Alkimia is one of Barcelona's best modern restaurants, thanks to the creative cuisine of audacious young chef Jordi Vilà, whose avant-garde twist on traditional Catalan cooking has gained him a Michelin star. Signature dishes include guinea-fowl terrine with pistachio and green apple guacamole and steak tartare served with olive-oil ice cream. With only 6 tables seating a maximum of 18 people, booking is essential (there's also a private dining room seating 60).

Open since 1975, Botafumeiro is something of an institution in Barcelona, with an old-world formal dining room and waiters wearing starched white jackets. Specializing in Galician seafood, the menu includes live clams or spider crab pie to start, and fresh lobster, rice dishes and seasonal wild fish for mains. There's also a selection of meat dishes and a good wine list. The restaurant is open all day, too.

With one Michelin-star, this swanky restaurant in Eixample has been creating quite a buzz on the Barcelona restaurant scene. It offers a choice of a four- or six-course tasting menu – with inventive dishes using locally sourced Catalan products. Chef Jordi Artal creates elaborate contemporary Catalan dishes with influences from all around the world with dishes such as pa amb tomàquet, tomato sorbet and wild sole with grilled scallion, sweet potato and roasted salsafy.

The building housing 7 Portes is a national monument and has the distinction of forming the backdrop to the first photograph ever taken in Spain, in 1840. Past diners have included kings, politicians and an array of famous names from Alexander Fleming to Ava Gardner. The large dining room is traditionally Catalan, as are the individually decorated private rooms seating two to 80 diners. Its old-world charm and legendary paella, zarzuela (fish stew) and fidueà (seafood and spaghettini) maintain its status as one of Barcelona's favourite restaurants.

Despite the kitsh decor, the restaurant serves up cheap, authentic and surprisingly tasty Mexican fare. Many of the ingredients are imported from Mexico and lovingly prepared by the Mexican-born chef. Typical Mexican items such as margaritas, tacos and guacamole make an appearance, as do unusual puddings such as lime and tequila mousse.

With its orange décor, low seating and soft lighting, Kynoto Sushi Bar is a warm and cosy space that serves excellent sushi. Try their special - Kynoto Moriawase – an assortment of sushi and sashimi. With only six tables, booking for the restaurant is essential but they also have three bars where you can order sushi with your drink.

Lively, loud and well-loved, this Barcelona institution is popular with students and a steady crowd of local workers. In addition to tapas and pizzas, they offer generous portions of homemade Catalan dishes such as patatas rabiatas - fried potato with a spicy bolognese sauce and pimientos de Padrón - scotch bonnet peppers. Wash it down with a jug of beer in this central, cheap and cheerful neighbourhood restaurant.

Situated in the Basque Cultural Centre, the atmospheric pintxo bar serves some of the best tapas in town, ranging from simple to the most intricate creations. The Basque restaurant starts serving tapas around noon, and again around 1900 - get there early to avoid disappointment. Its specialties include chicken tempura with saffron mayonnaise and melted provolone with mango and crispy ham.

A Barcelona institution, Les Quinze Nits is the jewel in chain of Barcelona restaurants that is branching out through Spain. Les Quinze Nits is master of the cheap-but-chic concept offering tasty local food at low prices in a great setting. At lunch and dinnertime the restaurant is bursting at its seams, with long queue of patrons – there are no reservations - snaking through Plaça Reial. The hectic atmosphere here can be overwhelming so don't expect to while your day away here. If you're a budget traveller looking to sample local foods then this is the place to go.