Barcelona’s Restaurant & Bar

Barcelona’s is a restaurant I have been coming to from time-​to-​time since the mid 70’s when I was in the 4^th grade. Mom would treat me to a burger deluxe after school, which was right around the corner, Most Holy Name parish school. I would love to push the little button on the wall at our seating booth to summons the waitress. Lo and behold — the buttons in the booths are still there today!
The place has some great history as a local neighborhood «go to» to meet with friends and family. The pizza is always a favorite starter for us, and we usually stick to the steak sandwich on garlic bread with crinkle cut fries, some of their parmigiana dishes, which includes a nice side salad, and some other hot sandwiches as entrees. Listen, the food is not going to blow you away by any means but it’s pretty good nonetheless and it’s a fun place to gather and most importantly won’t take a big chunk out of your wallet.
Barcelona’s opened in the midst of the Great Depression in 1933, when FDR was hard at work trying to foster employment programs to keep the American Dream alive! I can imagine hard working Polish and Italian immigrants coming home to Garfield after a hard long day working across the river on erecting skyscrapers like the Empire State Building (completed 1931) or keeping the nearby factories and mills in Passaic humming along. Must had been a worrisome time in our great nation and for this establishment to open amid all the troubles must had been quite the risk! So, hats off to the family who took that risk — as this establishment is still going strong 80+ years later!

I really enjoy coming here. It’s got that old Jersey nostalgic feel. It’s family run, unlike big chains out there. They get to know you and you feel like you’re in a warm inviting place. The food is excellent, eggplant rollatini, chicken cutlet dinner, garlic bread (especially garlic bread). Some people might want something more modern, but if you like sentimentality, come here.
Oh, and great prices too.

Been coming here awhile now with my husband. The staff is great, always very friendly. The food is fantastic, we usually get pasta dishes — the left overs are usually big enough for a meal the next day! Eggplant parm here is my fav. The prices honestly can not be beat. Parking isnt too bad, there is plenty of parking on the street.

Been coming to Barcelona’s since I was a kid, food is affordable and the pizza is really good. Growing up in Lodi and not having much money I remember what a treat it was to come here and eat… I bring my kids now and tell them how I was a little boy coming here for pizza and pasta and the monster sized meatballs!!!

Having grown up in Garfield, this place has been around for what seems like forever. I hadn’t been here in 30 years and the prices are still very reasonable. My wife had raviolis parmigiana and I had one of the specials, eggplant rollatini with penne. The entrées were both really good but the sauce on my side pasta tasted like it came out of a can. We will still come back.

This place is a great stand by. For as long as I have lived in the area it has been in the same location. The food is really good and very inexpensive. The atmosphere leaves something to be desired but other than that this place is great. When I am looking for a low key and some good inexpensive food this is a great choice

Love this old school place! great food, great prices. will return again

Make sure you order the garlic bread! Food is above average, my favorites are the sliced steak and corn beef and cabbage. They should off cb&c year round. Prices are very low as an entrée wont cost you more than $ 10. Soft drinks are a flat $ 1. You can’t find that anywhere anymore! Always $ 1.75,$ 2.49 elsewhere. They don’t take cards so bring cash. Recommended for a cheap night out!

A good old school 70’s diner and bar that have pretty long list of Italian menu at a very affordable price (90% of the food are under $ 10). They have open bar and desserts too. Parking situation is a bit complicated though. You gotta park on the street of quite crowded neighborhood.

I remember going with my mom when I was little. My uncle used to cook there. Loved the pizza.

well… this place pleasantly surprised me. I’m not from the area… I’m from the more stuck up side of bergen county where dinner for 2 is usually 100 $ for my husband and I. We won a gift certificate to Barcelona from a tricky tray. I was nervous to go, thinking it might not be a good meal. Boy was I wrong!!! The garlic bread was the best I ever had. I had spagetti with marinara and shrimp and I am so picky about my sauce but this was so delicious! the minestrone was a little bland but salt and crackers fixed that. husband had meatball parm which was delicious. just home cooked good Italian food. the prices are incredible. I can’t believe how much good food we got for such reasonable prices. I definitely suggest trying this whether or not you’re in the area. the 25 min drive was worth it, I’ll definitely be back. can’t wait to try the pizza I hear its amazing from many people. to survive 30 years in this world this place has to be good

Love love love when you walk in it’s soo cozy you feel right at home I’ve tried everything not one complain the pizza of course is one of my favorites love the sauce they use

I’ve been coming to this place for years. Like previous Unilocalers have stated the décor is from 1970 but I don’t have a problem with that. Prices are great, large portions and the food is good.
I can remember getting a glass of Chianti in a jelly jar glass for .96 cents. The price has gone up but not much and no more jelly jar glasses.
Grated cheese use to be served in a baby food jar where someone punched holes in the cap but not any more. Food is still good worth a visit.

