ALL THINGS FOOOOOD
Barcelona:
I would describe Barcelona’s restaurant scene as pretty much anything you can think of. Southern Spain is more known for Tapas.. so even though Barcelona has many tapas places, you’re equally likely to see a Japanese, Mexican, Italian, or even American restaurant. Here are my top favorites, not in order!
Brunch
Alsur Cafe - Cute, trendy breakfast and lunch (amazing smoothie bowl & fruit and avocado toast plate) also apparently a great burger
Billy Brunch - Small, adorable brunch place
Bing Bing Cafe - LOVE!!! Best cappuccino I think I have ever had. Get the eggs benedict or a bagel option
Caravelle - I loved this entire menu!!! Would come back often. Get the eggs benedict or rancheros.
Firebug - Cute brunch spot - close to the arc de triomphe
Milk - Similar to Firebug but in Gothic area, also dank
UGOT - My favorite brunch so far — hadn’t seen it on any abroad guide and just found it randomly. Shashuka was incredible & apparently their cakes are a necessity, everyone was ordering them
Benedict - For when you’re craving a super American breakfast - they have mimosas!
Picnic - Breakfast near the Arc! Everyone loved it
Cheap Eats
Bo De Be - Cheap 4 euro sandwiches - best I have ever had!
La Taqueria - Putting this in cheap eats category based on the fact that the tacos were incredible and filling and the margaritas were big and strong! Small restaurant so get a reservation first!
Dlucas - Coffee place across the street from CIEE, amazing bagel sandwich
Forn De Pa - Favorite coffee place near CIEE, dank cappuccinos
Youme - Sushi place right by us, legit our new sushi express it is soooo good
Wok to Walk - Give me asian noodles and I am happy. Enough said.
Carabela - Cheap Mexican near the beach & dank frozen margaritas
Xurreria Sagrada Familia - CHURROS CHURROS CHURROS
Taco Alto - Close to the arc & also delivers. SO good. Cheaper version of Rosa Negra
Bacoa Burger - Near the beach - quick / easy / yummy
Lunch
Surf House Barcelona - My personal favorite & that is saying a lot. Right on the beach so naturally incredible vibes & DANK A$$ FOOD!! Get the nachos even if you don’t like nachos.. they will change your life. The turkey burger was also fire.
Honest Greens - Right off of Pl. Catalunya, you make your own salad or protein plate with sides. INCREDIBLE and pretty affordable.
Oassis - On La Rambla near CIEE classes. Really cute / trendy place with dank avocado toast, burgers, salads, etc.
FlexBowls - Also near CIEE, reminds me of Forage or Glaze depending on what you get! So good and healthy, a feel good place.
Hipfish - Poke bowls!
Poke Si - A favorite on my ubereats account that’s for sure
Wok Verdi - Quick wok noodles and sushi
Surya - Best Indian food I have ever had! Come for the 11 euro lunch special, literally incredible.
Maka Maka Burger - Wish I didn’t wait for the last week to try, so amazing
Fit Kitchen - Great / filling salads between CIEE classes
Dinner
La Bodegueta Provenca - Awesome local tapas place, great service so be nice to your waiter!
Sensi Bistro Tapas - There are like 5 sensis so make sure to look for the one with ‘bistro’ in the name. So great and amazing service. Truffle ravioli / squid / croquettes / bombas on & on & on all amazing (get a reservation before because its super small)
Sensi Mezzanine - Get the chicken! They don’t have it at Bistro, they’re super similar but I think I like Mezzanine better :)
Bar Lobo - Good tapas, weird waiters. idk but still good!
Sopa Boba - GOO GO GO GO get EVERYTHING. BRAVAS. MUSHROOMS. EVERYTHING.
Lateral - Tapas with a great atmosphere
La Luna - Tapas, and not that expensive. Good for groups. (get the prawns / croquettes / quesadillas / goat cheese salad)
Bellebuam - Homemade lasagna - go go go
Rosa Negra - Tacos that erryone knows. But for a reason - dank.
Robota - Best sushi I have had in a while, so good.
Cerveseria Catalana - Never got to go and so sad, there’s always a huge wait so try to go early and get a pitcher of Sangria while you wait
When you want to be a BETCH
Flax & Kale - über healthy eats, amazing smoothies — (don’t go if you don’t like health food, a direct quote was “I feel like there is a tree growing inside of me”)
CDLC - Literally on the beach… this place is my heaven. Really expensive but if you want to ball out the sushi is amazing otherwise just go for drinks
Agua - Right next to CDLC & more affordable! Still like CDLC better but definitely still a go- to for being a beeeetch.
Brunch and Cake - I thought mine was really good but it is a little overrated
Black Remedy - Trendy coffee / lunch place in the alleys of Gothic Quarter. I am quite proud of this find
Baracca - Near the beach, a little expensive but very very good. Ask to sit upstairs it overlooks the water
Vienna:
It is honestly way easier to find good Viennese food so its not hard to find a schnitzel or anything like that. Viennese food was really good but also the type of food I never need to have again lol. BUT, when in Vienna you have to try schnitzel/ weiner/ etc. so here were our favorites!!
