L'Estupendu

The mostly industrial seaside suburb of Badalona doesn’t get as much foot traffic from visitors as other parts of the city, but that’s just because more people haven’t heard of L’Estupendu. Literally translated as “the stupendous,” lunch here is just that. Think of this place as “beach casual,” with a spacious patio that overlooks the waterfront and more seafood than you could ever eat in one sitting. 

Expect bowls overflowing with grilled mussels and clams à la marinière, along with huge portions of different paellas, like black rice with razor clams and crab. This is also a great place to sample fideuà: a uniquely Valencian and Catalan take on seafood paella, in which the rice is replaced by short, toasty noodles.