Restaurant Setze

If you’re looking for the neon-soaked, sangria-by-the-liter nightmare of La Rambla, keep walking. Restaurant Setze isn’t for you. Located on Carrer de Galileu in the heart of Les Corts, this place is a quiet middle finger to the theme-park version of Barcelona. It’s a neighborhood joint in a neighborhood that actually still functions as one—where people live, work, and complain about the local football scores over a glass of vermouth that doesn’t cost a week’s wages.

Walking into Setze, you aren’t hit with a 'concept.' You’re hit with the smell of honest cooking. The space is clean, modern, and unfussy, lacking the dusty kitsch of the old-school bodegas but retaining every bit of their soul. It’s the kind of place where the lighting is bright enough to see what you’re eating, which is a good thing because the product here has nothing to hide. This is 'cuina de mercat'—market cuisine—which means the menu lives and dies by what was looking good at the stalls that morning.

Let’s talk about the bravas. In this city, everyone claims to have the 'best' bravas, a claim usually backed by nothing but hubris and frozen spuds. At Setze, they treat the potato with the respect it deserves. They are crisp, golden cubes of defiance, topped with a sauce that actually has a pulse. It’s the litmus test for any Catalan kitchen, and here, they pass with flying colors. Then there’s the veal—the 'fricandó' or the grilled cuts. It’s tender, rich, and tastes like the animal had a decent life before it met the chef. It’s the kind of protein rush that makes you remember why we started cooking over fire in the first place.

You’ll see the regulars here. They aren't checking their phones for the next 'must-see' attraction; they’re deep in conversation, tearing through plates of tuna tataki or their surprisingly excellent guacamole with prawns. The latter might seem like a concession to modern trends, but one bite tells you it’s just good cooking, regardless of origin. The service is professional, bordering on the brisk, which I prefer. They aren't your best friends; they are there to ensure you eat well and get out before you start getting sentimental.

The beauty of Restaurant Setze is its lack of pretension. It’s one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in Barcelona precisely because it doesn't try to be 'the best.' It just tries to be consistent. It’s a place for a long, boozy Friday lunch or a Tuesday dinner when you can’t face the stove. It’s reliable. In a city that is increasingly being sold off piece by piece to the highest bidder, a place like this feels like a victory.

Is it perfect? No. If you’re looking for white tablecloths and a sommelier who will whisper sweet nothings about soil pH into your ear, you’ll be disappointed. The wine list is functional, the noise levels can climb when the room is full, and the location is a bit of a trek if you’re staying in the Gothic Quarter. But that’s the point. You have to want to be here. You have to earn it. If you find yourself near Camp Nou and you’re starving, skip the fast-food stalls and walk the ten minutes to Galileu. Your stomach, and your self-respect, will thank you.