Schnitzelwirt - We never actually went here, but it is supposed to be the best schnitzel in Vienna. Pretty much any cute local place will have it though, kind of fun to just stumble upon!
Naschmarkt - Stroll through the market and buy mulled wine “Gluhwein.” Also, there was a little stand for Weiners.. what I never realized is that Wein literally means Vienna so when I was seeing Wein or Weiner all over the signs I was like wow Vienna really loves their weiners…. yeah a bit mistaken on that one lol. Anyway, they’re dank and filled with cheese.
Mama & Der Bulle - BEST VEGGIE BURGER I HAVE EVER HAD (which is saying a lot because I eat them all the time.) I literally and figuratively was turned on by this burger. This fried portabello was filled with cheese aka literally an explosion in my mouth. Also got a side of parmesan cauliflower and cheap af Aperol Spritz. Happy Happy girl after that one.
L’Osteria - DAAANK and pretty affordable Italian. The pizzas are huge - our waiter shamed us for trying to order two, little does he know yo girls can eat. - Regardless, definitely recommend.
Cafe Sacher - This place kind of reminds me of Angelina in Paris. It is known for their Viennese coffee, hot chocolate, and most importantly ‘historical’ cake. The cake was super unique so not everyone loved it, but the whole place was based on it so kind of had to try it. The inside is also super luxurious and beautiful so its worth it to even just sit there.
Cafe Central - Never got to go here but wish we did!! Super famous.
Beer in Vienna is cheap and so good! Get it > mixed drinks or wine honestly.
Copenhagen:
The land of expensive a$$ food that is worth every cent. I would come back here literally for the food.
Mad & Kaffe - Adorable brunch spot that lets you pick 3, 5, or 7 small dishes. So gooddddddd
Gasoline Grill - The best burger in the entire world. I have dreams about this burger. I miss it with all my heart. I think I was sexually attracted to this burger.
DøP - Hot dog stand, must go to!!! I don’t even like hot dogs and I salivated at this one.
Union Kitchen - The trendy brunch place that writes the inappropriate phrases on the cappuccinos. Not overrated, it was incredible! Get the brunch platter.
Feel Good Cafe - Super healthy, local place. Get the Moroccan smoothie bowl it has tons of really unique fruits in it and was great.
Torvehallerne - A really cool food market to walk through and lots of cute food options. Definitely somewhere to go with cheaper options.
Amsterdam:
Kind of like Copenhagen, there really is no typical danish restaurant that everyone should go to in Amsterdam. But there are tons of trendy places to go to (hella brunch, street food, asian etc.)
Bakers and Roasters - Incredible brunch and cute ambiance! There is usually a wait but it is not long!
Bulls & Dogs - Favorite thing I had, gourmet hot dogs (I got the chicken one, reallyyyy good) The drinks weren’t great so just go for the food.
A- Fusion - Actually a lot of Asian restaurants in Amsterdam, this was where we randomly went but it was great. Get the Gyoza
Pancake Bakery - Where to go if you want the classic Danish pancake
Taste a stroopwafel!
Cocotte - Stumbled upon this cute local place with amazing crepes and danish treats
Happyhappyjoyjoy - Didn’t go here because you have to get a reservation far in advance but its the basic place to go to that apparently is great
Avocado Show - Where everything is made of avocado, kind of a must when in Amsterdam.. I was sad I didn’t go because um have you met me, but my friends went and loved it
Cheese Shop Crawl - Need a snack without the $? Go around the cheese shops and sample all the cheeses. Yep that is truly making my recommendation list
Prague:
Don’t go to Prague expecting to have any Czech food — but do know that any restaurant that is well known you’re going to want to get a reservation prior. And… at all costs… get a dang Trdelnik and INDULGE.
Dan Noc - Savory pancakes — amazingggg, cute local place we stumbled upon. Also good cappuccinos.
Cafe Savoy - Famous brunch place, get a reservation before. Pretty atmosphere.
Kofarna Cafe - If you don’t have a reservation like us, wait here before Cafe Savoy for a cappuccino.. really good!
Trdelnik Stands - Expect them to spill all over - worth it
Mulled wine from the stands
Teresa U Prince - Rooftop bar — need to go!!! (for drinks and views not food)
Dubai & Abu Dhabi:
Wowwww. Amazing food. They have everything here but experiencing the Arabian food was definitely my favorite!!
Thiptara - Thai food with views of the Water Light Show… incredible food & incredible experience.
Arabian Teahouse - We came here for brunch to enjoy original Arabian food platters. SO good!!
Emirates Palace - We had dinner here at an Italian restaurant along with brunch that served the gold cappuccinos & truffle eggs benedict. Salivating thinking about both meals!
