BOCANARIZ WINE BAR
-check here our 2025’s review-
Bocanariz, like a some other venues, replied to our 2025 review with impeccable politeness. They told us, gently, that it was a shame we had not sampled their cooked tapas on either of our visits, only the cheeses — which did nothing for us — and the cured meats, which, to be fair, we liked.
We revisited this Gràcia wine bar and updated its file with much the same feeling we left with the first time around. The menu is crowded with the sort of language that signifies very little yet lands as fashionably modern; much like a good share of the dishes we ate.
This is another urban spot that mistakes poetry on the page for substance on the plate. The prose is lush, the reality less so. What we found was not quality produce speaking for itself, but a parade of dressings, garnishes, and cosmetic flourishes — layers of make-up spread over ingredients that, underneath, felt resolutely mediocre.
Our view of the wine list remains exactly what it was in 2025. The presentation is still oddly mannered, with winemakers’ first names used in place of the winery, as though intimacy might substitute for clarity. Just as unchanged is the limited knowledge of the staff on the floor. There is, quite simply, not enough command of the subject.
We are fully aware that, in Barcelona parlance, we are what people call guiris. Even so, we make the effort to speak Catalan out of respect for the local culture. That effort is not met at Bocanariz, where no one appears able to serve guests in the local language
