The Best Churros in Barcelona for Every Mood: A Not-So Definitive and Slightly Biased Ranking of Every Churros Place I’ve Loved

I don’t know about you, but I’m instantly skeptical of lists that claim to definitely contain the five “best” somethings. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible to make a list of the “5 Best Churrerías in Barcelona” without having gone to ALL the churrerías, or should I say xurrerías. Even then, everyone’s taste is subjective. With that being said, this is less a ranking and more a collection of different churrerías I have visited and loved within the city and what vibe they contain. Many of these do feature on the standard “Best Churros in Barcelona” lists and for good reason, but it’s the principle of the thing. I think they’re all delicious, but they each have their own special charm. Think of this list as the high school senior superlatives of Barcelona churros lists if you will. 

Best Sit-Down Cutesy Churro Place with Old-School Barcelona Charm: Granja M. Viader

gorgeous hot crispy chewy churros with luscious hot chocolate at Granja M. Viader

Tucked away right off La Rambla, this churro place has everything: ambience, delicious HOT churros, and rich, deep hot chocolate. It is very Spanish (sorry, Catalan) and cozy. It’s the perfect place to spend a chilly winter morning for breakfast or afternoon for your merienda. There are vintage posters and photos on the walls, marble tables, and the cutests yellow lamps spelling out “Granja Viader.” 

the cutest lamps! and yes I could have taken a better photo but it’s obnoxious to put photos of strangers on the internet.

The churros and the portion are small, but they came out hot and perfectly crispy and chewy all at once, as a good churro should be. The hot chocolate was perhaps the best I’ve had so far. Think a hot, slightly drinkable chocolate pudding, perfect for dunking and eating with a spoon. The restaurant had a nice selection of Catalan desserts as well, so there’s lots to try and something for everyone. 

churros again! and a yummy yummy flan

Granja M. Viader is family-owned with a long history. It opened its doors in 1870 as a dairy, and later turned into a cafetería. It has witnessed Barcelona’s evolution from a walled city to a city beginning to embrace modernity. Fun fact: the family also started a dairy processing company that is known for making Cacaolat! You can look for the Letona S.A. poster in the shop. Fun fact #2: Pablo Picasso came here! 

As their origins are in dairy, this is a great place to try lots of dairy-based Catalan goodies. Cheeses, crema catalana, mató, and, of course, Cacaolat. Also, try the Mallorquina, sweetened milk with lemon and cinnamon. They still bring in dairy and eggs from the family-farm. You can’t buy much more local than this. When the city starts to heat up, I fully plan to come back for one of the delicious Cacaolat milkshakes I saw last time I was there. 

look at all those local Catalan/Spanish goodies in the deli!

This is also the most photogenic of the places on the list. Please don’t be obnoxious with your photos because it seems to be a place locals and tourists mingle and coexist, but if you want an aesthetic churro picture out of a Barcelona pinterest board, this is the place. It’s sure to become my go-to place to bring anyone who visits me while I’m living in the city.

It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m.—1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.—8:30 p.m. They stay very busy and there will most likely be a line outside. Not every line means a place is good, but this one confirms that it is great and well worth the wait. My rule of thumb is if older people are waiting in line for a place, it is sure to be good quality and a decent value. It hasn’t failed me yet. The line does move relatively quickly. 

Best No-Frills Sit-Down Place to Channel Your Inner Abuela: Xurrería Manchega

long live porras!!

This is the first place I ever tried porras and it was love at first bite. While churros get all the international press, their less famous cousins are equally or even more delicious. No, these aren’t filled churros. The process is about the same, but with the addition of baking soda, giving them a larger size, more “porous” texture and just making them delightfully chewy and even more surface area to get dunked in chocolate. 

I discovered this place through mi amiga catalana, a gem tucked away in her neighborhood. There was a line waiting before it even opened, meaning it was very in the know of and in demand by the locals. Located in the mountains of Barcelona in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, this cozy, no-frills, family-owned churrería has been in business since 1880. They are considered to be the best place in the city for churros and chocolate and I can confirm that I was in churro heaven. 

The churros are perfect, the porras are heaven, and the hot chocolate is thick and decadent. If you get whipped cream, prepare for a mound of it.

Also, you cannot beat the prices. My friend and I split a portion of porras and churros and ordered two hot chocolates and we paid a little under 5 euros each. And we had plenty of churros/porras.

It was featured in Guia Repsol’s Soletes de Solera, a list featuring businesses with over 50 years of tradition, quality, and authentic flavor. 

It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m.—12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.—8:30 p.m. On Mondays, it is only open in the morning from 8 a.m.—12:30 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays. 

Best Late Night Sweet Treat: Xurrería Trebol

I have had the good fortune to stumble across some of the best churros in Barcelona by chance, and this is one of them. My first time at Xurrería Trebol, I had gone dancing at a bachata social tucked away in Gràcia and followed the smell of frying dough and sugary chocolate one late October evening. There was no line and the price was fair, about 5 euros for six churros and a cup of chocolate. The churros were great, hot and delicious, and so was the chocolate.

Much to my surprise, I walked past it another day, another time, and there was a line going down the street. That was how I realized I unintentionally went to one of the most popular churrerías in Barcelona. 

I will forever associate it with a late night sweet treat after dancing bachata and salsa for hours or after getting tapas with friends and just needing a little sweet treat to finish off the night, munching away on the benches of Diagonal and just talking into the night. And perhaps that is what it is made for. After all, there is no seating. You’re either devouring these standing up right outside, or you can go a street or two over to Diagonal where there are benches for the public. 

Like others on the list, it is also an old family-owned establishment, opening its doors in 1950.

It’s open 24 hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and is located in Grácia, only a street or two over from Diagonal. On Mondays, it is open from 12 a.m.—10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it is open from 8 a.m.—10 p.m. Thursdays, it is open from 8 a.m.—12 a.m.

Best Churros if You Happen To Be in La Sagrera: Xurreria La Sagrera

The place was no frills, and the churros and chocolate were excellent. I wouldn’t go out of my way for this place, but if you’re in the area and want a sweet treat, you’ll find a delicious one here. La Sagrera is a cute area, with the thriving community center of Nau Bostik not so far away, so I would recommend going over there at some point!

It’s a short walk from the La Sagrera metro station and is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m.—10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.—10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

If You Want To Play Board Games and Don’t Care That Much About Your Churros: La Nena

the hot chocolate and board games were definitely the stars of the show

Tucked away in Gràcia, this chocolatería has a wide variety of board games to choose from, making it a great plan for friends. It was cute and I loved that you could just take the board games off the shelf and start a game night with your cups of hot chocolate. It’s a small thing, but I have been to board game-themed bars that had a “look, don’t touch” policy with their games. 

The hot chocolate was very delicious, but I was a bit let down with the churros because they were served cold. And cold churros just aren’t the same. 

Come here if you prioritize vibes over churros and chocolate. Overall, I would recommend Trebol for better churros, but there’s nowhere to sit. The decor is cute, the vibes are cozy, and the board games are fun, making it a great place to spend time with friends!

It is open from 8 a.m.—9 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, closing at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays.