Loud and bright Hard Rock Cafe sits imposingly at its spot in the giant Plaza Catalunya. Crowds of people sit on the steps or stand around the entrance next to the subway, just like at Cafe Zurich, both located right at the tip of the tourist-ridden Ramblas. Young and old alike, as well as tourist groups of middle-aged British women in matching pink t-shirts and tiaras or bunny ears fill up this place daily. The lines are worst at night from around 8-10pm, where you can wait up to 2 hours for a table (bathroom lines for girls are just as bad!). The good thing is that they give you a pager, and you can do whatever you want until it buzzes for you. The range is pretty far also! I have gone to the top floors of the Fnac and Corte Ingles in Plaza Catalunya, and walked far down the Ramblas, and it still got a signal! But don’t try too far, or you’ll miss your table.

I must admit, after visiting the Hard Rock Cafe for the first time in Barcelona, I became addicted to their Nachos. It became a guilty pleasure and my weekly dose of English speaking waiters and the most satisfyingly fatty nachos in all of Barcelona. shh! Don’t tell anyone that the hungry Chicken was addicted to this touristy American international chain restaurant!

Entrance:

No crowds here, as this photo was taken in the middle of the night. Below, photos of just some of the many times I ate here; still a really long post…

My last visit to Hard Rock was on the night of the 2006 UEFA Champions League final with Barcelona’s own FC Barcelona playing against England’s Arsenal FC. Knowing it would be a crazy night, I arrived early at 7pm and picked up a pager, getting seated 1.5 hours later, perfectly 15 minutes before the start of the game.

The main eating area:

Lots of framed music memorabilia on the walls.

Red Rockin’ Rita- Jose Cuervo tequila, disaronno amaretto, fresh squeezed margarita mix and cranberry juice €7.85 (left)
Lovely Rita- Jose Cuervo tequila, cointreau orange liquer and fresh squeezed margarita mix €7.85 (right)

Perfect with nachos, I almost always got a margarita here. The Rockin’ Rita was very sugary sweet with a faint berry taste. The Lovely Rita is nice and sour slushy. They used to serve larger amounts in bigger cups…

Homemade Nachos- Fresh corn tortilla chips piled high with Jack and Cheddar cheeses and homemade seasoned pinto beans. Served with sour cream, pico de gallo and jalapeños. €9.95

The nachos that made me always want to come back for more! Crispy baked tortilla chips with lots of thick melted cheese on top, (not enough) beans, spicy peppers, a scoop of sour cream, and a Hard Rock Cafe flag on top; just the way I like it! Every other restaurant that I’ve been to that serves nachos in Barcelona just don’t put enough cheese! One problem though, they only give you a little bit of salsa, like it’s ketchup (in the background); we got used to asking for extra salsa right away, as it’s hard to get the busy waiters’ attention again later. The creamy chunky guacamole is an extra €2. Get it if you’re real hungry!

Twisted Mac & Cheese- twisted cavatappi pasta, tossed in a lightly spiced 3-cheese sauce with roasted red peppers and topped with Parmesan parsley bread crumbs. €4.95

I also really like their mac n’ cheese, really creamy chewy thick pasta that’s good enough to eat one noodle at a time. Besides being really cheesy, it’s spiced up with peppers real good too! This side order is also available as a big main with a poor grilled chicken.

Smashed Potatoes and Gravy €2.95

Chunky dry mashed potatoes, not really mashed. I like buttery mashed potatoes, so this was just ok to me.

Veggie Burger- A “burger” patty made of vegetables and spices, served on a freshly toasted bun with tomato, onion, lettuce and Cajun mustard-mayonnaise. €8.45

The big onion rings were an extra €2 in place of french fries. Another thing I always get here, the burger is pretty good! Warm crispy bun, a thick grilled veggie patty, and a yummy creamy sauce that makes me forget that I’m someone who always wants cheese with my burgers.

Chocolate milkshake €4.25 (right)
Strawberry ice cream €5.25 (left)

Tonight, instead of with music videos, the screens were lit up with the game. It lasted for about 2 hours, and with the quick service and fun food, we had to try our hardest to keep our table in front of the screen: taking an hour to nibble at our food, another 30 minutes to pretend to be staring at the dessert menu, getting 2nd drinks, and then another hour nibbling at melting ice cream! I watched as the silly couple under the screen in the photo did the same, and even got coffee after their giant ice creams! I requested chocolate sprinkles with my ice cream, and I could’ve sworn the thick chocolate ice cream milkshake was €7.25 though…

Receipt:
1 Veggie Burger Sub O-Rings 10.45
1 HRC Nachos Add Nacho Guac 11.95
1 Side Mashed 2.95
1 Side Twisted Mac 4.95
2 Lovely Rita 15.70
1 Red Rita 7.85
1 Btl Water 1.70
1 HRC Ice Cream 5.25
1 Shake 4.25
Food 41.50
Liquor 23.55
total+tax= €65.05 (big dinner for 2)

My first time at Barcelona’s Hard Rock Cafe:

Veggie Burger

Back then, the burgers came with onions on top.

Grilled Salmon- an 8 oz. salmon filet grilled and served over penne noodles, tossed in a creamy Alfredo sauce, fresh spinach leaves and diced tomatoes.

Buttery crisp garlic bread, plainish noodles and a big chunk of also plainish salmon.

More on this restaurant: 1 2

This entry was posted by chicken on Friday, June 30th, 2006 at 9:31 am and is filed under Barcelona, Barri Gòtic, American, International Chain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.