Sol Soler

The area of Gracia has received quite a few column inches recently in the travel press as a hip and authentic alternative to Barcelona's tourist-heavy Old Town. And it's place likes Sol Soler that are making the district so popular! A local tapas bar on the corner of the bustling Placa del Sol, Sol Soler serves up mouthwatering traditional tapas such as tortillas, alitas de pollo (chicken wings) and patatas bravas (potato chips) that invariably have its trendy patrons coming back for more. Wooden beams, earthy tones, small tables and soft lighting add to the intimate vibe and plenty of vegetarian options mean that no one goes hungry.

I'll start with the negatives. Firstly the service was really abrupt - possibly because one overworked waiter was trying to serve the whole restaurant; and secondly there were quite a few flies buzzing around our table - possibly because it was a sweltering hot day in August. The good news is that the food at Sol Soler is really good. The salchichitas (sp?) were great, as was the lasagne. I've tasted better patatas bravas to be fair, but on the plus side were the great salads - I had one with couscous and mint - and so the meal wasn't just the usual meat bread and sauce fest that tapas normally entails. The crowd here are quite laidback and cool and its nicely informal.