For a luxurious treat in Barcelona, it’s hard to beat dining at Torre d’Alta Mar. Located on a tower, 75 metres above sea level, you can enjoy panoramic views of the city and sea. And I’m pleased to report the food is just as fabulous.
Now boarding for Torre de Sant Sebastia & Torre d’Alta Mar
Don’t worry you won’t need a boarding pass and there’s no seat-back trays involved. But to dine at the awesome Torre d’Alta Mar restaurant, you do have to take a scenic lift up a whopping 75 metres above Barcelona. Torre d’Alta Mar is cleverly tucked inside the city’s Port Cable Car network that links Montjuic Hill to Port Vell (meaning Old Port) and the beach areas. The restaurant sits at the top of the Torre de Sant Sebastia, which was built in 1931 and serves as one of the cable car stations.
The restaurant itself has a dedicated glass lift, which you can take from the bottom of the tower.
Beach views from Torre d’Alta Mar
The tower at night
For more on the cable car, see our blog post: Barcelona’s Port Cable Car.
Dining at Torre d’Alta Mar
I’m guessing the place is packed at lunch times with people wanting to enjoy the panoramic views during the day. So we thought we’d try it for dinner. We went on a Saturday night in August and got a booking by phoning an hour or so before dinner. I can’t say if it’s always that easy but it certainly made for a pleasant surprise.
The tower is easily spotted at night as it’s lit up in blue neon. The glass lift takes you up the 75 metre height in a few seconds.
Here’s the view from our table… Where else can you enjoy a view like this without a seatbelt?
Barcelona sea view at night from Torre d’Alta Mar
Mood-lighting for 360 degree views of Barcelona
The place is pretty small with around 20 to 30 tables – bear in mind that’s just my guess! And whilst the exterior looks like it hasn’t changed since 1931, inside, it has a completely modern and luxurious look. The tables and chairs are white but the walls and ceiling are completely black. It’s a clever design because you can’t help but focus on the panoramic views. And they truly are amazing.
You can see all across the city (including the Sagrada Familia) to the surrounding hills. The beaches and port area are closer so you almost have a birds eye view of them. Nowhere else in Barcelona do you get the feel for the sheer size of the city.
If you time your booking right, I can imagine it must be even more spectacular for the sunset. But for that, you might need to be more organised than we were!
Black walls, drapes and ceiling combined with low lighting puts the focus on the views
Does the food match the views?
I had some reservations about this place. Principally, I was worried that the food might not be up to the location. But I had nothing to fear. It was a really great night out!
Our starters were a plate of Salmon Tataki (think sushi/sashimi combo) and a plate of razor thin Jamón Iberico with “Pan tomaca” (Bread smeared with crushed fresh tomato and olive oil). One of our main courses was Nebraskan steak, which was served sliced on a bed of quinoa. And the other was artichokes stuffed with roasted baby goat (which is like lamb if you’ve never tried it before). Both were excellent.
Salmon Tataki starter (sashimi & sushi combo)
The food quality is very good. I’m guessing the logistics of cooking and floorspace mean they probably veer towards safer choices and do things that don’t require extensive prep for each customer. But everything we ate was fantastic.
The wine list is also impressive. It included one of my favourite wines from Alicante called Santa Rosa. There are also lots of good choices from Catalunya, Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
Luxury dining and luxury prices
Dining here is expensive and you can expect to spend between 150 to 200 EUR for dinner for two including wine. But the wow factor of the location combined with very good food mean you’ll come away feeling like a rock star. This is definitely somewhere to make a special night of it in Barcelona.
They have a range of different menus. As well as offering an a la carte menu, there are two tasting menus at 80 EUR and 96 EUR per person. At lunch, they offer a set menu for 39 EUR per person.
A little turbulence before landing…
The lit up stairs down the tower… it’s a long walk down when the lift is bust!
When it was time to go, we were told the elevator had broken down so all the guests had to walk down the metal staircase back to street level. This wasn’t too bad if you felt like getting some fresh air but it’s a long way down!
My favourite comment of the night was from an American couple as they negotiated the stairs down: “..next time honey, choose a restaurant a little closer to the ground”.
Alternatively, enjoy the views with a low-cost flight
No, I don’t mean Ryanair! If you don’t fancy paying the restaurant’s prices, you can enjoy the views by flying between Port Vell and Montjuic Hill on Barcelona’s Port Cable Car. If you manage to find it relatively empty, you might even be able to polish off a bocadillo and a little bottle of Cava on the way!
Barcelona’s Port Cable Car
What’s more likely, however, is that you spend the flight enjoying the views and taking hundreds of pictures. Still, you could always enjoy your bocadillo and Cava either on top of Montjuic Hill or on one of the beaches down below.
Torre d’Alta Mar
For more information about the restaurant and to book online, visit: torredealtamar.com.