Affluent hill neighbourhoods above Diagonal: long-running Bar Tomas in Sarria, fine-dining rooms and family-run Catalan classics outside the tourist grid.
Oriol Balaguer in Barcelona's Sant Gervasi is the uphill pastry showroom of the four-time World Pastry Champion: the cruffin and his signature panettone.
Tip: Closed Monday. The panettone needs to be pre-ordered three days ahead in November-December.
Worth the queue: Cruffin
Pastisseria Foix de Sarria in Barcelona's Sarria has run since 1886, once run by Catalan poet J V Foix: the petxines shells and turron de crema.
Tip: Open daily. The petxines are an any-time order; the turron de crema is the Christmas pick. Pre-order whole cakes 48 hours ahead.
Worth the queue: Petxines and turron de crema
Bar Tomas in Barcelona's Sarria has fried patatas bravas since 1949: a single canonical recipe of double-fried potatoes with the two-sauce ali-oli and red.
Try: Patatas bravas
Tip: Open daily until 22:00. The bravas with both sauces is the order; no reservations.
Mercat de Galvany in Barcelona's Sant Gervasi is the 1927 modernist market in the affluent uptown grid: 75 stalls, almost entirely local trade.
Tip: Closed Sunday. The Saturday morning vegetable run is the busiest; Friday is the cleanest fish day.
Sutton on Carrer de Tuset in Sant Gervasi has run since the 1990s as Barcelona's mainstream upmarket club, with a strict door policy, commercial house and hip-hop and a footballer-and-model crowd.
Tip: Smart dress required at the door (no sneakers, no shorts); reserve a table through the website to skip the queue. Tuset is a taxi ride from the centre.
Otto Zutz on Carrer de Lincoln in Sant Gervasi has run since 1985 across four floors in a converted industrial building, programming hip-hop, reggaeton and commercial chart nights for a young uptown crowd.
Tip: Wednesday to Saturday only; the top floor runs hip-hop, the main floor reggaeton and chart hits. Queues from 01:30; arrive earlier for the guest list.