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Gastronomic experience
Amar Barcelona, the new restaurant at El Palace Barcelona and Rafa Zafra was born from the will of the emblematic hotel, which will be 103 years old in 2022, and the charismatic chef with an overwhelming personality, to commit to a model in which history and modernity evolve in parallel .
The restaurant takes its name from the love for the city of Barcelona, as well as from Zafra's passion for seafood. And it is that to love Barcelona is to love the sea, the Mediterranean, our cultures and traditions. All this without forgetting the Sevillian chef's own career at Estimar Barcelona and Madrid, establishments with which the new restaurant shares a semantic family.
Opening Hours:
For Lunch: From Tuesday to Sunday from 1:30 p.m. at 5:00 p.m. Last table at 3:00 p.m.
For Dinner: From Tuesday to Saturday from 8:00 p.m. at 00:00. Last table at 10:00 p.m.
The backbone of the kitchen at Amar Barcelona is the product. It is about finding luxury in the prestige of the ingredients, the quality of the cooking, the comfort of the space and the elegance of El Palace Barcelona, but with a fresh, young, renewed touch that flows and does not weigh down the person who enjoy. With the management of this new restaurant, Rafa Zafra wants to "provide honest cuisine, based on the quality of the product, betting on the 'casualization' of luxury in a unique and elegant environment".
The new restaurant will feature an innovative dining experience where history and modernity evolve in parallel, leading to interesting dialogues between the building's heritage and the dynamism of a space celebrated for its creative fusion of past and present.
See all our menus and our menus "HERE"
For more information, you can contact our team by phone at +34 93 103 99 88 or by email at reservas@amarbarcelona.com
Rafael Zafra, a Sevillian chef who has lived cooking since he was a child, hand in hand with his family, who was in charge of the old Posada de Alcalá, studied at the Heliopolis School of Catering in Seville and completed his experience working in the kitchens of great chefs such as Tristán in Mallorca and Arzak in San Sebastián, in addition to having attended several pastry seminars with Paco Torreblanca, known as the best pastry chef in Europe.
At Hacienda Benazuza he began his relationship with the brothers Ferrán and Albert Adrià, a circumstance that marked a turning point in his career. At just 26 years of age, he won and kept two Michelin stars and 2 soles in the Repsol guide. In 2010, he collaborated with the Adriàs in the opening and development of their new premises in Barcelona and that same year, he became a gastronomic consultant for Oasis hotels, working in Spain and Cancun.
He currently directs Estimar, his most personal project, both in Barcelona and Madrid, as well as Casa Jondal in Ibiza. His new project for 2022, the new restaurant at El Palace Barcelona, together with Anna Gotanegra and Ricardo Acquista.
Amar Barcelona's menu bears the stamp of Rafa Zafra, as well as his love of seafood, with fetish products for Zafra such as caviar and oysters, but also with nods to the classics that formed the menu of the outside. the Ritz of Barcelona, today The Palace Barcelona, or the traditional Catalan cuisine. The cooking ranges from raw to marinated, not to mention salted, steamed, fried and stewed to the most extensive part of the proposal, starring the embers.
The products, in which seasonality, season and origin are fundamental concepts, are located in the central axis of the recipes.
The wine list, advised by Quim Vila, owner of Vila Viniteca, is extensive and its references are displayed in a large wine cellar that presides over the room, while the selection of desserts, the result of the collaboration between Víctor García and Francisco Zafra, seeks Recover classics, use shorter cooking and lower sugar for lighter textures.
Amar Barcelona's interior design project, carried out by Elena Prats and Eva Pous, was born from the desire to combine the tradition of a historic building such as El Palace Barcelona with contemporary and current nuances. Thus, in order to highlight the history of one of the most emblematic spaces of Barcelona, different shades of blue are used with golden elements, both colors that evoke luxurious and palatial environments.
Two huge original tear lamps coexist with very architectural luminaires, whose minimalist structures incorporate a counterpoint of modernity to the whole. The furniture, articulated from the rectangular bar that presides over the room, can be modulated according to the needs of the diners.
The access to the restaurant is made through a completely golden tunnel flanked, in one of its walls, by jewelry display cases that will exhibit the authentic jewels of Amar Barcelona: the exceptional product with which Rafa Zafra elaborates his recipes. On the other side of the windows, a private space with capacity for ten diners opens.
One of the keys to Rafa Zafra is having his fellow travelers, his partners Anna Gotanegra and Ricardo Acquista, who participate together with the El Palace Barcelona team in both the management and the creative part of the project, creating a firm backbone for Amar Barcelona.
Both chef Gonzalo Hernandez and sub-chef Victor Garcia are people Zafra trusts completely, having been working with him for more than 9 years on different projects such as Estimar, Tickets, Heart, Els Brans and Cala Jondal. The same happens with Pablo Wübbe in the room and, of course, with the important figure of Pol Perelló, in charge of starting up the project and who has been working together with Zafra on different projects for more than 20 years, since they met at El Bulli.
It is a young, dynamic and enthusiastic team both with the project and with their profession, who love what they do. Projects are better when they love each other. And in this sense, the name of the restaurant says it all.
“Amar” means love in Spanish and this is the main ingredient of the restaurant’s cuisine. Without love one can’t cook, one can’t welcome guests and one cannot give guests a wonderful experience.
Amar Barcelona reflects the passion which El Palace Barcelona and Rafa Zafra both have for this new restaurant and dining destination for the sea produce, for the Mediterranean Sea, for Catalan culture and gastronomy. The word Barcelona goes with “Amar” because of the hotel’s love for this wonderful city as an emblem of the city.
What better way is there to show your appreciation for someone than an El Palace Barcelona gift voucher? Give them an experience they will never forget.
An indoor garden, where breakfast is served daily, has a touch of Paris to it with its black and white colour scheme and wrought iron touches. Our waiting staff would love to serve you a healthy and delicious breakfast, with international and local specialities.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city to have a relaxing traditional afternoon tea. We offer savoury and sweet bites alongside a wide selection of teas or coffee, chamgane or cava, in the splendid historic main hall with live piano music.
With live jazz, blues, soul, and more, you are going to want to ensure you have a spot. Check our upcoming concert and be sure not to miss it!
An indoor garden, where breakfast is served daily, has a touch of Paris to it with its black and white colour scheme and wrought iron touches. Our waiting staff would love to serve you a healthy and delicious breakfast, with international and local specialities.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city to have a relaxing traditional afternoon tea. We offer savoury and sweet bites alongside a wide selection of teas or coffee, chamgane or cava, in the splendid historic main hall with live piano music.
With live jazz, blues, soul, and more, you are going to want to ensure you have a spot. Check our upcoming concert and be sure not to miss it!
