4Gats: Main dining room
There are places in Barcelona where the city's vibrant history oozes from nearly every wall, window and cup of coffee. One of those places is 4Gats in the old part of town. Tucked in a Barri Gòtic alley off Avinguda del Portal de l'Angel, the 4Gats (also written as Els Quatre Gats) was the place where artists, architects, musicians, poets and Bohemians ate, drank and exchanged ideas about the day's news, politics and the modernist art movement that swept through Barcelona in the early 20th Century.

Opened in 1897 by Pere Romeu, who worked at Le Chat Noir and styled the 4Gats after the famous Paris cabaret, the piano bar-restaurant-tavern tells its share of stories, both inside and out. Before even walking in, you'll notice the classic red bricks, the wrought iron dragons, and the detailed stonework, tell-tale signs of architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the same guy behind Casa Ametller (Passeig de Gràcia), Casa de les Punxes (on Diagonal) and Fàbrica Casaramona (now Caixa Forum, near Montjuïc). Inside, paintings cover nearly every inch of the walls, with the center spotlight falling on the self-portrait of artist Ramon Casas, who helped finance the locale's opening, riding a bike with Romeu. Near the piano, there's the work of a young Pablo Picasso, who was reportedly commissioned to design the restaurant's menu.

Of course, it's not all about art and history. You can eat here, too. The restaurant, now run by Grup Ferre which owns other restaurants in the city and neighboring suburbs, serves up tasty Mediterranean and Catalan cuisine. Although the tourist prices are a bit of a pinch, it's hard to pass up morsels like escalivada (roasted bell pepper and eggplant); crepes with king prawns, mushrooms and cava (locally-produced sparkling wine) sauce, or Iberian pork filet with apple, raisins and raspberry sauce.

Metro: L4 or L1 Urquinaona; L3 Catalunya
Location

C/ Montsió, 3 bis

Barri Gòtic

Barcelona, 08002

Spain (Espana)