Princesa 23

Valentine's Day dinner with Ruby and Lauren.


One of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona is Princessa 23. It is located in the El Born area of the city but there is also a beach bar by the Barceloneta metro stop during the summer months. The closest metro stop in El Born is Jaume I on the yellow line. The hours are 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Friday and Saturday and 11:00 am - 2:30 pm Sunday through Thursday. One of the main things I love about this restaurant is the atmosphere. Although it is not a Moroccan bar the interior is covered in rot-iron light fixtures and large middle eastern couches surround the perimeters. The lights are dimmed and have an accent of red around the room. One down side is that the restaurant is very smoky. The tables are very close together and I do not like the have smoke around me when I am eating. But the music is always great, ranging from island jams to todays hip-hop.

The menu of course is delicious. To start their cocktails, frozen margaritas, and daiquiris are all amazing; especially the strawberry daiquiris! The melon salad, the beef skewers, and the salmon are my favorites. I've been four times (once a month!) and I have ordered the beef skewers every time. The meat is juicy and the sliced papas have so much flavor. Princesa 23 is not solely a Spanish restaurant but it does provides tapas and bocadillos. On the 23rd of each month they have special drink offers and host parties.

At times there is a wait for a table at Princesa 23. Moreover, once you are seated there is also a wait for a server to approach you. The drinks take a while to get and the check takes even longer. One time our waiter forgot to bring our sangria to the table. We waited and waited and finally we were finished with our meal and did not care for it anymore. Although the service is very slow it is still worth it. The food is yummy and it is a great place to meet up with family and friends for a drink and/or dinner after a long day!