food & drink

Pedro Ruipérez had a thing for Wild West attire. Cheriff, the nickname that stuck, has been over the door of this Barceloneta seafood house since 1959. Sixty-five years later the place sits on a quiet block of Carrer de Ginebra – inland from Port Vell, no sea view, no chiringuito lineup outside – which is exactly how the regulars want it.

A recent refresh by Mesura studio gave the small dining room terrazzo floors, warm wood and naval-blue tones; the studio’s own brief called the effect “intellectual elegance.” Fresh fish and seafood still come up the block from the boats at Moll de la Planxeta, minutes away. The menu reads more like a rice-lover’s dossier than a tourist hit parade. The paella del Cheriff stars Galician clams and espardeñas (sea cucumbers – a local delicacy). The paella de marisco pelada, the house specialty, arrives with the shells already removed so you can get on with the eating. Lobster rice varies by whatever came off the boats that morning. The arròs caldós and arròs negre both have a following.

Loyalists call it the best paella in Barcelona; detractors flag the bill. They’re both right. This is not cheap – lobster is market priced, expect 30 and up a head – and it is not the flashiest paella on the beach. What it is is the place Barceloneta families bring their kids when they want them to know what good rice tastes like.

Reservations advised.