Review of 'Kaiku'

Kaiku has a fantastic location at the end of strip of restaurants of Barceloneta and it offers amazing cuisine to boot. Recommended by a friend as one of the best restaurants in Barcelona we had to give it a try. It is only open for lunch between 1 and 3:30 every day (though closed on Monday) and a reservation is absolutely recommended though we showed up at 2:45 on a Tuesday afternoon and they managed to squeeze us in at 3:15 while they were closing up…

They have a number of tables out on the pavement near the beach but these tables are the ones that go first and generally are allocated to those that reserve so we were given a table in the small indoor area with about 10 or 12 tables (no bathroom). The tiny interior reminds me of someone's home with the people feeling very much like family - Warm and very welcoming. When we arrived a large table of what had to be regulars were laughing around a large table and enjoying the incredible food. The menu is extremely short and right to the point: Fresh, local traditional Spanish food served well. We were shown to a small table in the middle of the room against a pillar.

 Croquetes Starter

We started with a salad “Amanida” (€8.66) which was incredibly tasty - Fresh lettuces, tomatoes, onions with some shredded carrot with an amazingly tasty nutty dressing that included sunflower seeds. We accompanied this with wonderful “Croquetes Pollastre” (€10.80) - Croquetes with iberian ham that had an amazing but subtle sauce drizzled over the top served beautifully. On the side we were given a basket of absolutely delicious bread…

We trusted the chef and shared their main paella dish (€18.90) which was the best paella I had while in Barcelona - Topped with the freshest seafood - Mussels, langoustine with pieces of octopus. I found the mussels amongst the best I have ever had - Perfectly cooked, juicy and full of the flavour of the sea. The sauce was deliciously savoury and the rice was perfectly al dente. It was just prepared and presented nicely but quite rusticly. Served in a shallow paella pan you could be forgiven in thinking it was a small portion but it was incredibly filling. Delicious. Truly.

 Paella Main

It was not a cheap lunch at about €62 for the two of us (drinks being a coke for my companion and mineral water for me) but it was an amazing experience. As we were there past the closing time it was quite nice to eat while the restaurant emptied of others, becoming much quieter and more relaxed. When we first arrived it was very noisy and manic.

Delicious and worth seeking out.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2016-03-29


Cuisine: Spanish

Address: Plaza del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Public Transport: METRO Barceloneta

Location: Barcelona (Spain) - Barceloneta

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Telephone: +34 932 21 90 82

URL: http://restaurantkaiku.cat/