Barcelona Airport Food and Drink
The Spanish city of Barcelona has many different attractions that help to explain why millions of people visit this popular tourist spot on the country’s northeast coast every year.
From historic and cultural landmarks like the Sagrada Familia through to first-rate entertainment and sports venues, and from fascinating museums and gorgeous beaches to outstanding dining and drinking spots and shops, there’s plenty to see and do here whatever your interests. And one of the perks of visiting the region is that you will often get to enjoy exploring it with often sunny weather.
Many tourists that come to Barcelona will do so on a flight that lands at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, also know either by its International Air Transport Association code of BCN, or simply just as Barcelona Airport. The airport has two terminals and it is situated about 9.3 miles (or roughly 15 kilometers) from the city center, with several transportation options for making that journey.
When you are at the end of your holiday in Barcelona and ready to fly home, it’s highly likely that you might want to get something to eat or drinking while you wait in either terminal to board your flight. Thankfully, this modern airport has a wide range of venues from which you will be able to choose, ranging from speedy options like fast food places through to top quality table-service restaurants.
Dining or drinking at Barcelona Airport can be a wise move for a number of reasons, including that you might be in a rush to get to the airport on the day that you are flying home, and therefore do not have time to find anywhere to eat or drink within the area of your hotel or other accommodation. Enjoying a fresh meal at the airport can also be an enjoyable way to spend some time waiting for your flight.
Keep reading this guide to learn all that you need to know about the dining options at Barcelona Airport, including the types of places you can choose, where to find them, and other important advice. This information will help with planning you return home for a smooth end to your journey, and ensure that you don’t need to go thirsty or hungry when you’re at the airport – but without breaking the bank.
Types of dining experiences
Whether you are traveling on your own or with a large group, and regardless of if you have a limited budget for buying food and drink at the airport or not, there is truly something for everyone.
In both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 you will discover several categories of dining options, including bars that serve beer, wine and often tapas as well, coffee shops, fast food and takeaway food establishments, places where you can buy food-related gifts such as high-end candy and chocolates, and sit-down restaurants where you will be able to get a table and enjoy a more relaxed waiter service.
Below you will find a brief summary of what to expect from the different types of places where you can drink and eat at the airport, along with some of the most popular picks in each category. Note that the most fast food-style venues and coffee shops will tend to be less expensive compared to the various places that you will see listed in the restaurant category, which will often be the most expensive.
Bars (with beer, wine and tapas)
You might not want to eat anything during your time waiting for your flight to leave, and if that’s the case then there are a number of establishments in both terminals where it’s possible to just order beer, wine or other alcoholic beverages, as well as soft drinks. But several of these selections do have food menus as well, typically with smaller tapas-style offerings instead of larger meals.
Top picks: Carlsberg, Enrique Tomás Experience, MásQMenos, Tapa Tapa
Coffee shops
Whether you are flying very early in the morning, late or night or any other time, you might need some caffeine to help keep you awake ahead of boarding your journey home. You will find that there are a number of coffee shops located in the two Barcelona Airport terminals for this, offering the chance for a quick order and takeaway, and several coffee shops also sell pastries or other small snacks.
Top picks: Caffè di Fiore, Paul, Santagloria, Starbucks
Fast food and takeaway food
Sometimes you might be in a hurry or just want a quick bite to eat, in which case there are a number of fast food and related takeaway food choices available. Although this includes well-known spots like Burger King, there are other options that you can select from that may be considered healthier options. For example, there are places selling natural food, sushi and various other items.
Top picks: Deli-Cia, McDonald’s, Go Natural, YO! Sushi
Food gifts (including candy and chocolates)
In both of Barcelona Airport’s terminals you will discover a handful of shops that sell food gifts, for example high-end chocolates or candy, and you could consider buying these to take home with you as presents for friends or family – or simply just for yourself as a memory of your time in Barcelona. In addition, venues in this category also sell regular candy and other treats available for purchase.
Top picks: Chocolat Factory, Foodies, La Bellota, Tutti Frutti
Restaurants
Many travelers like the idea of getting to the airport early for their flight home, and then sitting down at a more formal restaurant to enjoy a relaxed meal that might last for two of more courses. Barcelona Airport has several outstanding options within this category, with places specializing in seafood, steaks and other items, coupled with excellent wine selections and great customer service as well.
Top picks: Como, Food Market, Malvón, Mussol
Food & Drink Locations
Where to find dining options in both Barcelona Airport terminals
To further help you with planning where to eat during your time at the airport, below you’ll find a comprehensive list of all the dining establishments in both terminals. You’ll find that there are many more selections to pick from in Terminal 1, but Terminal 2 still has a good number of choices.
The listings for each venue say in which terminal they are located, and the specific floor and area where you can find them. If you are having any trouble with finding the exact food or drink option that you would like to visit, you can always just ask an airport staff member to give you assistance.
