Nou Candanchú is a small, pleasant restaurant located at the prettiest square in Gràcia, a local neighbourhood north of the city centre. We stayed at the nice Hotel Guillermo Tell, so we could easily walk to Nou Candanchú. Otherwise, Nou Candanchú might seem to be a bit out of the way, but the food is excellent so it is well worth to make a trip up to Nou Candanchú for some delicious local fare.
During the warm months it is nice to sit outside at the square - if you can get a table. We went to Nou Candanchú twice but all the outdoor tables, setup under the pretty 30m-high clock tower, were taken and it didn't seem that the customers will leave anytime soon.
The food at Nou Candanchú is excellent. On our first visit we had tapas of grilled squid, gazpacho salad, grilled mushrooms and deep-fried white bait, accompanied by some bread and washed down with a glass of white wine. The seafood was as fresh and tasty as it can get. The only minor complaint goes to the grilled squid which seemed to be a little too salty for our taste.
On our second visit we decided to go for a Catalan classic: Arròs negre, 'black rice' with squid, clams, peas and bell peppers, cooked in squid ink. Arròs negre looks like a black paella and it was very delicious. The good thing is that Arròs negre or any other type of paella at Nou Candanchú is not pre-cooked. They always make it from scratch, for minimum two people. We had to wait good half an hour for our Arròs negre to arrive, munching on excellent grilled mushrooms in the meanwhile.
We highly recommend Nou Candanchú for excellent tapas, seafood and plenty of other Catalan dishes. The waiter did not speak English but he was very friendly and efficient. If you are not given an English menu on arrival, just ask. They do have it somewhere.
The prices at Nou Candanchú are very favourable too. We spent about € 25 for two on our first visit and € 34.40 for two on our second visit. In general, count on spending less than 40 € for a meal for two, even if you are very hungry.
Location: P. Rius I Taulet 9. Metro: Diagonal. Open: Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun 7am-1am, Fri & Sat 7am-3am. Closed Tue.