Mirablau

You don’t come to Mirablau because you’re starving for a life-changing culinary revelation. You come here because you want to feel like you own the damn city. Perched on the steep, pine-scented slopes of Tibidabo, this place has been the go-to for generations of Barcelonans looking to escape the humid, claustrophobic heat of the lower barrios. It’s a two-story glass box of a venue that hangs over the edge of the mountain, offering a 270-degree panoramic view that makes the Sagrada Família look like a Lego set and the Mediterranean Sea like a dark, shimmering slab of obsidian.

The journey up is part of the ritual. You wind through the quiet, moneyed streets of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, past the modernist mansions and the gated gardens, until you reach the Plaça del Doctor Andreu. The air is thinner here, cooler, and carries the faint scent of the Collserola forest. When you step inside Mirablau, the first thing that hits you isn't the smell of the kitchen—it’s the sheer, dizzying scale of the horizon. It’s one of the best views in Barcelona, hands down, and they know it.

Let’s talk about the food, because you have to eat something while you’re staring at the sprawl. The menu is a greatest-hits collection of Mediterranean and Spanish staples. It’s honest, competent, and unpretentious. You’ll find the usual suspects: patatas bravas that provide a solid, spicy foundation for a night of drinking, calamares a la andaluza that are crisp and salty, and a grilled octopus (pulpo a la brasa) that holds its own against the stiff mountain breeze. Is it the best tapas in Barcelona? No. But when you’re cutting into a decent entrecot while the sun dips below the Serra de Collserola, painting the sky in bruised purples and neon oranges, you won’t care. The kitchen isn't trying to reinvent the wheel; they’re just trying to keep you fueled for the view.

As the evening progresses, the atmosphere shifts. The clatter of dinner plates gives way to the rhythmic clink of ice in highball glasses. This is a cocktail bar in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi that understands the importance of a heavy pour. The Gin and Tonics are served in massive goblets, cold enough to crack a tooth, and the mojitos are dangerously drinkable. By midnight, the place sheds its restaurant skin and reveals its true identity as a late-night haunt. The music cranks up—a mix of house, pop, and whatever else keeps the crowd moving—and the floor fills with a mix of well-heeled locals and tourists who had the sense to follow the lights up the hill.

There’s a certain kind of magic in watching the city lights flicker on from this height. It’s a moment of clarity, a chance to see the grid of the Eixample and the winding veins of the Gothic Quarter from a safe, elevated distance. Yes, you’re paying a 'view tax' on the bill. Yes, it can get crowded with people chasing the perfect Instagram shot. But there is something undeniably visceral about standing at that glass rail with a cold drink in your hand, watching the city breathe below you. It’s a classic for a reason. If you're weighing up things to do in Sarrià that don't involve a quiet museum or a guidebook, this is your spot. It’s a little bit of glamour, a little bit of grit, and a whole lot of Barcelona laid out at your feet. Just don't forget to book a table by the window, or you'll be staring at the back of someone's head instead of the Mediterranean.