Tea at Burj Khalifa A.tmosphere - Us boujee gals LOVED this experience. Even through the fog in Dubai it was an incredible view, we spent about 2.5 hours here
Authentic Arabian meal in the desert
Seville:
Unlike Barcelona, Seville is almost all tapas. According to Clare, you could walk into any restaurant and they’re probably going to be good because they’re all super similar. Tons of outdoor seating & people watching at the restaurants which I loved.. oh and verryyy affordable which was huge. There is also a up and coming health, trendy scene which (hopefully) balanced out the extensive amount of baguettes and bravas we consumed…
Filo - Incredible salad / avocado toast place
Mercada Lonja Del Barranco - My favorite place we went! It was a modern market building where you could pick any food choices then had outdoor sitting by the river where we got drinks and enjoyed the sun
Milk Away - Dank acai bowls and the pesto sandwich was incredible!
Bar Eme - Rooftop bar
Best tapas to get - Can’t go to Seville without trying the tortilla (Spanish omelet) and some Jamón Iberico de Bellota (from pigs that are only fed acorns)
List of great restaurants I got from a friend but was unable to try - Ovejas Negra, Lobo Lopez, Sibuya, La Brunilda, Torres y Garcia, Loca Giuliva, Mano de Santo, and Contenedor — Next time!?
London:
Everyone knows London has amazing food and everyone knows its expensive as HECK! Regardless, loved each place we went to — but most of all the food carts… I could go to Camden and Borough Market every day if I lived there.
High Tea at Soho - A must!! Less basic and more worth it than tea at Sketch, etc. would be. Only 24 pounds for a huge spread and tea!
Flock - Cute avocado toast place, seemed pretty local
Thai Square - We’re pretty sure this is a chain in London but regardless we stumbled upon it and it was pretty dank
Chay - Food cart at the Borough Market where we got the Bao buns.. find it! They won’t disappoint. Also were vegan so #health
London Cocktail Club - Underground cocktail bar, amazing drinks. Get a reservation if you can
Eggbreak - Amazing breakfast near Notting Hill!
Mac Factory - Gourmet mac and cheese food cart in Camden Market - GOOO.
The Amalfi Coast
Pasta, pasta, and more pasta!! I love pasta more than I love.. well a lot of things.. so this was quite the food trip for me.. here’s some of my favorites and then also just pretty terraces we went to for drinks! Also, the land of limoncello & Aperol Spritz so plenty of that!
Le Siranuse - In Positano, fancy hotel for rooftop view of Positano - expensive but hey you’re paying for the view! Beautiful.
Da Filipo - Family run Italian restaurant in Sorrento.. amazing. The seafood pasta was the best I have ever had and the pizza was great too we all split it
David Gelato - In Sorrento!
Hotel Bellevue Syrene - In Sorrento too, an incredible view of the water for drinks in a garden terrace. So pretty & happy vibes :)
Leone Rosso - Right when you get off the train in Sorrento, super casual and cheap and good too!
Bar Tiberio - In Capri’s main square, really dank mozzarella etc. sandwich
Il Gabbiano - Funny guys in Capri that run a family restaurant, get a drink here when you come off the boat tour!
Portugal
The country with, in my opinion, the best food of them all! The seafood was so incredible and fresh. We just kept trying all of their famous dishes which was fun and kept it exciting.. any self- proclaimed “foodie” would love.
Lagos
Poke Lagos - Self- explanatory, really fresh poke!
Carvi Beach Hotel Rooftop Restaurant - We stayed here so weren’t expecting much but then holy f it was amazing. The mussels were to die for.
El Mar - Great place to go for lunch. It looks over the water & has great seafood
Paninos Wine Bar - We came for the wine but then tasted some squid and it was beyond incredible, a must
Don Sebastiao - Dinner place, sea bass was soooo fresh / healthy / incredible
Lisbon
TIME OUT MARKET - must go and try EVERYTHING! We could have spent hours here. We went to Tartar-ia (sea bass tartar. get it.) Asian lab for incredible shrimp pad thai and croqueteria for squid ink croquettes! Juj also got a octopus hot dog lol. The restaurants have to pass a certain level to be featured here so everything is good.
Mad Ao Carmo - Amazing seafood for dinner, get a res. Octopus & mussels are dank. Good pricing!
Rooftops & Bars - PARK rooftop (MUST GO!!) Memmo Alfama Hotel (also a must, more laid back than Park,) Livraria bar (on Pink Street, cute quotes everywhere)
Restaraunte Vicente by Carnalentejana - Come here for dinner for some Portuguese meat!! Amazing and not expensive. They give you some sauce for the meat that is out of this world
Heim Cafe - Really cute, trendy local brunch place
Flauna y Flora - THE brunch place. Trendy af & long wait but worth it the food is great
Zenith - Didn’t go here but also a great brunch spot I guess
Tascantiga - Lunch spot in Old Town Sintra.. great Portuguese tapas
Resauraunte Raizes - Super super local, small menu. So great, so cute
Pasteis de Belem - MUST COME HERE FOR EGG TARTS! They are so famous. Huge line always but it goes fast!
