We were recommended this place by a lot of people and by the interwebs.  We were warned that we had to get there early to queue and that it would be a long wait if we were late at the beginning and actually had to queue.  So we went to Cal Pep a little early.

It opens at 7:30pm, so we toured the old area of Barcelona and decided to head there around 7pm.  We were hungry and decided that we didn’t want to miss the first seating, or else we would have to wait or go find something else.

We figured we would be first in queue when we got there at 7:05pm, but we weren’t!  There were already two people in queue ahead of us! One looked like he had been reading his book for a long time already.

7:30pm sharp, the gate went up and away we go!

This was one minute after the gate opened.  The entire bar was filled.  If you missed this seating, then you’re queueing in the back.

This place is quite interesting.  There are no menus.  You talk with your host, and then you decide what you want to eat.  With us, we knew we wanted some things that people said were outstanding, and then there were ones that we asked about.  We got recommended a nice bunch of items, and the server was quite nice and engaging.  Ours did spend a lot of time talking to the local couple sitting next to us, but we were still well taken care of.

The house recommended white.

You start off with the Catalan staple, Tomato Bread.

Mixed Fried Seafood Platter.  One of the dishes that people say you need to get.  So fresh and light, just an amazing taste.  You didn’t need to add any more seasonings to this.  Perfect!

We definitely wanted Clams.  This is their version with ham.  The broth was incredible.  Not too salty, done just right.  Wow, they did a great job.

Recommended by our server, they not only do seafood, but make a mean tortilla.  This one was light, enough eggs and potatoes to make a real nice dish.

We wanted a fish and our server recommended this.  Sea Bream.  They cooked it on the grill with garlic and lemon.  The fish was awesome, the potatoes a little greasy.  But definitely a great tasting dish.

We wanted more, and we saw someone that had bamboo clams!  We needed to get it.  What a great price as well, only 2 Euros per clam!  So perfectly seasoned and tasted awesome.

With full bellies, we left.  It took a little more than an hour.  So if you did not get that first seating, then you were waiting behind all of us that were eating, so you were waiting at least one hour!

 

As we left, you can see the queue along the wall stretch all the way back to the door.  Get there early, or you are just waiting.

A must eat place in Barcelona!  You need to try this, but get there early, or get there late so you’re not waiting and waiting.