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Hours
Sun
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tue
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wed
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thu
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Fri
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sat
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Ratings and reviews
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, Mediterranean, European, Spanish, Catalan, Vegetarian friendly
Details
About
Landmark of the city of Barcelona and Catalan modernism, it opened on June 12, 1897 in the basement of a building designed by the architect Puig i Cadafalch, on the street Montsió 3a and once was intended to bring to Barcelona the most bohemian Parisian atmosphere. Place of worship of intellectuals and artists of the time, it was the first refuge of inspiration for Pablo Picasso. In 2008, it was chosen by Woody Allen to host one of the main scenes in its film 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', dedicated to the city. All this cultural and historic experience comes with exceptional gastronomy. All the dishes are prepared with proximity products and cooked with all the care and passion by our chef. Whitout any doubt, 4 Gats is a unique experience in Barcelona.
PRICE RANGE
$0.00 – $1.00
CUISINES
Mediterranean, European, Spanish, Catalan
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night
FEATURES
Reservations, Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Jazz Bar, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
4.0
5,040 reviews
Excellent
1,860
Very good
1,520
Average
728
Poor
442
Terrible
492
sssvmd
Newburyport195 contributions
Jan 2020 • solo
Awesome restaurant great food. Pablo Picasso’s favorite restaurant, he designed their menu in his heyday. Gin and tonic is their signature drink atmosphere quintessential! If you are 2 or more you can order the paella which looked amazing! I was solo so could not order it. I had the margarita which was crazy-good and strong! Service staff was typically euro rude, but I feel that’s part of the ambience personally. Know what you want before the waitress gets to your table she had no patience or time for indecisive Americans.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelleygirl2
Sarasota6295 contributions
Nov 2019 • none
I had first read about Els Quatre Gats in The Shadow of the Wind, as Fermin’s favorite restaurant. I later read Els Quatre Gats (4 Gats) was a hot spot for young modernists including a young Picasso and Gaudi. With only a name and no address, we rambled up La Rambla asking people every few minutes where we could find this restaurant. If we got a response at all it was confusing at best or unintelligible at worst. In a word, we were lost and Dave was ready for fast food. I, on the other hand, put the pedal to the medal and eventually turned onto Avinguda del Portal de l’Angel at Career de Montisio 3 and found this coveted restaurant, and more luck, there was a table for us!
As we sat down in the front area of the restaurant, Dave began to peruse the menu while I sat back to absorb the atmosphere and learn a little more about this remarkable place. Pere Romeu and painters Santiago Rusinol, Ramon Casas and Miguel Utrillo, opened 4 Gats in 1897 during the height of the modernist movement. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the Casa Marti and, according to their legend, had a strong resemblance to the Le Chat Noir cabaret of Paris.
As soon as the restaurant opened it became “a meeting point for the artistic, ideological and cultural vanguard of the city”, but as Rusinol pressed that “it was not all reflection and thought, the most important thing in life is to feed the spirit”. So Pere Romeu prepared the food then sat down with his clients to spark discussions on ‘how to save the world’.
A young 17 year old Pablo Picasso had recently moved to Barcelona. It was in this restaurant in 1899, that he had his first solo exhibition. He then created the image for the 4 Gats menu, still used today. The 4 Gats was given this moniker as the restaurant was beginning to open. Asking friends and acquaintances what to name it, one said why name it, “it’ll just be you and 4 stray cats!” And it stuck.
The restaurant is cozy with a narrow row of tables from the front door to the bar, then in a larger rear portion of the restaurant opens to a dining room with a ‘Bohemian air for relaxed lunches and dinners’. By now Dave was more than ready to order and I was struggling with what to sample. I ended up with anchovies, Dave had cod and we split a Croqueto de Pernil. In retrospect we should have made this our main meal but we had no idea what was yet to come.
Written October 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yen V
79 contributions
Aug 2019 • none
We ordered the Arrosejat noodles with cuttlefish, prawns and mussels. This is similar to paella, except instead of rice, they use short noodles. The arrosejat is made for 2 people and I'm glad we didn't order anything else as it was such a big portion. The pan is very large and takes up half the table. Lots of flavour, a tad salty, but with lots of little chunks of seafood throughout. It seems like a nice place to relax and there were quite a few young people reading/working inside.
