Best meal on our European vacation - Portugal, France, UK / out of this world good! Kind, knowledgeable and. Generous staff! Highly recommend! read more

This was a perfect dinner. The food was so good. The atmosphere is so nice. And the service is very friendly and helpful. They greet you with a smile and are Ready to answer any question. We loved it! I highly recommend! (I'm not a big seafood person but I ordered and ate all seafood dishes! DELICIOUS!!) read more

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Rating purely the food and wine, this restaurant is average and not worth the cost. Factor in the ambience and service, which provided a pleasant experience and the score goes up. I did not have a bad experience and up till now the other reviewers hold the food here in better standing then me, but I would not return. read more

RAÓ RESTAURANT - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Everything was perfect! The food was amazing! I had the ceviche and scallops. Great service and the place had a great vibe.

Some dishes stood out while some were questionable. For instance the octopus seemed to be a very popular dish so we had to try however, it was very chewy and not pleasant. Everything else made it worth while to check out. My favourite was the ceviche. The hint of wasabi made the dish so unique and addictive. The tomato bread was such a hit too! It's worth checking out. read more

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Reservations highly recommended. Hard to get in otherwise. If you want to swing by without a reservation, your best bet would be a small party (2 would be easiest) and come by early, like around 7pm or shortly thereafter. The food was good but pricey - we've had better value at La Gastronomica so we personally liked that better because the food was excellent there but at a lower price point. The mixed mushroom dish was good but could have used a smidge more salt. The quinoa salad dish was good but could have used more oomph, maybe a bit more sweetness from added fruit of some sort? The pork cheek was so good. Best dish of our dinner here. We also had the egg tortilla which was basically a fried egg "pancake" with soft/runny egg in the middle, topped with black truffle and other goodness. It was a good dish. read more

Every single bite was delicious. Don't skip the bread/ tomato toast. Scallops and patas bravas were out of this world. We didn't have a reservation but it fills up fast. Great, friendly servers. Best food we had during our week in Barcelona! read more

Modern and delicious tapas is what you find at Rao, a relatively new restaurant not far from La Rambla. With new interpretations of the classics in beautifully platted dishes. My friend and I enjoyed dinner here on a cool evening and enjoyed the cozy atmosphere inside. The restaurant design has a very welcoming feel to it, with low lighting and brick walls.   We started with patatas bravas Raó style, which is still the best I've had in Barcelona. We both loved the scallops with pancetta and toasted cauliflower puree, as the combination worked so well together. The roast beef served chilled with Coleman's mustard ice cream was a big surprise, definitely my favourite dish of the night. My friend chose the free range duck breast as his favourite, as the confit of sweet potato and roasted ulluco perfectly complemented the duck.   Couldn't leave without trying their version of octopus. It is a perfectly grilled octopus leg with creamy potato, paprika and Kalamata olive emulsion. The knife cut through so smoothly and the mix of complimentary flavors was just delightful. For dessert, we just had to try the drunk torrija sponge with vanilla ice cream,. Amazing, especially when paired with the milk chocolate mouse, sweet gel and crispy caramel, which we also loved. read more

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I came here with my husband on our honeymoon, and we were absolutely blown away by the food and the experience. They serve platillos here (smaller than an entree, but larger than tapas). We ordered 6 plates (but only photographed two) to share between the two of us, and we were very full by the end of the meal. Each dish was better than the last. If we had been in Barcelona for longer, we would have gone twice. You definitely need to make a reservation, as it is a small restaurant and they are incredibly busy. The service was amazing, the pricing was surprisingly reasonable, and I cannot say enough good things about the food! A must go to restaurant in Barcelona. read more

RAÓ RESTAURANT - Burrata and tomato bread - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

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I had a lot of good food in Barcelona, but this restaurant was spectacular. The drinks were good, the tapas were amazing and the service was excellent. I would eat here again if I could, but it's a little far from California. read more

Exactly the experience you want when visiting Barcelona. We had a party of 8. They let the 4 couples do separate checks. The menu is in Spanish and English. The food, service, and ambiance didn't disappoint. Down a little side street, but we walked there using Google maps and got there fine. Tapas style menu, so fun to taste several items. Each couple did 4 to 5 tapas. Gods Sangria, white $ red. Also very good glasses of wine in menu. Grilled octopus a must, but everyone loved everything they ordered. Price with gratuity, which wasn't included, was 100 Euros per couple. That was with 4 cocktails per couple. Just go! read more