The portions are generous and inexpensive and the food is really good. A few non food related issues resulted in a 3 star rating:
1) It was 11:30 am on a sunny summer day and it was quite warm in the restaurant. When I asked the waitress she said the air was on but they just opened and it would take a while for it to work. It was too warm for me to focus on food. It cooled off a tiny bit by the time I was done with my meal but not enough for it to be comfortable.
2) The drinking glasses are ridiculously small
3) They only accept cash (?) and there is no sign on the door or the register (or the website for that matter) so you order and then try to pay with credit card and they won’t take it. They have an ATM but on top of your food order you have to pay ATM fees. I know they think they can keep the prices low by only taking cash but at least inform diners.
4) They do not sell slices of pizza, only the whole pie. Sometimes you just want a slice.

This is Garfield. The place looks like it did 30 years ago. But that gives it character. Very reasonable prices. Pizza, ravioli, lasagna and mussels are delicious. Homemade soup. The hamburger on Italian bread is highly recommended.
Don’t bother with the calamari. They are just the frozen type. And the antipasto is overpriced considering they don’t give you much.

Very old and dated restaurant, Robert Irvine (Restaurant Impossible) would have a field day! Once you get past that it’s a decent place. Portions were large, cheap and rather tasty.

Overall, Barcelona’s is a mediocre, budget Italian restaurant where you get what you pay for.
FOOD
There are much better options elsewhere, and many of them considering NJ residents’ high standards for Italian food. Pricing is good given the large portions, but come here only if you’re in the mood for lots of greasy food covered in gobs of cheese (which, honestly, I am sometimes in the mood for). I recommend the pizza, clams/​mussels dishes, parm, and the ravioli.
SERVICE
It definitely caters to old school locals. Service is very spotty. The most recent time I was here, my friends and I waited almost 10 minutes for someone to show up at the front, and when she finally did, she just stared at us. There was no «Welcome! Please have a seat!» It was a «Yeah, what do you want?» stare. When the waitress takes your order, she assumes you know the menu and the options and gets easily annoyed when you ask questions. They don’t tell you up front what the specials are and what sides your dish comes with.
ATMOSPHERE
To put it bluntly, this place is a dump. It looks like it was decorated in the 60s/​70s and hasn’t been updated since. Do not bring a date here. Come here with your Italian grandparents or with any fat, loud buddies who crave cheap, greasy food.
I’ve been here a few times and will likely come back, but only when it’s convenient or when a friend specifically asks to come here.

1974 Was A Great Year And Still Is At Barcelona’s
This restaurant is about family and value, the food is hit or miss but if you stick with the basics a good meal at a bargain price is guaranteed. I’m a pizza, mussel and beer guy, Barcelona’s Restaurant & Bar gives me that at a price that can’t be beat.
Drop in and support local business, they have a couple of nice beers on tap as well.

I am not sure what the draw of this place is, but it has a very loyal following. The owner and his staff are very very nice, and that is the best thing about this place. The prices are good, but they aren’t as cheap as everyone raves. They are slightly lower than the area average, which, in my opinion, isn’t really worth the significantly lower quality.
My Fiancé kept going on and on about how they had the best calamari there, but wouldn’t take me there until last week, and we have lived down the street for 2 years! When we did go he seemed a little let down, and seemed to know that the food wasn’t as great as he remembered, but still didn’t want to hear it.
Its not terrible, but it is very greasy and tastes like 50’s dinner food. (Not that I was alive in the 50s but you know the taste I mean). The breading on the calamari rings was flavorful (though I prefer a batter to a breading), but they still had a very processed, almost pre-​frozen feel to them.
I don’t get this place, but I wish the owner well.

Some members of the family find tradition here. For me there was a time when I used to find relatively good pizza as well so I did not mind going.
Then one day I discovered that they rolled out the secret cardboard recipe for pizza. Being truly amazed as to how tasteless it became I returned for a second and dangerous pass…
Well, it turned out the change seems to have enough traction to stick so for me there is nothing left to make a visit possible. When asked what was different their reply was nothing. Perhaps one of their vendors is making cuts in tough times but whatever the real story is the effect is the same.