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ferran
Cranfield3 contributions
Dec 2019 • couples
We had dinner there on the new year's eve.
My girlfriend had booked a table for 9pm in the cutest dining room, where the band was playing, for what she had had to pay 40€ in advance. However, when we got there at 8.55pm, they offered us a table near the entrance, where you could barely hear the music and had to cope with people coming in almost through our place.
We politely asked the waitress to right this wrong. She understood and told us to wait on the corner for 20 minutes to allow some table inside to become vacant. What's 20 minutes against such an occasion? So we stood happily and waited...
...for one hour and 20 minutes! Any time we would ask the waitress, she'd tell us they were setting our table at that very moment, but instead they'd be setting someone else's table, as many couples passed before us into the dining room.
Eventually, after one hour and 20 minutes, we conquered a table that had just become available without waiting for the waitress' invitation.
Our plans were to have dinner only and celebrate the new year arrival somewhere else, but we had to stay given the great delay we had had to face.
We suspect that on this highly profitable day the restaurant's planner overbooks the place, that's why we, together with dozens of other people from 9pm to 11pm, had to wait an unacceptable amount of time even though we all had our booking.
The only reason why I decided to value this restaurant with two stars instead of one is because the food was delicious, the place is historical and astonishingly beautiful and a different waitress treated our cava to celebrate the new year arrival.
Written December 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stuartjphillips1955
London6 contributions
Mar 2020 • friends
A long standing dream of our group- breakfast in London, lunch in Paris and dinner in Barcelona- was achieved. This was the final stage. Having got off our train and checked into our accommodation, we were ready to walk into the old town for a late dinner.
We were booked in for 10:30, but were a little late. That didn’t seem to matter. We chose the tapas bar. Beers and guns& tonic came quickly and we asked them to choose a mixed tapas for the seven of us. The food was prompt and varied, and rounded off our day perfectly. The ambience was good, with many portraits and pictures. This was reputedly a haunt of Picasso.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ScriBobin
Dallas28 contributions
Apr 2022 • none
The food was just okay; nothing special. The atmostphere / ambiance is what this place is all about. You feel like you step back in time. However, if you are there on the night when the pianist is playing; ask to be seated far away from him. He is talented and plays well, but it is too loud for the room.
I have two complaints. 1) the service is too slow. We ordered dessert and after 30 minutes it still had not shown up, so we cancelled the dessert, paid the bill and left.
2) they bring you bread at the end of the meal (after you have eaten your entree. What is up with that? I find this bizarre. The bread was excellent, but I would have had it with our appetizer or with the entree.
Overall, a little pricey for what you get.
Written April 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KatrinaMolini
Corciano11000 contributions
Nov 2019 • couples
4 GATS was founded in 1897 as an imitation of the Parisian cabaret LE CHAT NOIR. Its original purpose was to hold gatherings for artists and as a concert and exhibition space. Picasso designed the menu (which is used til this day) and his first ever public exhibition was held here in February 1900. Dalí loved this place. 4 Gats also appears in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. We visited this establishment for all those reasons and had a marvelous time. My husband simply took coffee and I had sweet wine with crema catalana. Everything was great! Staff was friendly and didn’t mind me looking around and taking photos. The decor is very artistic. You really feel the vibe of the past. Historical place!
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna F
1 contribution
May 2019 • none
This was a great restaurant with wonderful staff. We arrived in town late and didn't know if they would serve us or we would need to hurry as they closed in 30 minutes, but they stayed open to serve us and were not rushing us at all. The servers were very friendly, kind, enjoyable to talk with, and helpful (Robert/Paco). We were in Barcelona for only 4 days, but we ate here several times as their food was so delicious. The history of the restaurant and pictures on the walls of everyone who ate there was really neat as well. Cannot say enough nice things about this restaurant.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikeF61
122 contributions
Jul 2021 • family
The 4 Gats was recommended to us by several friends who had visited pre Covid and we booked a table for dinner .
From the moment we arrived the service was outstanding - the restaurant has a separate bar area and restaurant areas both of which are adorned with old photos and paintings and is steeped in history .
We had some drinks in the bar before we went into the restaurant area where they had live music .
