Barkada BCN - Burgers & Tapas Fusión

Carrer de Blai is a gauntlet. It’s a narrow, stone-paved artery in Poble Sec lined with dozens of bars peddling the same tired pinchos—pre-sliced bread topped with questionable mayonnaise-based salads and held together by a forest of toothpicks. It’s cheap, it’s cheerful, and after three bars, it’s soul-crushingly repetitive. But then there’s Barkada BCN. It sits at number 68, and it isn't playing the same game as everyone else. The name 'Barkada' is Filipino slang for a group of friends, and that’s exactly the energy this place radiates. It’s not a tourist trap; it’s a clubhouse for people who want their food to actually say something.

Walking in, you’re hit with a raw, neon-soaked energy that feels more like a Manila back-alley garage turned into a cocktail lounge than a traditional Spanish bodega. There are neon signs, exposed brick, and a staff that actually looks like they’re having a better time than you are. This is one of the best fusion restaurants in Barcelona because it doesn't just sprinkle some soy sauce on a patata brava and call it a day. They are digging into the shared colonial DNA of Spain and the Philippines, pulling out the grease, the acid, and the heat that makes both cuisines great.

You’re here for the Sisig. If you haven't had it, sisig is the ultimate drinking food—traditionally made from parts of a pig’s head, chopped, grilled, and served on a sizzling plate with calamansi and chili. At Barkada, they respect the tradition but make it accessible for the Poble Sec crowd. It arrives hissing and spitting, a glorious, fatty, citrusy mess that you scoop up with reckless abandon. It’s the kind of dish that makes you wonder why we ever bothered with dainty little pinchos in the first place.

Then there’s the burger situation. In a city currently obsessed with 'smash' burgers that all taste like the same salty cardboard, Barkada’s Ube Burger is a psychedelic revelation. The bun is a vibrant, natural purple, made from ube (purple yam). It’s soft, slightly sweet, and provides the perfect structural integrity for a patty that actually tastes like beef, topped with Filipino-inspired garnishes that cut through the fat. It’s Instagram bait that actually delivers on the palate—a rare feat in 2025.

If you’re looking for cheap eats in Barcelona that don't feel cheap, this is the spot. The menu wanders through 'fusion tapas' like adobo-glazed chicken wings and nachos that would make a purist weep but a hungry person rejoice. The cocktails follow suit, heavy on the calamansi and tropical notes that remind you that while you’re in the shadow of Montjuïc, the soul of the kitchen is thousands of miles away in the Pacific.

Is it perfect? No. On a Friday night, the music can be loud enough to vibrate your molars, and the service, while friendly, can get chaotic when the 'barkada' fills the room. If you’re looking for a quiet, white-tablecloth evening to discuss your retirement fund, go somewhere else. But if you want to feel the pulse of Poble Sec, to eat food that has a point of view, and to leave with a slight ube-induced glow, Barkada is the real deal. It’s a reminder that the best things in Barcelona usually happen when you stop following the crowds and start looking for the sizzle.