Saó
Mediterranean/Catalan · Gràcia, Barcelona · €€€
Awards: Bib Gourmand 2026
Personal Mediterranean statement from Valencian chef Juanen Benavent (formerly of a Paris Michelin-starred kitchen), built around seasonal local ingredients and creative French-influenced techniques.
The Delekta Review
Saó in Gràcia is chef Juanen Benavent's personal statement — a Valencian who earned a Michelin star in Paris at Goust alongside sommelier Enrico Bernardo, then chose Barcelona to open his own place. The name means seasoning in Catalan, and also connotes ripeness and the precise moment of maturity. Three tasting menus — Llavor, Germinat, and Arrels — offer up to twelve courses for roughly 47 to 75 euros, a striking value for cooking at this level. The crispy rice with ajoaceite and lemon has become a signature. The fideuà and the cod with samfaina show how Benavent roots French technique in Mediterranean soul. Everything is locally sourced. Gràcia locals have clearly adopted it. A restaurant where a serious chef chose intimacy over scale, and it shows in every course — the kind of place that rewards diners who came to pay attention.
What the critics say
- Saó - MICHELIN Guide
- Michelin Star and Bib Gourmand Restaurants - Barcelona Food Experience
- Saó – Macarfi
- Saó – TimeOut Barcelona (ES)
Visit
- Address
- Carrer de Cesare Cantú, 2, Gràcia, 08023 Barcelona, Spain
- Phone
- +34 935 66 39 68
- Website
- saobcn.com/en
- Reservations
- Book a table
Nearby restaurants in Gràcia
- Askadinya — Palestinian / Menú del día, €€
- Berbena — Creative Mediterranean, €€€
- Shoronpo — Chinese (Shanghainese) Dumplings & Ramen, €€
- Fino Bar — Wine Bar / Tapas, €€
- Kibuka — Casual Japanese, €€€
More Catalan in Barcelona
- La Cova Fumada — Traditional Catalan Tapas, Barceloneta, €
- Tram-Tram — French-Catalan, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, €€€
- Vivanda — Fine Dining Catalan, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, €€€
- Topik — Japanese-Catalan Fusion Tapas, Eixample, €€€
- Los Caracoles — Traditional Catalan, Barri Gòtic, €€€