This place made me reconsider all the places I gave 5 stars to because it was just THAT good. First, you should have a reservation because otherwise it will be hard to get a table and even with a reservation, you have two hours to squeeze in as much as you can. (This is plenty of time if you aren't really really slow) Second, this is tapas style which means about 2-3 per person. We started had 5 dishes and the ones that stood out the most were scallops, oxtail and slow roasted pork. The parsnip puree on the scallops were absolutely marvelous because no matter how much you added to the bite of scallop, the scallop was still the star of the show. Every dish that came out the server would explain each part of the dish. They take pride in presenting the experience that only a true foodie would appreciate. Would return here in a heartbeat and would happily recommend this place to anyone trying to experience great food in Barcelona. read more

Got here a bit later than our reservation, but the waiter was able to squeeze us in for another seating an hour later. The staff is quite friendly. The food was quite good. The ambience is nice. Popular with American tourists here like me. I liked the octopus and duck. Hidden off street from las ramblas. read more

RAO is a hidden gem offering exceptaional food. The service is top-notch, with friendly and attentitve young staff. Their wine selection is fantastic. A must visit for great dining experiences. Value for money read more

Was a highlight of our time in Barcelona....food was excellent and service was super friendly. The ceviche plate was a favorite and the lamb plate, pork plate and duck were also excellent!! Highly recommend! read more

Excellent food. Probably the best food we had in Barcelona. The ambience is stunning and the staff is very friendly. The food is out of the world. We tried the patatas bravas, ceviche, lamb, octopus and pállela. Lastly, we tried the Catalan crema and the sangria. Every item was perfect and blew our minds. read more

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Lovely little place, chipper, informative and pleasant staff. Beautifully tasty plates! Perfect sangria and wine selection. Our table shared the bread, potatoes brava, tempura beets and avocado, sea bass ceviche (which was our favorite plate!), scallops, octopus and paella. Bonus, my shoes matched the menus and pens. read more

RAÓ RESTAURANT - Mediterranean Near Me - Barcelona, B

Way over priced. We found Ciutat Comtal and Cerveceria Catalana would have better foods and food options, better hours and a lot cheaper. We paid 75 eur in RAO and ~45-50 eur in Ciutat Comtal and Cerveceria Catalana. read more

Very nice, smallish tapas place in a very cool alley, not far from Las Ramblas. The host/waiter made some excellent recommendations including the scallops (a bit brinier than what we're used to in Boston but excellent) and the Kokotxa, slow roasted pork cheek that was so tender and flavorful. We also really liked the cocktails and had two nice glasses of Tempranillo for €4 each. Can't beat that. Definitely make a reservation though. We saw several people turned away at the door. They take opentable. read more

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The head chef at Raó's is creative and consistent. Delicious tastes and textures with every dish; strongly recommend the ceviche, scallops, chicken wings and and all desserts around the table! read more

Service and food were excellent. Loved how all the dishes were explained when served. Would certainly come back again when I visit . read more

I arrived at 7:30, and the only seats available were at the bar. The bar seats were the best! The service and food were excellent. The bar tender provided demonstrations of mixing several specialty drinks as well. I would highly recommend coming back to Rao on my next visit to Barcelona. read more

Amazing! We had our final dinner in Barcelona here and it was perfect. The staff is fabulous, their service and recommendations were impeccable. The specialty cocktails and wine they offer are great, and the food is really special. Definitely save room for dessert. I would highly suggest making a reservation. read more

It's a new place and the food is just amazing! We had patatas bravas with special home made sauces, squid, duck Brest and 2 desserts! Don't miss it out! read more

My wife and I were in Bacelona a couple weeks ago celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary, and Rao was recommended by our hotel. We made reservations (highly recommended) and arrived a few minutes early. Jason, who runs the show, greeted us with complimentary glasses of Cava as we waited for our table. We were seated in the lovely, quaint dining room next to the front window, which was the nicest table in the restaurant. We ordered 5 or 6 tapas dishes, and each was beautifully presented and equally delicious--we'd go back for the octopus alone! Jason, and our server, Pedro, were awesome, and made us feel like we were eating a family meal. Our dinner at Rao was the best we had in Spain, and I'd suggest it to anyone who appreciates great food and fabulous ambiance. read more

