In Barcelona the big Christmas meal is lunch on the 25th, not dinner, and the restaurants that open that day serve a set menu. Christmas Day restaurants in Barcelona are the places that cook a fixed festive menu for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and 26 December, a second holiday in Catalonia. Last year Virens, Rodrigo de la Calle’s restaurant at the Almanac Barcelona hotel, charged €95; La Dama €90, with a children’s menu; and Catalonia Barcelona Beach €75 with wine and cava included. This year’s menus are announced in November.
Which Barcelona restaurants are open on Christmas Day? Last year Virens at the Almanac hotel served Christmas lunch for €95, La Dama on Avinguda Diagonal for €90 with a €45 children’s menu, Catalonia Barcelona Beach for €75 with wine and cava, and 7 Portes offered Christmas menus from €72. Book ahead: Virens takes half the price as a deposit.
Which restaurant to book for your situation
- A special-occasion lunch: Virens, €95 on 25 or 26 December, wine extra.
- Travelling with children: La Dama, €90 for adults and €45 for children on Christmas Day.
- A fixed bill with drinks included: Catalonia Barcelona Beach, €75 with cava, wine and coffee.
- Classic Catalan cooking: 7 Portes, menus at €72, €92 and €120, with wine.
- A big family group of 10 or more: Catalonia Plaça Catalunya, €68 a head and €35 for children.
| Restaurant | When | Price per person | Drinks | Nearest metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virens, Almanac Barcelona | Dinner 24 Dec; lunch 25 and 26 Dec | €110 on 24; €95 on 25 and 26 | Water and coffee only | Passeig de Gràcia, 128 m |
| La Dama | Lunch 25 and 26 Dec | €90; children €45 | Ask when booking | Gràcia train station, 385 m |
| 7 Portes | Christmas menus, whole table | €72, €92 or €120 | Wine, cava, water, coffee | Barceloneta, 257 m |
| Catalonia Barcelona Beach | Dinner 24; lunch 25 and 26 Dec | €65 on 24; €75 on 25 and 26 | Cava, wine, coffee | Poblenou, 616 m |
| Catalonia Plaça Catalunya | Lunch 25 and 26 Dec | €68; children €35 | Soft drinks, beer, wine, cava | Plaça Catalunya train station, 63 m |
What is on a Catalan Christmas menu
Most of these menus are built around two dishes that visitors rarely find on an ordinary menu. On 25 December it is escudella, served in two courses: first a broth with galets, large snail-shaped pasta shells, then the boiled meats, vegetables and the pilota, a big meatball. On 26 December, Sant Esteve, it is cannelloni made with the meat left from the Christmas roast, covered in béchamel.
Desserts end with turrón, the almond nougat, and neules, thin rolled wafers. If you want to taste the full tradition, La Dama and Catalonia Plaça Catalunya serve escudella on the 25th and cannelloni on the 26th; Virens lets you choose between the two.
Christmas Day lunch with wine included
Catalonia Barcelona Beach, at Carrer d’Espronceda 6 in Diagonal Mar, charged €75 on 25 and 26 December with a welcome glass of cava, white and red wine, cava and coffee. On the 25th it opens with galets soup with meatball or foie, then turbot, duck confit or Iberian pork cheeks; on the 26th, truffled cannelloni or langoustine bisque.
7 Portes, at Passeig d’Isabel II 14, near the port, has three Christmas menus with wine, cava, water and coffee. The €72 classic menu includes prawns, truffled Christmas cannelloni and a choice of escudella, chicken or paella Parellada. The whole table orders the same menu, and you confirm which days they run when you book.
Fine dining at Virens
Virens, in the Almanac Barcelona hotel at Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 619, is the most ambitious option. The €95 Christmas lunch, from 1 to 3 pm on the 25th and 26th, offers escudella with truffled meatball or truffled cannelloni, monkfish or Penedès chicken, and two desserts. Water and coffee are included, wine is not. You pay half when you book and can cancel free up to 72 hours before.
On Christmas Eve, Virens served a €110 dinner from 7:30 to 10 pm, with prawn tartare, sea bass or roast lamb and a Christmas log. Getting back is the catch: on 24 December the metro, buses and the rest of public transport stop at 11 pm.
What you might not like
- 25 and 26 December are both public holidays. The Christmas opening hours guide lists what stays open.
- Set menus only. Every option here is a fixed menu, so mention allergies or a vegetarian diner when you book; La Dama has vegetarian dishes.
- Wine is extra at Virens, and this year’s prices are not known until November.
- Spanish meal times. Christmas lunch at Virens runs from 1 to 3 pm and Christmas Eve dinner starts at 7:30 pm. To reach Diagonal Mar or the Eixample, a T-casual, 10 metro rides for €13, is the metro ticket to buy.
For other occasions, see romantic restaurants in Barcelona and the Michelin restaurants guide; for the rest of the holidays, Barcelona at Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Barcelona.
Organising your team’s dinner? Group menus with a price per head are in Christmas office party in Barcelona.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas restaurants in Barcelona
Are restaurants open on Christmas Day in Barcelona?
Some are, with a set menu for lunch on 25 December rather than the usual à la carte. Last year Virens at the Almanac hotel charged €95, La Dama on Avinguda Diagonal €90 and Catalonia Barcelona Beach €75 with wine included. Both days are public holidays in Catalonia, so check that a restaurant opens before you plan around it.
Where can I have Christmas Eve dinner in Barcelona?
Virens at the Almanac hotel served a Christmas Eve dinner from 7:30 to 10 pm last year at €110 per person, and Catalonia Barcelona Beach a €65 menu with wine and cava. Plan the trip back: on 24 December public transport stops at 11 pm.
What do people eat at Christmas in Barcelona?
On 25 December, escudella, a broth served first with large pasta shells called galets and then with the boiled meats and a big meatball, the pilota. On 26 December, Sant Esteve, cannelloni made with the leftover roast. Turrón nougat and neules, rolled wafers, close both meals.
Is there a children’s Christmas menu in Barcelona restaurants?
Yes. La Dama offered a €45 children’s menu on Christmas Day last year, with croquettes, pasta or chicken, and escudella or cannelloni for €5 more. Catalonia Plaça Catalunya had a €35 children’s menu, but only for groups of 10 or more.
When do Barcelona restaurants announce their Christmas menus?
In November. The prices here are last year’s, so use them as a guide. Some places, such as Virens, take half the price as a deposit when you book, so reserve early if you have a date in mind.
Book Christmas lunch in Barcelona by what the menu includes, not just by its price.