Mercè Vins

Il n’y a rien de meilleur que la cuisine simple et authentique lorsqu’elle est bien exécutée. Mercè Vins est l’un de ces restos! Légumes ultra frais, gaspacho succulent, crème catalane exemplaire… le tout avec un service super sympa et un cadre typique.
Pour 13 € le menu entrée/​plat/​dessert eau comprise, rien à redire!

Amazing value! This place is the place to go when you want to find out how far € 12.50 will go. For me, it was a delicious appetizer of grilled eggplant with Brie cheese, followed by a plate of five cod croquettes and a scoop of rice pilaf, a small carafe of house vino blanco, followed by included dessert! Actually, in our haste to get to our guided tour appointment at the Palau de Musica (which needs its own review), we had to skip the desserts, so they handed us some pastries to go. Others in my family tried the gazpacho, which was a very tasty puréed version, and for € 3 extra, they got the cod with tomato sauce with the rice pilaf, and it was wonderful. My wife thought the sangria was terrific, and my son liked his steak. The place was packed, cozy, and lively during a late lunchtime. Although not the finest dining, this has to be five stars on the list of truly great bargain meals in Barcelona.

Merce Vins is a great spot for traditional Catalan food at really good prices. We thought they would have Paella based on some of the reviews, but they didn’t that day. They have a fixed Tapas menu, and a special daily prix fixe menu that was 12.5 €. The prix fixe included a main course (I had the grilled chicken with brie), a side (vegetables with jamon), wine, and dessert. Everything was really good. I would have rated it five stars, but my wife’s cod was pretty salty, which is a traditional way of preparation. The deserts were fantastic. The orange cake came with another small white wine. It was one of the best meals we’ve had so far.

Feines kleines Restaurant oder ist es eher eine Bar? Jedenfalls war das 3-​Gänge-​Menü für knapp 15 Euro recht schmackhaft.
Der «Laden» ist nicht spießig, wird von angenehmer Frauenpower, soweit ich das überall sehen konnte (Küche, Bedienung), sehen und erleben konnte, geführt.
Mein Menü:
–Paella (bisschen zu reislastig, meiner Meinung nach, aber sehr lecker)
–Cod Fish (Kabeljau, seeehr lecker!)
–Eis (aus der Kunststoff-​Verpackung)

Wonderful!
I really enjoyed a meal here sitting at the bar watching the bartenders and the waitress bustle around during the busy lunch period.
The ambiance is lovely! I sat downstairs at the bar and enjoyed listening to the other diners converse in Catalan and English. If San Francisco, had a hip Catalan restaurant it would be just like this place.
The food was also fantastic. I had the salad of the day with red leaf lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, tofu and bean sprouts. It was awesome. All the produce was fresh and the tofu was not soggy, but firm and super flavorful. I know it wasn’t the most traditional choice, but after traveling through Italy and not seeing very much in the realm of veggies I was craving some greens.
I had the chicken in yogurt sauce for my second course. It was super tender and just fell right of the bone. It was in a creamy, super fragrant yellow yogurt sauce. It was served along side some equally well cooked potatoes.
I had chocolate cake with a small glass of sweet wine as my last course, which was good. Nothing spectacular, probably should have gone the way of the locals and asked about the cheesecake or flan.

This was an amazing lunch spot away from the bustle of the main streets. I got here around 1:15 and the bottom was nearly full so we headed to the top. By the time we left at 2:30 there was a line waiting to sit.
They offer menus in both Catalan and English, written on paper since it appears to change daily. You order a starter, a main dish, and a dessert for € 11.50 though some items may cost extra. My husband and I both had the paella to start and it was by far the best paella of our trip. So flavorful! My husband had the pork ribs with apple sauce and liked it but the all-​star dish was their cod with tomato sauce (an extra € 3 but totally worth it). We each ordered ice cream for dessert as we were stuffed and it was just a little pre-​packaged container– nothing fancy but appreciated.
The staff was very understanding of two tourists looking for a quiet place to grab some warm food. The environment is intimate but welcoming. It felt full of locals on break from work rather than a tourist trap like many spots you might see a few streets away.

What a delightful spot to have a light lunch! The place is small and perfectly cozy. The staff is young, friendly, and engaged. And the food (I did not chose the «menú del día» and tried the cod croquettes and baked cod) was fresh and delightful. No micro-​waved dishes here.
If you like to have your coffee or lunch in a welcoming, authentic place surrounded by local folks, this place is it.

Nos conocimos en unos de mis paseos matinales por mi barrio –el Gótico– y fue amor a primera vista. ¡Un flechazo! Tengo debilidad por las casas antiguas de toda la vida y, como no podía ser de otra forma, entré. Paredes amarillas… Flores frescas… Una cálida acogida… ¡Estaba perdida! Me tenía atrapada en sus redes y podía hacer de mí lo que quisiera. ¡Y lo hizo! No tenía intención de desayunar fuera de casa y terminé zampándome un bocadillo de butifarra negra y huevo que, creedme, me ha dejado huella. Pasada por la plancha, crujiente… ¡Oro para el paladar! Y naturalmente, lo acompañé con una buena copa vino. ¡Viva la buena vida! ¡Viva el derroche mañanil! ¡Aish! ¡Quien fuera rica!
Desde aquél día, hemos tenido varios encuentros matutinos de esos que alegran el día. Pero yo creo que va siendo hora de formalizar nuestra relación… ¡Va siendo hora del menú del mediodía! La carta nocturna la dejaremos para más tarde porque… Lo bueno bueno… Eso se hace esperar.

En mis pausas para la comida, cuando trabajaba por los alrededores de Urquinaona, no dejaba de ir, al menos una vez por semana al Mercè Vins. Es de los lugares donde mejor he saboreado típica comida catalana, sobre todo por los productos frescos y de temporada que utilizan. La pequeña calle peatonal (Amargós, junto a la Catedral) que acoge este lugar, te recuerda que estas en el corazón del Casco Antiguo de Barcelona y que, aunque a un minuto está la bulliciosa Via Laietana, en esta poco transitada vía prevalece la tranquilidad. El cartel que lo anuncia ya te está invitando a entrar: una hoja de vid, y su puerta rústica de madera asegura el «caliu» de una buen lugar. El interior, pintado de un vívido amarillo, tiene dos niveles, y si consigues sitio en un rincón de la parte de arriba puedes estar muy tranquilo. Pero a mí el que me gustaba es lo que ellos llaman «la capilla», un rinconcito en la planta de la entrada, cuya semi bóveda te acoge como en un templo. Las cocineras son excelentes y, normalmente, ofrecen en el postre un yogur casero con coulis que pone la guinda. El menú vale 11 €, pero muy bien invertidos. Y se respira entre las camareras un ambiente de mercado, donde los piropos al cliente, tipo «reina», «guapa» o «maco» no faltan.