Terminal 1
Bars (with beer, wine and tapas)
Dehesa Santamaría: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Enrique Tomás Delicatessen: Floor 1. Arrivals. Public Zone
Enrique Tomás Experience: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
MásQMenos: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area D
Piscolabis: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Tapa Tapa: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area B
Coffee shops
Boldú: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area
Caffè di Fiore: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area C
Central Café: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Cooofe: Floor 1. Arrivals. Public Zone
Pannus: P3. Departures. Public Zone
Paul: P3. Departures. Boarding Area D
Starbucks: Floor 1. Departures. Exterior area and Sky Center
Fast food and takeaway food
Burger King: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center and Floor 3. Departures. Public Zone
Café Pans/Pans&Company: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area A and B and P3. Departures. Boarding Area E
Deli-Cia: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area B
Go Natural: Floor 1. Arrivals. Public Zone
La Donatella: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
McDonald’s: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
La Place: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
YO! Sushi: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Food gifts (including candy and chocolates)
Chocolat Factory: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area B
Dolcemania: Floor 1. Arrivals. Public Zone and Departures. Sky Center
Foodies: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area B and Sky Center
Lolly: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Sibarium: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Torrons Vicens: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Tutti Frutti: P3. Departures. Boarding Area D
Restaurants
Alas: Floor 1. Departures. South Dock Boarding Area Departures
Como: Floor 1. Departures. Barcelona-Madrid air corridor
La Botiga: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Malvón: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center and Boarding Area B
Mediterranean Terrace: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Cente
Montesquiu Dry Martini: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area A
O Mamma mia: P3. Departures. Public Zone
Pret a Manger: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Self: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
Tabernnus: Floor 1. Arrivals. Public Zone
Terminal 2
Bars (with beer, wine and tapas)
Carlsberg: Floor 0. Departures. Boarding area M
Enrique Tomás: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area U
Coffee shops
Breadway: Floor 0. Arrivals. Public Zone and Departures. Exterior area
Santagloria: Floor 0. Departures. Public Zone and Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area Y
Fast food and takeaway food
Burger King: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center and P3. Departures. Public Zone
Deli-Cia: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area B
Go Natural: Floor 1. Arrivals. Public Zone
McDonald’s: Floor 1. Departures. Sky Center
SLAM by hermanos Torres: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area U
Food gifts (including candy and chocolates)
Foodies: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area B and Sky Center
La Bellota: Floor 1. Departures. Passenger-only zone
Tutti Frutti: P3. Departures. Boarding Area D
Restaurants
Food Market: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area U
Malvón: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area U
Mussol: Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area U
Pret a Manger: Floor 0. Arrivals. Public Zone and Floor 1. Departures. Boarding Area U
Food & Drink Advices
Simple advice to have a better experience when dining at Barcelona Airport
Check opening hours: It’s important to know that although flights can leave from the airport throughout the day and night, not all of the dining establishments are open 24 hours a day. You should use this guide to find which of the various places you might be interested in trying, and then look up to see if they’ll be open during the time you’ll be at the airport – and if not, you can select other choices.
Review menu prices: To help you in making your decision about where you would like to eat or drink at Barcelona Airport, consider searching online to find the menus of some of your preferred options. This will help you to know whether the food or drink that you’re thinking about getting is within your budget.
Search for coupons: If you are trying to save money when buying something to drink or eat while you are at the airport, you could try to find coupons online for specific companies, for example the fast food options like Burger King and McDonald’s. This might help you get a discount on some of your items, and if so, this is something that you can plan in advance to take with you when you travel.
Decide before traveling: After you have followed all of the above steps – checking the opening hours, reviewing the menu prices and searching for coupons – you should make a firm decision about exactly where you will be eating and drinking once you’re at the airport. This will save you a lot of time because it will ensure that you just go straight to the venue that you have selected.
Avoid busy times: When you are planning your flights to and from Barcelona, you might want to look for a flight back to your home country that leaves outside of peak travel times. If you fly out of the airport when there are fewer travelers, this can mean that the dining establishments will be less crowded and therefore you should be able to enjoy a faster, less-stressful eating experience.
Tipping or not: Another consideration is whether you should tip the people that give you your food or drink when you buy something at the airport. As a general rule, you are not expected to give a tip to anyone at a fast food establishment, coffee shop or similar place. But you may want to leave a tip behind for your server if you decide to get food or drink at a sit-down bar or restaurant.
For a very quick and basic snack you can also consider using a vending machine
You might end up discovering that none of the food options that are on offer at the two terminals at Barcelona Airport are appealing to you, or perhaps you want something that is much speedier than having to place your order at a counter and wait for it to be prepared. If that is the case, you could consider looking for the handful of food and drink vending machines available in the airport.
Bear in mind that these machines will not be able to offer you full meals – think more bags of chips, bottles of soda and water, candy bars and similar small, fast items that don’t cost much. Some cards are designed to use credit and debit cards, but the card readers on the machines do not always work. That’s why carrying some Euros in coins and notes to the airport with you can be a good idea if you plan on using a vending machine, because they are usually able to take cash as an alternative.
Food & Drink Access
How to get between Barcelona Airport’s two terminals for something to eat or drink
It’s possible that when you review the food and drink options at the airport, you might find a venue in the other terminal from the one you’ll be flying out of. For example, your flight could be boarding at a gate in Terminal 2, but the place you’d like to get something to eat may be in Terminal 1.
Thankfully, it is possible to get between the two terminals relatively easily. So if you have enough time, you could plan on arriving at the airport, checking in and then once you’ve confirmed your gate, head to the other terminal. But be very careful to plan in advance for how long it will take you to travel to the other terminal and back, along with ordering and eating or drinking whatever you order. This well help to prevent the potential problem of missing the last call for boarding your flight.
The two terminals are not connected by a walkway, however the airport does provide a free shuttle bus services making stops between the two buildings. The total travel time, including waiting for the next bus, should be about 10 to 15 minutes, but it can be longer early in the morning or late at night.
This service runs 24 hours a day, so no matter what time of day you arrive at the airport you will be able to use it. It runs every seven minutes from 5am to 8am, every 5 minutes from 8am to 10pm, every 7 minutes from 10pm to midnight, and finally every 10 minutes from midnight to 5am.
You can find the bus pickup area outside the main doors of both airport terminals, and there should be signs within the terminals directing you to this location – but ask an airport staffer if you need help.