Barcelona’s Best Curries (Indian and Thai)

Barcelona

By KP, Stoke’s resident Barcelona food critic

When you think of Barcelona you don’t think of curry… or do you? With thriving Indian, Pakistani and Thai communities, there are plenty of world-class curry joints that can satisfy your hungover cravings. The curries in Barcelona are spicy, the servings are generous, and they’re much better priced and more authentic than much of the tourist fare found in the city centre. You got a hankering for something with a bit of fire (Spanish food is never spicy), then this is where you have to go. 

Best Indian curries in Barcelona

Nothing beats dipping your crispy cheese naan into a bowl of  steaming hot, creamy butter chicken on a Saturday night with friends. That along with some crunchy onion bhajis & samosas, you have a winner on your hands. See below our list of favourite Indian spots in Barcelona:

• Swad (€€): I asked my local corner shop owner what his favourite Indian in town was (being Indian, I knew he would know the goodest of the good spots). Swad was his recommendation to me and boy it did not disappoint. Located in PobleNou, Swad is a tiny family run restaurant. It only seats about 30 people so we recommend you making a booking if you wish to venture over! This is not your regular shopping mall take out style Indian restaurant – it’s fancy! But doesn’t have the price tag to match, don’t worry. All of the entrees are to die for! Get them all, share a curry or two and call it a night. Do it, I dare ya its friggin amazing.
• Baby Jalebi(€€): New in town, Baby Jalebi are owned by some of the coolest food dudes in Barna (the same guys that brought us The Fish & Chip Shop). It is innovative Punjabi street food and wicked! The bunny chow is the show stopper here in our opinion! 
• Massala 73 (€€): These guys rock, located up town in Eixample, they have some of the funkiest Indian food on offer at the moment. Fusion (my chef boyfriend hates this word) style dishes like roast duck with biryani, prawn pakoras, classic dahi puri, pork madras tacos and their famous KFC (Kerala Fried Chicken) burger are all must haves. Go with pals, get everything & rub your tummies with contentment once finished.

• Surya (€): They have a couple of locations in town, we frequented one of their locations many a time when our office was just a stones throw up the road. I have only been here for their Menu del Dia (set lunch deal between 12pm-3pm on weekdays) but it is soooo good I couldn’t not list it! 11€ will get you a curry, rice, naan, drink and desert. It is a very bueno price and they have super trendy locations. Go here for lunch!

• Tandoori Nights (€): Look i’m not gonna lie, this place looks like a dodgy kebab shop from the outside. but do not let this deter you! This is some of the tastiest Indian in town. Their special tandoori chicken plates, butter chicken and cheese naans are among my favourite. They do a really nice prawn bhuna also for the non chicken munchers.

• Gandhi Hindu (€€): I love me this place, I love the price and I love the food. The best thing about Gandhi is that you can buy their menu deals at any time of the day AND they have a nonstop kitchen. A two person deal consists of two curries, rice, naan, a mix of entrees, desert and two drinks. It will set you back about 30 bucks!! So good. I love bargains and great food as you have probably noticed through these recommendations.

• Maharaja (€€): Classic Indian spot, located just off Rambla del Raval this curry house has some of the tastiest Indian food in town. They have plenty of outdoor seating for those sunny midday meals, a reasonably priced menu and super authentic food.

Best Thai Curries In Barcelona

Thai has to be the best cuisine in the world in my opinion (biased I know). Being from Australia, I always took Thai food and its authenticity/accessibility for granted at home. This was made apparent to me when I first moved to Barcelona and couldn’t find a decent authentic Thai curry for the life of me. They were SO hard to come across! Luckily times are changing and the Spanish (Catalans) are catching on to why Thai food is so goddamn good. See below my list of favourite Thai places in town:

• Bangkok Cafe (€€): Probably my favourite restaurant in Barcelona. I love this place so much I could cry (note I am writing this in week 3 of isolation and have not eaten takeaway in about a month which is a HUGE deal for me). This is one of the OG Thai restaurants in Barna. Their dishes are SUPER authentic and tasty (the salads are so hot they’ll blow your wig off – get the duck one!). It is a tiny venue, so be sure to make a reservation before you head over. It’s also a bit of a mission out of town, but worth the hike! Red curry with duck, say it with me.
• LAM Thai Street Food (€€): Sister restaurant to Bangkok Cafe, these guys are more centrally located just off Plaza Universitat. Similar menu to their big sisters at Bangkok Cafe and delicious food. The chicken panang is off the charts good.
• Petit Bangkok (€€): These guys have three locations and have only recently won me over when they moved into my barrio. They do an amazing job, their Massaman curry is super tasty and I could eat it all day every day. You’d be silly to go past their Pad Thai also, it’s so good. You’re welcome.
• Boa Bao (€€€€): These guys only opened their establishment last year and they have to have one of the nicest Asian decor restaurants in town. Originally started in Lisbon (Lisboa in Spanish) it is where they get their name from. It is not specific to Thai food (more of an Asian selection) but they do a damn tasty seafood curry soup. Located in one of the fanciest eating spots in town, their menu is priced to match but it’s perfect for a nice date night or birthday meal.
• Thai Spicy (€€): Classic, tasty, authentic (being the keyword with so many crappy Thai places in Barcelona) Thai food. They have all the classic dishes you would expect to see on a Thai menu, nothing out of the ordinary here. Their red curry is my favourite, grab it with chicken or prawns depending which way you swing!!

Not your typical Barcelona cuisine, but the perfect way to wash away the sins accumulated on our Barcelona Boat Parties. You’re going to want a curry once you get the party started on our Mediterranean floating fiestas. Check them out here.