Cafes and bars: There are bars to cater for all needs and tastes, whether they be regular bars, tapas bars, late bars, gay bars, and wine bars, just to name a few. Xampanyerías or champagne bars are very popular among those enjoying cava, the Catalan champagne. Cafés and bars provide good eating for moderate prices. Other interesting places for the budget oriented traveler include cerveseries/cervezerias (beer bars), tavernes/tabernas (taverns), tasques/tascas (snack bars) and cellers/bodegas (cellars).

Tapas bars or tascas: Instead of eating in a traditional restaurant or cafeteria and having a full meal, something different would be to have a succession of tapas (small snacks) or raciones (larger snacks) at a series of bars. This is referred to as bar crawling and is a very fun and interesting alternative. It's a great way to meet new people and sample the local specialties.

Sit-down Restaurants: Menjadores, menjarias or comedores are cheap eating establishments generally found at the back of bars. Typically in working class environments, portions are usually generous and very affordable. A meson also usually refers to a modest eatery while establishments of higher category simple call themselves restaurant/restaurant. Restaurants specializing in fish and seafood are referred to as marisquerias. The most exclusive restaurants are “five fork” restaurants. For international cuisine, look for the ethnic restaurants on Calle Verdi Park.