestled among the city’s traditional tapas bars, Sukhulent stands out with a distinct glow. Its name, derived from the English word succulent—meaning juicy, flavorful and full-bodied—speaks not only to the texture of its ingredients but also to the restaurant’s philosophy: food as richness, depth and resonance on the palate. Chef Toni Romero has transformed the space into a gastronomic laboratory, offering borderless cuisine that travels across cultures while adding a unique voice to Barcelona’s dining scene.

From its early days, Sukhulent captured critics’ attention. The Michelin Guide described it as “a flawless marriage of creativity and flavor.” Behind this lies Romero’s technical precision and meticulous sourcing. His years at El Bulli taught him not only molecular techniques but also the conviction that dining is as much about emotion and memory as craft. Rather than replicating avant-garde methods, Romero channels them into dishes that tell stories and leave lasting imprints on the senses. Two guiding principles shape his menu: the deep-rooted culinary heritage of the Mediterranean and influences from East Asia and Latin America. One course might feature slow-braised Catalan-style beef cheek, while the next offers a Thai-inspired seafood soup with coconut milk. This synthesis extends beyond flavors to presentation, with plates often echoing the refined aesthetics of Japanese kaiseki alongside the rusticity of Spanish tradition.

What makes Sukhulent compelling is Romero’s refusal to let technique overshadow emotion. Sous-vide or low-temperature cooking are tools to preserve essence and amplify feeling. Every dish must first have a story, then a technique. Signature creations include oysters with ponzu and wasabi foam, where salinity, acidity and heat meet in perfect balance and charcoal-smoked lamb ribs, carrying the spiced warmth of the Mediterranean and smoky depth of Argentine asados. Desserts combine Japanese matcha and Latin American cacao varieties — an unexpected yet harmonious finale underscoring the menu’s global dialogue.

Barcelona has embraced experimental and innovative kitchens in recent years, but Sukhulent has carved its own path. It is neither strictly “fine dining” nor a traditional tapas bar; it exists between both — a relaxed bridge underpinned by high technical skill. Romero fosters an atmosphere of ease — warm lighting and informal service replace white tablecloths — without compromising sophistication. Most ingredients come from local producers and small-scale fishermen, elevating flavor while making a statement about the future of Catalan gastronomy. Sukhulent is more than a restaurant; it is a meeting point of cultures. Each plate bears traces of Romero’s past, travels and palate memory. Perhaps this is why every bite, true to its name, feels not only succulent on the tongue but also enduring in memory.

 Where mixology meets stage

In Barcelona’s Eixample district, Sips is more than a bar; it is a stage where liquid gastronomy pushes the boundaries of the senses. Conceived by world-renowned mixologists Simone Caporale (formerly of London’s Artesian) and Marc Álvarez (of Ferran Adrià’s 41° Experience and the elBarri group), the venue has, since opening in 2021, carved out a distinctive place on the city’s gastronomic map. Its rise was confirmed in 2023, when Sips was named "The World’s Best Bar by The World’s 50 Best Bars."

At the heart of the concept lies the “experience” space, Esencia. With seating for only six guests, it functions as a highly interactive cocktail theatre. Visitors do far more than drink: they make eye contact with bartenders, witness the creation of each mixture and learn why certain aromatics and techniques are chosen. Caporale and Álvarez deliberately erase the distance between bar and guest, blurring the line between stage and audience. The intimacy of the setting turns each cocktail into a shared performance.

Signature serves to illustrate this approach. The “Primordial” cocktail preserves the natural texture of ice, shaped in custom 3D-printed molds. “Kripta” is served in vessels assembled with unexpected materials, evoking the construction of a gastronomic dish rather than a conventional drink. These examples highlight the philosophy that a cocktail can be more than a beverage — it can be a narrative built on ingredients, form and presentation.

Sips has drawn wide acclaim in both Spanish and international media. Local critics describe it as “cocktail haute couture,” while publications such as Drinks International and The Spirits Business praise it as one of the rare spaces where gastronomy and mixology meet as equals. What justifies these descriptions is not spectacle alone, but the way each drink is conceived with the same attentiveness and design process as a culinary plate. Caporale’s flair for theatrical presentation combined with Álvarez’s kitchen-honed technical expertise produces layered sensory experiences. Each cocktail is designed to be experienced first with the eyes, then the nose and finally the palate. This multisensory approach resonates with Barcelona’s tapas culture: the cocktail becomes less an individual indulgence and more a ritual of sharing.

The founders describe Sips as a “drinkery house” — a place where cocktails are not merely consumed but become storytelling mediums and where the bond with the guest takes center stage. Menus change seasonally, but surprise is constant. An hour spent at Esencia feels far more intense and personal than a conventional bar visit: the guest becomes part of the process, from raw ingredients to final presentation.

In this way, Sips positions itself not simply as a destination for drinks but as one of Barcelona’s true gastronomic landmarks. Here, the cocktail assumes the narrative power of food, revealing a different face of the city’s culinary culture.