Elegant table setting at La Dama with glassware and plates)
La Dama is a restaurant readers always asked me about.
“Have you been?” “Is it worth it?”
The answer: “No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard good things.”
The why between me and you is that it always seemed like a special occasion destination, kind of place you might propose in. My life, meanwhile, bumbled along in fits and starts, and that special occasion never quite presented itself. Until one day, my friend Isabelle, one of the best-known freelance writers in Barcelona, presented me with three choices for lunch as her +1. I honed in on La Dama and instantly pinged her: “This one!”
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A peek behind the scenes at La Dama — house-made breads and quiet corners set the tone before service begins.
The Elusive Door on Diagonal
On a sweltering June day, the kind where walking a single block instantly renders your shower null and void, I headed out. La Dama is on Diagonal; the restaurant is visible through the windows, ditto the menu, but the door is elusive.
Cut to a distinguished man who materialises at my side and inquires about my destination.
“La Dama?” I say, inflecting upward as though I’m not sure I’ll pass the test.
I do.
Keys appear. Are they on a large medieval ring? My mind likes to insist they are. He leads me to an ornate apartment door and up a breathtaking stone staircase, into the restaurant via the bar.
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The famed Steak Tartar de La Dama — elegant, indulgent, and reason alone to book a table.
A Cold Embrace and a Clever Menu
Inside, the temperature is set to arctic; not a shred of humidity remains. The sensation of being ensconced in this dim, cold luxury is enough to leave me gushing before I’ve even taken a bite.
The menu is loosely Spanish / Italian / French, with the clever twist of listing each dish in its language of origin. So Poireaux Rôtis (19€) is in French; Stracciatella alla Siciliana (19€) in Italian.
Isabelle steers us toward the classics: Steak Tartar de La Dama (27€) and Calamar Carbonara à la Sayrach (26€). And with that last one, you have your reason not to wait for a special occasion. The calamari is fashioned to resemble cavatappi pasta; the inherent chew of the cephalopod mimics a good al dente noodle. There is cream, and guanciale, and a squid ink top hat.
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The Grasshopper — minty, decadent, and just the right side of retro. A sweet finish or a cheeky start.
Cava, Cocktails, and a Bartender to Watch
Meanwhile, Enzo, the restaurant manager, whose grey eyes match his grey suit appears at intervals during the meal. First to leave a fluted crystal glass of cava on the table; then a wicked Bloody Mary; and finally, a Grasshopper-style cocktail.
The bartender, Andrea, ranks among the top 10 in World Class Spain, though even a cocktail plebe like myself can recognise his mixology skills.
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Main Courses and a Deconstructed Ending
For mains, we choose the Tortelli di Ricotta (29€) because a place like this will almost certainly do a superlative homemade pasta (it does) and the Agneau Grillé (34€). The lamb is fine; I’ve yet to find an establishment in Barcelona that prepares lamb the way a Greek or Middle Eastern chef can.
Dessert is a sort of deconstructed baklava though it’s not described that way rather as a pistachio cream and crisp filo. To fortify ourselves against the impending heat, we order cortados with ice and cheekily tip the contents of our Grasshoppers into the glasses. Andrea, I think we might be onto something here should you wish to borrow the idea.
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La Dama’s Grasshopper cocktail served in a stemmed glass, garnished and placed beside a napkin embossed with the restaurant’s logo.
Would I Go Back? Absolutely.
It’s hard to leave. Even as our server comes to bid us goodbye at the end of her shift. Eventually we do; the distinguished doorman reappears and offers to snap a photo of us standing on the stunning staircase.
And that’s it. I’m glad that after 12 years, I finally tried this place. And yes! I think it deserves its place in the general consciousness of Barcelona visitors.
La Dama
Avinguda Diagonal 423-425,
08036 Eixample
www.la-dama.com
instagram.com/theladama/
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