Barcelona: Best burgers and diners in town

Sometimes, you just need a burger. Photo: Jorge F.

Vintage clothes, cupcakes, brunch and now burgers. These trends have swept over Barcelona leaving people well-fed and questionably clothed. Unlike vintage, which doesn’t get me going, burger shacks are a welcomed addition to the Barcelona food scene.

Here are a few top diners for a double with cheese.

Betty Ford’s
Joaquin Costa, 56
Barcelona, 08001

This place is not new, but it is awesome. A restaurant and bar well-known among locals for its burgers and cocktails, Betty Ford’s is easily reached in the El Raval neighborhood just down the street from Gat Raval Hostal. Betty Ford’s also does one of the best garden burgers in town, that is, sin carne. While many burger joints try to make their own veggie burger patties, they fail for the most part. Betty Ford’s nails it, as does Fastnet.

Fastnet
Pssg Joan de Borbo, 22
08003 Barcelona
Tel: 93 295 30 05

Okay, Fastnet is not strictly a burger spot, but they do have amazing burgers served with fries, or “chips,” and pints of beer. This is an Irish bar in La Barceloneta, where a burger will set you back less than €7. Check out their terrace come spring.

Kiosko
Marquès de L’Argentera, 1 bis
08003 Barcelona
Tel. 933 107 313.
http://www.kioskoburger.com/

In the Born area, Kiosko only does burgers. Their specialty is gourmet burgers with names like “Japanese,” “Austrian” and “Catalan.” They offer many topping and bun choices, plus chicken patties and veggie patties. I had their veggie burger, and it fell apart. No bueno. But, their other burgers are extremely popular and on most nights you’ll see a line at the cash register made up of hungry burger seekers. They also serve “Rustic Fries” for just €3.

Big J’s
Carrer del Carme, 74 (El Raval)
Carrer Aribau, 18 (Eixample)
Av. Via Laietana, 20 (El Born)
http://www.bigjburger.com/

For an American diner experience Big J’s is the place to eat. There are now Big J’s in El Born, Raval and Eixample which just goes to show how excited locals are about hamburgers. A perk at Big J’s are the milkshakes, which are not easily found in Barcelona. They also do banana splits and cocktails. I didn’t see root beer floats on the menu, but that’s about all that’s missing!

Marmalade
Riera Alta, 4-6
Tel. 934 423 966
http://www.marmaladebarcelona.com/

The Wild West burger has been raved about by many of my friends. It’s served with a side of fries for €9 and was rated almost a perfect “10” by hungry and discerning customers. All in all, Marmalade is a great place to have a burger or a salad or just have drinks in El Raval. They also serve BBQ ribs, their house specialty. Their garden burger, the “Yoga Man,” is mushy and did not impress me. But hey, they also have a pool table!

Apolo Diner
Vila i Vila, 62
Tel. 93 329 8641
http://www.apolodiner.com/

Saving the best for last? Maybe. I do love the menu options at the newly opened and ultra hip Apolo Diner in the Para-lel area. Here customers can choose between hot dogs (veggie dogs), wraps, sandwiches, salads and “artisan” burgers (whatever that means). They also make their own condiments, which means if you want extra ketchup it’s another €0.75. Try their La Mala burger for €8 or a chicken burger for €6. Most nights of the week they have a DJ spinning tunes.

Also in our guide: If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona (or are already there, combing the streets for a burger joint!), you can also take our advice for great budget hotels. Our editors have visited, inspected and reviewed the best and most affordable hotels in Barcelona, each selected because it’s central, cheap and clean. Read more in our Barcelona guide.