Xemei
Authentic Venetian · Poble Sec, Barcelona · €€€
The Colombo twins (Stefano and Max) serve authentic Venetian cuisine — sarde in saor, baccalà mantecato, bigoli in salsa. One of Barcelona's most romantic and original restaurants. Book ahead.
The Delekta Review
Xemei — venecià for 'twins' — is the Colombo brothers' authentic Venetian dining room at the foot of Montjuïc in Poble Sec. Stefano and Max brought to Barcelona a cucina that went miles past pasta bolognese and quattro stagioni pizzas, and published a cookbook (Planeta, 2016) to prove the point. Bigoli in salsa veneziana, fetge a la veneciana, sèpies a la planxa amb polenta, spaghetti with musclos, cloïsses and cherry tomatoes — a card that transports you to Venice without the tourist markup that Venice itself now charges. The natural-wine list is serious (these are the same brothers behind Bar Brutal). Mismatched furniture around an open kitchen produces an intimate trattoria atmosphere rather than a designed one, which in this price bracket matters. Average 40€ a head. Two seatings per meal means the bill arrives at about 90 minutes — be prepared. Still the only serious Venetian restaurant in Barcelona and, quietly, one of the more romantic rooms in Poble Sec.
What the critics say
- Xemei Review - Barcelona Spain - Fodor's Travel
- Xemei - Time Out Barcelona
- Xemei, Venetian jewel in Barcelona - Salir por Barcelona
- Xemei - On the Grid
- Xemei - Barcelona Navigator
- Xemei – Macarfi
Visit
- Address
- Pg. de l'Exposició, 85, Sants-Montjuïc, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
- Phone
- +34 935 53 51 40
- Website
- xemei.es
- Reservations
- Book a table
Nearby restaurants in Poble Sec
- Martínez — Seafood & Paella, €€€
- Quimet i Quimet — Montaditos & Conservas, €€
- Denassus — Wine Bar & Creative Plates, €€€
- Palo Cortao — Andalusian Tapas, €€
- Taberna Noroeste — Galician Tapas, €€€
More Venetian in Barcelona
- Bacaro — Venetian Italian, Sant Antoni, €€