L'Hospitalet de Llobregat is the second-largest city in Catalonia and yet many of the people who land here for work, for a trade fair or for a hospital visit end up eating at the first place they find. There is no need. We wrote this guide from Casa Varela, a family restaurant open since 1986 in the Santa Eulàlia district, so that you know where you are and what to expect before you sit down at the table.
The districts of L'Hospitalet, seen from the table
Santa Eulàlia: our district. It is the area that joins the centre of L'Hospitalet to the Gran Via, five minutes' walk from Plaça Europa. Here, neighbourhood restaurants that have been around forever sit alongside more ambitious kitchens. It is the best place to eat in peace without straying far from the Fira.
Plaça Europa and Gran Via 2: the office and hotel district next to the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue. Plenty of fast-food and chain options designed for a twenty-minute lunch. If you want a business lunch with a proper table and tablecloth, it is worth crossing the Gran Via into Santa Eulàlia.
El Centre and Sant Josep: the area around the town hall and Rambla Just Oliveras. Set-menu restaurants, terraces and city life. Well connected by the L1 metro and by Rodalies trains.
Bellvitge: the district of the university hospital. Cafés and fast food around the hospital complex; to eat well, most people hop on the metro to Santa Eulàlia or the centre. We explain it in detail in our guide to eating near Bellvitge.
How to get to Casa Varela
We are at Carrer de Blas Fernández Lirola 82 (08902), in Santa Eulàlia. These are the easiest ways to reach us:
Metro: Europa | Fira station (L9 Sud) is about five minutes' walk away and connects directly with the airport and with Zona Universitària. Santa Eulàlia station (L1) is about ten minutes on foot and takes you to Plaça Espanya in three stops.
Car: from the Gran Via, take the exit towards Plaça Europa. There is public parking at the Gran Via 2 shopping centre, a few minutes' walk from the restaurant.
From Fira Gran Via: cross the Gran Via at Plaça Europa and carry on into the district. Between seven and ten minutes on foot, depending on the hall.
When to book and when you can just turn up
On weekday lunchtimes you can usually get a table by calling the same day. On Friday and Saturday nights, Sunday lunchtimes and trade-fair weeks (Mobile World Congress, ISE, Smart City Expo, Alimentaria) it is worth booking two or three days ahead. Our hours are the same all year round: lunch from 13:00 to 16:00 every day and dinner from 20:00 to 22:30 Monday to Wednesday, until 23:00 Thursday to Saturday and from 19:30 to 22:30 on Sundays.
What to eat in L'Hospitalet if you only have one meal
Our recommendation is honest because it is our own: a fish-market rice. We have seven on the menu, from the langoustine and prawn paella to the scarlet shrimp rice, all made to order for a minimum of two people. If you are on your own or short of time, the "Hot bites" section makes a complete meal in half an hour: Mum's croquettes, Galician razor clams with kimchi allioli, slow-cooked pork knuckle tacos. And if it is Sunday and there is time, fried eggs with whatever the fish market brought in.
The full menu is published with prices, with a section of vegetarian dishes and the entire wine cellar. For groups of eight or more we prepare set menus between €60 and €67.50 per person.
One last thing
If this is your first time in L'Hospitalet and any part of this guide has helped, come and see us. We have been here since 1986 and it still makes us happy when someone tells us they came on a recommendation. You can reach us on (+34) 934 31 92 05 from 12:30, or through the contact page, with map and opening hours.