The food was very good and the music accompanied the meal perfectly .
I would recommend a visit to the 4 Gats if your in town .
Written August 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lydia S
Skipton2 contributions
Mar 2022 • none
I am not sure if we just hit lucky (18.03.2022) as I am baffled by some other reviews. We had the most amazing meal here. We paid more at other restaurants on our trip but this was without doubt a highlight!
We went for the 3pm option as we had our two young children with us ( 8 and 5 ). We also a mix of dietary requirements. Husband eats meat. Youngest child and I are Pescatarian and oldest child is Vegetarian. My children are not fussy and used to eating with us but the waiters made special effort to make sure to find a dish they would both like!
We started with Oysters and the tomato bread. I had the Turbot which was cooked beautifully and my husband had the steak Tartare which was prepared in front of him. The girls both had a pasta dish prepared specially. They also gave the girls some childrens books to look at about the history of the restaurant. The enjoyed looking at the pictures but unfortunately couldn't translate the text.
Then my husband and I had the recommended Picasso dessert which was possibly my favourite ever!!! 100% recommend and we all enjoyed watching them be prepared at our table.
The restaurant is beautiful and a great ambiance! We will certainly return when we visit Barcelona again.
Written April 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2014Lisa43
Galway43 contributions
Apr 2023 • none
We visited this restaurant 20 years ago as a couple and were really looking forward to returning with our teenage daughters, this time. While the food was absolutely amazing, we found that the service was not quite the service we experienced 20 years ago. Back then, we were shown to our table by the maitre d', brought the wine list by who I would imagine was the sommelier, and then a different waiter looked after all of our needs, efficiently, after that. Unfortunately, this time around, we had to ask for a menu after 20 mins, we're there nearly an hour before we got our starters. Our drinks weren't served until after our starter. We had to remind the waitress, twice, about our drinks orders. She just didn't appear too interested in us. Funnily enough, as soon as we asked for the bill, they were straight down with it! €200, which we did not mind paying for the food (it was divine! Plus, it was my husbands 50th) but the service was overall very disappointing.
Written April 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bjdoliber
Hanson147 contributions
Oct 2021 • none
This was our fourth visit to the 4 Gats and we made reservations a month prior, requesting balcony seats; we were seated at the table next to the kitchen doors. We ordered appetizers and our main meal; main meal came prior to the appetizers. Steak was poorly cooked and gristly. Then a very large cockroach crawled up the wall next to the table (I brushed it down and then wished I had taken a picture). Told server who said that another party had the same thing happen a few minutes ago on the other side of the restaurant! This was our 4th time at the 4 Gats. And the last!
Written October 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Catherine S
San Marcos14 contributions
Jan 2022 • friends
Amazing ambiance with extremely good food. I did not find it touristy at all and very much enjoyed the art on the walls and the history of the place. The steak tartare is a table side service so I’d order it if you like steak tartare at all
Written January 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise D
16 contributions
Mar 2022 • family
A beautiful restaurant, however the food was a huge disappointment. We ordered seafood paella which had hardly any seafood in it - it also tasted super bland.
For dessert we ordered a creme brule, but it wasn’t cooked correctly and a lot of the sugar was not caramelised. The service was great and took our desserts off our bill, but I wouldn’t recommend a visit here, unless it’s just for drinks!
Written March 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald C
Puerto Vallarta17 contributions
Oct 2022 • family
7:30 Reservation. Ordered Salad , Chicken and wine all ok. One of the waiters was obviously sick and constantly coughing into his hands and carrying on handling plates , wine , glasses, cutlery,ext. We asked our waiter to keep him away from us. While eating our meal a commotion occurred and I turned to see a cockroach running across the floor and stomped by another waiter. We continued with deserts. Crème brûlée and almond cake . Not good. Waited for a good while to get the bill dropped at the table . We waited another few minutes and started to get up when the sick waiter rushed over with the card reader and started another coughing fit as I was taping the card. Couldn’t get out fast enough.
Through the meal we were listening to a terrific patio player.
In the mean time I am watching a guy preparing steak tar tar. Wearing rubber gloves and handling the raw meat and absolutely everything else in the restaurant. Including filling bread baskets for the tables.
Written October 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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