Japanese Restaurants in Barcelona Spain

Japanese – The Latest Barcelona Food Craze

The traditional Barcelona tapas bar is what most visitors think of when arriving at the Catalán capital, and indeed tasting your way through Barcelona bars savouring tapas with wines and cava will remain a highlight of most holidays in Barcelona. Yet some of the best restaurants Barcelona can boast being home to are actually Japanese. In fact, the Pan-Asian, Oriental & Japanese cuisine trend is so strong that the teppanyaki, deep fried tempura, yakitori skewered/grilled chicken, sashimi raw seafood and sushi Barcelona scene now offers well over fifty restaurants – all vying for a top position. And ay-yay-yay are some of them good competitors, like: the elegant Shibui restaurant, Matsuri Sushi Barcelona, Iki - a new member of the Japanese Barcelona food craze, Bouzu without sushi on the menu, super popular Negro-Rojo, Watatsumi with chef Ángel Camacho, Fuji Yama, Sushi Fusion vying for best fusion sushi Barcelona restaurant position by mixing Mediterranean and Japanese concepts, Icho Bcn, and a place called Big Fish Amigó which is a funky fish shop plus Japanese restaurant; Kynoto Sushi Bar, Rouge Bar in the historic Born district with sushi & evening cocktails, the Tatami Room, Ikibana with fusion Brazilian-Japanese cuisine, Nanaya, Hello Sushi, Nagisa, Wagokoro, Gin Sushi, Matsuri, On Sushi, Kuo & Nomo, Temaki-Ya, Kibuka, Komomoto, Yamadori, El Japonés, Yashima, Sushi Itto for a bizarre twist of Mexican style sushi served as bona fide Barcelona food, Kin Sushi Bar and the list goes on to include the first Shunka Barcelona on Carrer dels Sagristans. It’s no understatement  to say that Koy Shunka, despite being a strong nominee, has more than a little competition in the category of best Japanese restaurants in Barcelona. The question is: what makes Koy Shunka Barcelona special enough to compete? Why is it one of the top places to eat Japanese food in Barcelona despite being a no-frills establishment? Why do some connoisseurs claim it’s one of the best Japanese restaurants in Barcelona Spain?

What Makes Koy Shunka Barcelona Special

Part of the reason that the original Shunka Barcelona and the newer Koy Shunka are amongst the top restaurants Barcelona is proud to promote, is because of what they DON’T provide, namely: they don’t get sidetracked by offering luxury frills, exotic décor, settee lounges, oriental artwork or a long menu of international cocktails. Shunka and Koy Shunka Barcelona don’t provide anything unnecessary; just high quality fresh ingredients, a minimalists atmosphere, and the raw talent of expert chefs behind the counter who know what it takes to deliver flavour – intense aroma; the freshness of seasonal flavours. The luxury of Shunka is in the chefs who provide an authentic show as well as mouth-watering dishes served quickly and with cordial Japanese grace. Shunka Barcelona succeeds due to its fresh seasonal flavours that uses local produce and the clean minimalist atmosphere, providing consistent high quality food in an efficient manner. That’s why Shunka Barcelona has experts coming back for more…more sashimi, maki, roe, sushi and unique seafood delicacies served with traditional Japanese simplicity.

Tapas Bars in Barcelona versus Japanese Tasting Menus

For those on holidays in Barcelona it’s understandable that it’ll time to make the rounds to all the great tapas bars in Barcelona, and it may require a lengthy stay before desiring to try something that’s neither Catalan nor Spanish, like the fusion-style Pan-Asian-Mediterranean combinations or the purely traditional Japanese food in Barcelona. However, local residents are revved for flavorful treats other than the usual ones that come with local wine. And the Japanese restaurants in Barcelona Spain that offer “Tasting Menus” – the Japanese version of tapas and the newest snack food in Barcelona – are filling this need by providing trays of assorted samplers that can include: oysters, sashimi, roe, tuna tartar or cooked delicacies like stone-seared prawns and tempura selections such as deep friend vegetables or crispy seafood treats. Shunka Barcelona and Koy Shunka have Tasting Menus that range in price from forty-five to over a hundred euros.

Koy Shunka is an award winning BCN restaurant, a very popular and busy place, so remember to call for reservations. If you’re planning a Barcelona holiday keep in mind that, as with many Barcelona bars, restaurants and clubs, Koy Shunka Barcelona is closed from August 8th to September 4th. For those on holidays in Barcelona for the first time, and anyone not accustomed to Spanish eating schedules, make a note that restaurants in Barcelona Spain, including Shunka, are open from 13:00-15:30 and don’t reopen until 20:30 or 21:00. Ideal dinnertime is from 9:00PM onward.

Don’t Get Lost: Use Sambawalker Map of Barcelona Spain

It’s easy to get lost in the labyrinthine passages of the Ciutat Vella and the quaint meandering roadways throughout most of historic Barcelona. Although sometimes it’s fun to wander aimlessly and discover a hidden café, funky bar or secret romantic restaurant that might not yet be on a map or in a guidebook (yes…Sambawalker loves to wander), but getting lost on your way to dinner when you’re hungry, thirsty, tired, grouchy or unable to communicate in Spanish, is no fun at all. Make your holidays in Barcelona more fun and a whole lot easier by using the Sambawalker map of Barcelona Spain or the online Sambamaper (Sambawalker Map Application) to navigate to your destination.

Although Barcelona is a universe all its own with the rich Catalonian cultural tapestry blended with a near endless supply of fine gourmet restaurants, Catalan tapas bars and world-class nightlife, beach clubs and chiringuitos by the sea, it’s worth traveling south to Andalucía. The autonomous region of Andalucía is filled with Moorish architecture, Arabian cachimbas, fragrant incense, spicy flavours and some of the best nightlife in Spain. Costa del Sol nightclubs, restaurants, bars and beach resorts are world renowned, like Puerto Banús for its yacht-lined harbour and celebrity spotting lounges; and Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola with dozens of funky bars that stay open all night long. Let Sambawalker guide you to the hottest Costa del Sol night life Fiestas, zesty Pan-Arabian Andalucian restaurants, funky go-go clubs, at least one frozen ice bar, various elite golf resorts and quaint romantic getaways for couples to fall in-love again and again under the warm Spanish sun.