Can Xurrades

The food here is really really good! The service is brilliant and the owner of this place is a bit of a local celebrity. Whenever I come here, no matter what I get I really enjoy the food. It's amazing Catalan cuisine mixed with other hints of cultures and the desserts are AMAZING. If there's one meal in your entire month that you splurge completely on, it should be on dessert here. Really good.

First trip to Barcelona and we are completely lost. FYI - the metro maps are not scaled correctly! We had to resort to the huge map they give you at the tourist information spots to fully understand that some places were NOT walking distance. But this is of course after the first day of walking to what I presume to be Barcelona's Chinatown and garment district, a few squares, and random business streets.

Anyways, after hours, yes hours, or walking through downtown Barcelona... (this isn't too bad. It's like a walking tour of Barcelona which I would not recommend unless you are wearing sneakers.) we are on our way to find La Rambla. I know, how did I miss such a large tourist attraction, I don't know! It's an unfamiliar country! On the way, a restaurant sign catches my attention. I look at it again and recall that it was a name of a restaurant my co-worker recommended. How I recalled it at that moment, I don't know. It was meant to be.... But it was around 4 PM and the place isn't open. So we decide to walk around more to find La Rambla and since we know where the restaurant is, we can always come back. We found La Rambla but everything was pretty much closed so we just walked back to the restaurant.

We arrive a little after 7PM and the place is empty. There is one other table occupied. Now I wasn't sure if this is the place that was recommended since it seems deserted. But at this point, we're exhausted and hungry.

It's something I learned before but I sometimes forget. There are generally two types of good restaurants. Ones that make everything pretty well and ones that make everything else acceptably but has one exceptional dish. This restaurant is the latter. Everything on the menu was pretty good. But their steak. Drool... I think this would be my top dish from my whole trip. I had my share of good steaks and meats but this was awesome. They bring it out on a hot stone plate with flakes of salt. The steak is rare then you take the cut pieces and press it against the stone to cook it to your liking. The bill was similar to what we would pay at a nice steak house in NY area. I recommend the steak. Get it. Now. If you are nearby.

Can Xurrades was recommended to me by a colleague who had visited Barcelona several weeks before me on an official visit represented the city of Los Angeles. It was the best recommendation I have ever received. Rafa is the chef, waiter, busboy and owner of the restaurant and it all works to perfection. My party of three all ordered the Filet Mignon and it was the best I have ever had. Like sushi! The experience was amazing and the price surprisingly very affordable. We had the Filets, three sides, two deserts and two bottles of wine all for under $150€!!! I can't wait to go back to Barcelona just to eat here!

Very good beef but expensive and with cockroaches. My girlfriend screamed so it was a bit unpleasant. Expect 20 euros at least for the beef or you will get too much grease.