La Muscleria, Mussel restaurant in Eixample Dret, Spain.
La Muscleria is a restaurant in the Eixample Dret neighborhood of Barcelona that specializes entirely in mussels, offering them cooked in many different ways. Each dish comes with crispy fried potatoes, and the portions are generous.
The restaurant opened in 1997 and has stayed focused on the same concept ever since, without expanding into other dishes. Keeping such a narrow focus for so many years is unusual in a city where restaurants change frequently.
Mussels as a main dish are far more common in Belgium than in Catalonia, and this restaurant brings that tradition to a Barcelona neighborhood. The menu reflects this cross-border habit in a straightforward way, without pretense.
The restaurant opens in the evening and takes reservations, so calling ahead is a good idea before heading over. Coming shortly after opening tends to be easier than arriving later when the room fills up.
The kitchen serves mussels in combinations that go well beyond the classic preparations, including versions with cheese or crayfish. These less expected options sit alongside the traditional recipes on the same menu.
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