Petit Tapas in Barcelona, Spain

When traveling to Barcelona, you're going to hear everyone's opinion on The Best Tapas in Barcelona. And after spending four months living in Barcelona, my take is that this debate is like arguing over the best glass of wine in Napa or the best slice of pizza in New York. The discussion is fun, but deeming one purveyor The Best defeats the whole purpose of exploring.

The Spanish know how to tapa, so get out there and try as many as you can rather than worrying out the perfect reservation and the number one spot, even though that will be the urge. Just make sure to avoid any tapas spots near Las Ramblas or Placa Cataluyna (this is the equivalent of eating in Times Square).

So to that end, I'm not here to declare that Petit Tapas is The Best Tapas restaurant in Barcelona. But it's certainly on my shortlist.

If El Barrio Gótico was a girl from your high school, she would smoke cigarettes and date a drummer.

We'll get to the tapas in a moment, but first I need to describe the experience of going to Petit Tapas. The restaurant is located in Barrio Gótico, which is the old medieval quarter in Barcelona, known for its grunge. The Eixample (pronounced "ay-sham-pluh") neighborhood is the modern addition to the city with wide streets and Hermes stores, while Barrio Gótico is more absinthe bars and vintage stores.

You'll approach the restaurant by foot, definitely in the dark (10pm is truly when the Spanish start having dinner, even on weeknights). You'll wind through the cobblestone streets that are decorated with laundry hanging from balconies and pops of graffiti. You'll find secret plazas with palm trees and candlelit outdoor cafes alongside tiny storefronts that are pulsing with club music and young people dancing. The streets calm a bit as you approach Petit Tapas, which settles you into a romantic feeling of being fully encapsulated in this stone maze of ancient streets that are still teeming with youth and energy.

Shout out to Samsung for finding a way to commercialize anything

The entrance to Petit Tapas is nondescript, but perhaps on purpose. Once inside, that dark, sexy energy of the streets persists. The restaurant is buzzy, candlelit, and supported by dark woods and stones, just like the neighborhood outside. It's mostly two-tops, which completely checks out - this is the ultimate date night ambiance.

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Now for the actual meal. First of all, if you're not drinking red wine, you should go home. That is simply the unstated requirement of this type of restaurant. If you upgrade that red wine into a sangria, well done.

The menu is fairly petit, as the name says. My rec? Start with one of each of the "classic tapas" that they helpfully list on the menu, which will give you a proper schooling in croquetas, patatas bravas, chorizo and quesos, and pan con tomate. I found in my time in Spain that some restaurants treat these classics a bit like an afterthought, putting more energy into the more elaborate (or higher priced) dishes. But at Petit, while these dishes aren't inventive, they're masterfully executed, with rich sauces, extremely fresh tomatoes, and hand-selected cuts of regional meats and cheeses that some other establishments don't bother with.

After hitting the classics, move on to the other sections of the menu. The pork cheek was so decadent and tender that it reminded me of a slow-roasted Carolina barbecue. And while sometimes a prawn or octopus can read a bit too "fishy" for me, these had the perfect warmth and seasoning, paired with fresh vegetables and bright sauces.

All said? Petit Tapas is what dining in Spain is all about. It's eating intentionally-made food by the ocean at 10pm, having about two too many glasses of a peppery Rioja, and roaming the streets to just take it in.

PS - Can't get a res at Petit Tapas? It's sister restaurant (if my memory serves me, the OG location) is called Sensi Tapas and is located right next door. They share a kitchen so truly, it's same same. I can vouch for both.