Cachitos Diagonal

Walk into Cachitos Diagonal and you aren't just entering a restaurant; you're stepping into a carefully curated set piece. This is the Upper Diagonal, the part of Barcelona where the sidewalks are wider, the cars are German, and the stakes feel higher. It’s a far cry from the grease-slicked tiles of the Raval or the dusty bodegas of Sants. Here, it’s all about the verticality—soaring ceilings, walls draped in lush greenery, and lighting that makes everyone look like they just closed a multi-million euro deal. It’s polished, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically glamorous.

The menu is a greatest hits collection of Spanish and Catalan staples, but dressed up for the ball. You’ve got the cannelloni—a dish that every Catalan grandmother claims to have perfected—but here it’s slicked with truffle cream and stuffed with duck or foie, served in a room that smells like expensive perfume and ambition. The patatas bravas are crisp, the allioli is sharp, and the jamón is sliced by people who know exactly what they’re doing. It’s the kind of Mediterranean restaurant in Barcelona that understands that while the food needs to be good, the atmosphere needs to be better.

But let’s talk about the sangria. In most places, sangria is a tourist trap in a pitcher, a way to hide cheap wine under a mountain of chopped apples. At Cachitos, they’ve turned it into an art form, or at least a very lucrative science. They have a dedicated sangria bar. We’re talking variations with Moët & Chandon, with vanilla, with exotic fruits you didn’t know could swim in wine. It’s dangerous, it’s colorful, and it’s exactly what you want when you’re sitting on that terrace watching the world go by. It’s one of the best sangria spots in Barcelona if you’re looking for something beyond the basic red wine and Fanta mix.

Is it 'authentic'? That’s a loaded word. If you mean 'does it look like a fisherman’s shack in 1950?' No. But if you mean 'does it represent the polished, cosmopolitan, slightly hedonistic soul of modern Barcelona?' Then yes, absolutely. It’s a place for a long lunch that turns into a late afternoon, or a dinner that serves as a launchpad for the clubs on Carrer de Tuset. You’ll see business suits at 2:00 PM and high heels at 10:00 PM. It’s a window into the life of the city’s upper crust, those who prefer their tapas with a side of high-end interior design.

The service is professional, but it’s busy. This isn't the place for a quiet, soulful conversation with a waiter about the philosophy of salt. They’re moving. They’re shaking tins at the cocktail bar. They’re carrying massive trays of seafood paella to tables of eight. It’s a machine, but it’s a beautiful one. If you’re looking for a restaurant in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi that offers a bit of spectacle with your meal, this is it.

If you’re looking for a quiet, out-of-the-way secret, keep walking. Cachitos is hiding from no one. It’s loud, it’s proud, and it’s right there on the corner of Diagonal and Balmes, demanding you pay attention. It’s the kind of place where you order another round of tapas not because you’re hungry, but because you don’t want the show to end. It’s a meal with a side of spectacle, and in a city like Barcelona, sometimes that’s exactly what the doctor ordered. Just don't expect a quiet night; expect a spectacle.