Ají

Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) · Port Olímpic, Barcelona · €€€

Awards: Michelin Selection

Open since 2018

Barcelona's longest-running serious Peruvian-Japanese kitchen, opened October 2014 beneath the Casino and a few steps from Gehry's Peix on Port Olímpic — eight consecutive Michelin Guide selections (2018–2026) under three Peruvian chefs.

The Delekta Review

Nikkei spine — ceviches, tiraditos, causas, nigiris, makis — under a fully Peruvian chef lineage; the room has not faked a cuisine since 2014 Weekly lunch menu €24; tasting menu around €55–70 (pairing optional); à la carte typically €45–55 per person without drinks García Vílchez's 2026 evolution: Delta del Ebro eel rolled into nigiris and a Japanese-style unagi-don, Iberian pork worked into nikkei plates — proximity product layered on, not swapped in

Udon in chupe-de-camarones broth with prawns, squid and scallop with nikkei sauce — Time Out singles it out from the current menu Maki of Delta del Ebro eel and salmon; unagi-don with grilled eel over white rice, poached egg, juice reduction (García Vílchez 2026) Oshi-sushi nikkei of beef — pressed-rectangle sushi treated with chimichurri/aji-yellow inflections Lomo saltado — the Peruvian wok-fried beef classic, still a fixture; Pulpo (octopus) treated in nikkei register House ceviches — classic / criollo / nikkei variants; tiraditos and 'nigiri a lo pobre' have anchored the carte across three chefs Pisco sour — the bar's longstanding signature; bar seating is a real way into the menu solo or in pairs

Opened October 2014 by founding chef Santiago Forero — Gastón Acurio group veteran, ex-Tanta Barcelona — as a serious nikkei project on the Port Olímpic seafront Alejandra Ormeño held the kitchen through the late twenty-tens and into the early twenties; eight consecutive Michelin Guide selections began under Forero in 2018 and continued under Ormeño Luis Miguel García Vílchez took over the kitchen in 2024 — Le Cordon Bleu Lima, Malabar (Lima), The Resort at Squaw Creek in California, then three years as second at Romain Fornell's 2★ Caelis here in Barcelona

Small bright dining room with an open kitchen and a bar — beneath Casino Barcelona, with its own street entrance off carrer de la Marina, directly under Gehry's golden Peix Seasonal seafront terrace — one of the better outdoor dining settings in this part of Barcelona, separated from the Port Olímpic bar circuit by the Casino's footprint

Address: Carrer de la Marina 19-21 — street-level entrance under the Casino, opposite Gehry's Peix sculpture. Two minutes from L4 Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica Service Tue–Sat lunch 13:00–15:30 and dinner 21:00–23:30; closed Sunday and Monday Reservations via TheFork or the house phone +34 935 11 97 67; two hours of free parking at Marina Port BSM with a ticket from the restaurant

What the critics say

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Address
Carrer de la Marina, 19-21, Port Olímpic, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
Phone
+34 935 11 97 67
Website
restaurantaji.com
Reservations
Book a table

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