Menú del día
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Arc Iris
A vegetarian oasis, Arc Iris offers simple, yet flavoursome, healthy dishes that will satisfy even the most carnivorous of diners. Located four blocks from the Sagrada Família, it’s a bustling little space where you’re likely to be asked to share a table with other customers. This sense of togetherness is not the only unique thing about the restaurant. For only €10, its menú del día includes a first, second and third plate, dessert, bread and a drink. If you don’t have time to dine in and make new friends, it’s also possible to bring your own tupperware and get any of the dishes of the day to go, for €3 each.
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La Esquina
The novelty here is that patrons are served three courses of their menú del día at once—a well-rounded platter comprising one soup or salad, one protein and one pasta or grain, with slices of soft rustic bread on the side. This hearty selection is followed by a choice of homemade desserts or coffee. While you’re certain to feel full by the end of the meal, the great thing about La Esquina’s set menu is that it incorporates mostly healthy dishes, such as carrot soup with quinoa and a hint of ginger, spinach and aubergine lasagne, and couscous with roasted vegetables and dollops of tahini. At €16, the menú del día is pricier than some, but it’s centrally located and delicious. An insider’s tip: Don’t waste your drink on water. The restaurant offers filtered water for free, so treat yourself to a glass of crisp white wine or a cold caña.
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La Polpa
Part of Grupo Andilana, which also owns restaurants Balthazar, Flamant and Miu Japonés in the Eixample, La Polpa maintains the tradition of an affordable ‘worker’s meal’, which was introduced in the Sixties. At €11.45, it is one of the cheaper deals available in the city and attracts mostly Catalan professionals at lunchtime. Never the same from one day to the next, the lunch menu features Mediterranean fare such as leek soup, baked hake with roasted garlic and fingerling potatoes, grilled calamari with sautéed legumes, and chocolate-drizzled profiteroles for dessert. The decor is inviting, with blonde hardwood floors, warm lighting and various bottles, packages and pieces of china lined up in white cabinets along the walls, resembling an old grocery store. White linen tablecloths and smartly dressed waiters add a touch of class to the otherwise informal restaurant.
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Topik
Opened in 2009 by chef Adelf Morales and his wife, Topik’s cuisine shows great respect for the ingredients, which Morales lets speak for themselves. “The less one touches the product, the better,” he said. Revolving around this simple concept, the restaurant’s menu mixes Spanish fare with Japanese influences, inspired by the three years Morales spent in Japan, travelling and learning from local kitchens. At Topik, he pairs patatas bravas with wasabi; tuna tartare with sea urchin, served inside its round, spiny shell; hake in a dashi broth with shrimp and seaweed; and marinates mackerel with sake. The menú del día is €14, but well worth the money. You can choose from a score of succulent dishes, made to the highest standard with utmost care, and the staff are knowledgeable and attentive. Finally, the homemade desserts—from classic panna cotta and gooey coulants to apple or carrot cake—are the icing on this set menu.
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Xerta
Available Tuesday to Friday, Xerta’s executive menu is a rare opportunity to relish the fine-tuned dining experience of a Michelin-starred restaurant without emptying your wallet. For €38, you get the standard choice of one starter, one meat or fresh fish dish and one dessert. However, it’s the added allusions to luxury that make lunch here so special. Before the starters arrive, every diner receives three amuse-bouches, such as an Andalusian prawn with seaweed mayonnaise, and coffee is accompanied by a spread of delectable petit fours. Specialising in cuisine from the Terres de l’Ebre region, each dish has a long list of fresh ingredients prepared using complex cooking techniques, and is plated beautifully. Although the interior design of the restaurant, located on the ground floor of the Ohla Eixample Hotel, leaves something to be desired, the layout grants most patrons views into the kitchen, where Catalan chef Fran López gets visibly upset if the food or service of the day falls short of perfection.