We were hesitant about coming at first due to the small portion sizes in the pictures. However, we really wanted to give it a try so we went. The restaurant was very cute and cozy. The customer service was very good and they said they could make any of the dishes gluten free. The waiter recommended we eat the food like tapas to share and get many of them. The food was amazing. I especially loved the Bravas Rao. The portions were small but it was still filling and I felt very full afterwards. 10/10 read more

Came here on our first night in Barcelona. We stayed in El Raval so this place was only a few mins walk from our restaurant. It's definitely a very cozy, intimate atmosphere which is ideal for a date night. Food is tapas (not pintxos) and each dish is about 30% larger than a normal tapas place. However, the prices were about 70% higher. The food was definitely incredibly delicious. We could tell that the chef really took his time cooking everything. However, the amount of time it took for the food to come out was really surprising. We ordered 6 and it took the kitchen more than 2 hours to produce 4 of them. Jetlagged and tired, we did not enjoy the prolonged meal. The waiter saw how painful this process was and offered us a complimentary glass of wine. Finally we got our last dish, which was the oxtail and while it was quite delicious, I am not convinced it was worth the 2 hour wait, especially since they said it's already been cooking for 9 hours. Our cerviche never came. The bill was 80 euros and turned out to be the most expensive tapas meal during our Barcelona trip. Bottom line: while the food was certainly delicious, I am not convinced the extraordinary wait and price justify sufficiently. read more

Excellent service for our larger group (9), and a night of team bonding we won't forget! Thank you Rao for the incredible food, drink and experience! read more

Everything is perfect! Enjoyed our time here! Love the omelette and pork belly, kind of Asian style but innovative and different from anywhere else. The waiter is a nice gentleman :) Highly recommended read more

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Great service, excellent food. Busy spot so reservations are needed. Best food we had in Barcelona.

Our favorite dinner while we were in Barcelona! We came in at the exact right time as another couple with reservations did not show & we had their seats :) Note to anyone reading this- call ahead! Staff was extremely friendly and attentive. My husband and I shared 5 tapas and a dessert- all were fantastic! Chicken wings, potatoes bravas, steak, quinoa salad & scallops. Favorites had to be the chicken wings & the scallops! A great evening! read more

A bit too pricey for the small portions; but amazing food if you can afford it! The duck is a must try. The dessert menu was out of this world. read more

SO GOOD! I saw good reviews of this restaurant so I wanted to try it out and I was not disappointed. One thing I didn't know however was the size of the dishes. Once seated I was told that each dish was on the medium side so they recommended three plates per person. I ordered two and could barely finish the second one so that's not always true for each person. The cost does add up ordering around 3 plates of food per person, but the food was well worth the price. It's a perfect restaurant to share food with friends! I ordered duck breast and creamy rice. They were both good but I could not get enough of the creamy rice it was SO flavorful and tasty it was some of the best food I've had in a while. I also ordered the Sangria and it was the perfect blend of flavors! If you want to splurge a little and treat yourself to some delicious food, I highly recommend this place. read more

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Last night we just happened to be passing by and noticed a very nice looking restaurant close to plaza Cataluña. We decided to give it a go and we were very happy we did. The place is beautiful. The dedication of the staff shines through the food. We were attended so well, having chats with the guys that work there, they made us feel completely at easy. When the bill came I was shocked at how reasonable it was. They said they've only been open a week, doing well guys! Best of luck! read more

After ordering the ceviche, scallops, and tenderloin I couldn't decide what was more delicious. Every dish was amazing!

We searched in Yelp an also Google for a good restaurant with affordable price. So we came up with RAO but we surprised because it was pricey and the portion was not enough even for one person. read more

Service was spectacular. Great menu with good food. Make a reservation a few days in advance this place fills up quick.

We LOVED this place! The food, ambiance and service were all fantastic! We visited on our honeymoon and are happy we found this gem among all of the options in Barcelona. read more

I visited Rao with my wife for for part of her 30th birthday celebrations. What can I say, this place is a hidden gem which doesn't disappoint! A fantastic selection of well thought out dishes that are truly magnificent! A great atmosphere with fantastic staff and a great visit for anyone looking for a twist on typical tapas! Simple and elegant, a must for anyone travelling to Barcelona! read more

This was a very memorable dining experience. Julian, the Owner, was a gracious host. The restaurant was nicely decorated and we were seated in a private room with beautifully painted walls. Every small plate that we tried was delicious, and we couldn't wait for the next one to be served. Prices were reasonable and the 3 of us ordered 5 small plates to share plus dessert. I would highly recommend anyone visiting Barcelona to dine at this restaurant. read more