Carmina is a restaurant in Barcelona that used to have another name, and apparently it was a very traditional restaurant. Now it has been renovated, and they have turned it around. It offers traditional and typical dishes in Barcelona and the area, with local ingredients.
We went here for dinner with high expectations, because of the renovation and because many people were talking about it, everyone was talking about the interior design and the space as such, but we ended up a bit disappointed.
The place is very cute, it’s a kind of old palace with a modern twist, with neon lights and eclectic furniture, which we found nice. The atmosphere was pretty great, but the music was too loud for the dinner shift in our opinion.
The food was not good. We ordered mejillones (mussels) a la marinera, which were good, but nothing to highlight, the oysters were very tasty, and looked really fresh. We also ordered the esqueixada de bacalao (cod), and although the taste was good, the cod should have melted in the mouth, like butter, however it was a bit dry and hard, so it was not really enjoyable.
Then we ordered the main dished, mar y montaña de calamarcitos rellenos de butifarra de perol y ceps (squid stuffed with butifarra de perol and mushrooms) and filete de cerdo ibérico a la brasa con papas arrugadas al romescoa (grilled Iberian pork fillet with wrinkled potatoes with romesco sauce). The pork fillet was well cooked, and the texture of the potatoes was very good, but the sauce was too strong in flavor, but overall the dish was good. As for the butifarra stuffed squid I would not recommend it. In theory it is a good idea, but the truth is that the combination of flavors, in practice, does not work, and it does not really appeal to the eye either. In the end we had to leave this dish because we didn’t feel like finishing it.
Overall, I think it is a very nice place to discover, and I hope we ordered wthe wrong dishes, and hope that there are more dishes that are very good, we will see. In conclusion, it’s a good place to go for a drink because of the atmosphere, but as for the food (when we went) I don’t recommend it very much. Otherwise the service is good, and the staff is really nice.
The Summary
- What we ordered: Filete de cerdo ibérico a la brasa con papas arrugadas al romesco, mar y montaña de calamarcitos rellenos de butifarra de perol y ceps, esqueixada de bacalao, mejillones a la marinera and oysters
- Recommended dishes: Filete de cerdo ibérico a la brasa con papas arrugadas al romesco and oysters
- Average ticket: 30€
- Website: https://carminarestaurante.com/
- Reservations: Yes
- Noise level: High
- Address: Carrer de l’Argenteria, 37, 08003 Barcelona
- Would I go back: No
