Another nice restaurant in the El Nacional area: Restaurant La Braseria @ El Nacional (11. October 2023)
The last time I was here was about three years ago, and by here I mean the El Nacional. There are a bunch of different restaurants, and this time I tried another one, the La Braseria. We decided to have something light and share a couple of plates, tapas style, for lunch. The first was the “Paletilla Ibérica de Bellota (acorn-fed Iberian shoulder ham)” (EUR 15.00), which wasn’t bad, but I must say I have had better Iberian ham in the past.
Although I’m personally not a big fan of “Pan de Coca con tomate, aceite y sal” (EUR 3.75), I liked the way it was served and that you had to prepare it yourself (and it didn’t come prepared).
Next in line were the “albóndigas con sepia (meatballs with cuttlefish)” (EUR 8.50), which were super different from what I had expected. Somehow, I had expected that they would be served in a black sauce (i.e., ink / sepia), but there were actual cuttlefish pieces coming with the meatballs, which was a bit weird. Hence, not my absolutely favourite dish.
A safe bet are the “Iberian ham croquettes” (EUR 8.00), however, EUR 2.00 per piece seems like a lot, especially for Spain! But, they were tasty and overall enjoyable. The “Gambas al Ajillo” (EUR 14.75) were also a bit different than expected. Firstly, I had expected them to be served in sizzling oil, which wasn’t the case. Secondly, the dish was served with super spicy chillies, which was nice, but unexpected.
The “Calamares a la Andaluza (Andalusian-style squid)” (EUR 9.00) were – well, they were okay. Frankly, the quality of the squid wasn’t really the way I had expected them to be, and there was definitely not enough aioli for my personal gusto.
The “Padrón Peppers with coarse salt” (EUR 7.00) were a safe bet, and you had everything in terms of spiciness. The super bland ones and then the super spicy ones – and you can never tell upfront, which ones are which ones.
All in all, the El Nacional is a nice area with a few restaurants and – so far – you can eat in all of them. They are nice, serve decent food, and are price-wise not completely ridiculous!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant La Braseria @ El Nacional
Passeig de Gràcia 24bis
08007 Barcelona (E)
Tel.: +34 935 18 50 53
Homepage: http://www.elnacionalbcn.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
