Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Beer/Wine
Spanish
Spanish food and tapas restaurant in an intimate and modern space near metro Sant Antoni. Originally opened in the 2000s as Sesamo Bar y Comida sin Bestias by different owners and was all-vegetarian, then not, and now is all-veg again since 2010. Open Mon 09:00-21:00, Tue-Sun 19:00-00:00.
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Last update on 15 Oct 2019 by Guest
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130 Reviews
First Review by Jan
youfoundcandy
Points +40
Delicious food - Edit
My husband and I are vegan and came here for dinner on a weekday with reservations (recommended) and we loved the food! The vibe was super friendly and the chef came out to talk to us about the meal and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Each item packed a flavorful punch and we just kept adding to our order. The atmosphere was great, the place was small and the staff spoke fluent English and had a menu available. Vegan items were clearly marked and they were willing to modify vegetarian items.
Read more*Give yourself a little extra time to find it though!
Pros: intimate space
Cons: hard to find
Guest
Wine Lover
Points +359
Unimpressive vegan options - Edit
Having read the reviews below I was really looking forward to eating here with my partner. We were rather disappointed in our experience as it wasn't hat we were expecting.
Read moreWe turned up late without reservations and got a table which was great and the staff were all lovely. The place was much smaller than I expected and so was the menu which was the main problem - we just didn't have much choice.
I wasn't able to have the vegan tasting menu as my partner just wanted a starter and main course but I honestly wonder what they would have given me that was much different to what we had since, as I said, there weren't many vegan dishes on the small menu.
The array of inventive gin & tonic options looked great and I really enjoyed the one I chose. We were also given a complimentary shot of smoked watermelon gazpacho which was divine and the best thing on the menu.
To start my partner had canarian style potatoes with mojo (vegan) which were small whole potatoes boiled in their skins with two dips which we felt was pretty dull and unimaginative. The slow roast aubergine, red peppers and onions with caramelized goat cheese and rosemary oil bruschetta was marked as vegan and I enquired whether the goats cheese was vegan and was told yes. A while later the waitress came back and asked me if I wanted the goats cheese. I said if it was real goats cheese I would not eat it so the dish was topped with sliced tofu triangles instead but I can see this might be quite confusing. The dish was okay but not very flavourful and was absolutely dripping in olive oil, I don't mind oily things but it was too much.
For the main course there were two vegan options. My partner had the chickpea and spinach curry which was very good, the sort of thing I would expect from an indian restaurant in London and that's quite hard to find in a general restaurant. Since I didn't want that my only option was the vaguely described home made puff pastry filled pie. What came was a small disc of very oily puff pastry (which reminded me of Jus-rol) topped with cooked tomatoes and a few more small triangles of sliced tofu. There was a small bit of salad with it but it was quite unsubstantial, lacked flavour and was again so so oily.
For dessert the only vegan option was fruit salad with chocolate fondue. I had it becasuse I was still hungry. It was sliced banana, apple and strawberries with a melted chocolate dipping sauce (I thought apple was a strange combo choice). It was so boring.
Pros: Friendly staff, all spoke english, some tasty items (smoked watermelon , gazpacho shot & curry)
Cons: Small restaurant, small menu choice,, expensive
Guest
Jeremywhite
Points +325
Fabulous veggie food - Recommended!! 14/05/2013 - Edit
Our most expensive meal (54 euro for a 3 course meal with no alcohol for two) so far on a holiday to Costa Brava and that includes a few nights of those eaten in expensive Sitges!
Read moreThe venue looks like a small bar from the outside but don't let this put you off, at the back there's a nice seated area.
The meal was worth every euro we paid. There was a good selection of veggie and vegan foods on the menu and we found it a bit difficult to choose with so many options.
Before the food arrived we were give a small glass containing a smoked watermelon gaspacho which was gorgeous!! The food we picked was well presented, fresh, hot and extremely tasty. A nice open kitchen and very friendly staff (one of who gave the recipe of one of the starters to a lady on the next table).
The highlight was a fantastic tiramisu with raspberries and white chocolate pieces embedded in it.
With 20:20 hindsight we'd have chosen the tasting menu purely to sample the full range of the food. With this tasting menu you also get a bottle or water and either 2 glasses of wine or 4 beers all for 25 euro per person.
Pros: Excellent food, Great service, Interesting menu
Cons: Mineral water not chilled
Guest
jimbobse
Points +22
Superb - Edit
I went to Sesamo this evening (March 2013) and had the Vegan taster menu. Excellent food, well cooked and friendly service. If I was in Barcelona for longer, I would definitely go back again. This was the best food I have eaten in Barcelona.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Saturday March 02, 2013
Pros: Excellent vegan food, Very tasteful restaurant, Friendly service
Cons: Looks like an average bar at the front
Guest
OneNightStanzas
Points +127
Hello vegan chocolate fondue! - Edit
I went to Sesamo as one of a party of four. It is kind of hard to find as it's easy to walk past the small door without noticing it, but we got there eventually! The place opens out at the back into a nice intimate restaurant with great hip decor and lighting. There was only one waiter working when we were there but he was friendly, funny and pleasant. We ordered gin and tonics (a different one each) off the extensive menu and they were all TOTALLY LUSH and came in impressive glasses! To start I had the potatoes, which when they arrived looked literally like uncooked potatoes on a plate with some sauce next to them! A bit odd, but I thought they were delicious - my friend who got them too found them too plain, though. Main courses were all gobsmackingly delicious. Vegan options are a bit predictable, I was stuck with a Thali while my vegetarian friends got more inventive stuff, but I'm kinda used to that happening! The dessert situation was odd - like others in these reviews, we were all excited about the peanut butter cheesecake, only to be told there was none. Does it actually exist I wonder? My veggie friends had the Baileys brownie which was apparently very delicious but HUGE and very rich so hard to finish! I got the vegan chocolate fondue and may I say I was one happy lady! So delicious and served very elegantly (not eaten so elegantly though...!). One big con was the loo -- kind of outside and really rather stinky :Z I made use of it and then advised my companions to avoid at all costs! But perhaps they were just having plumbing problems that day? I don't know. We all thought the price was good. It was a special birthday dinner and it definitely felt like a special, classy place to go. Kind of sketchy neighbourhood but we were OK leaving quite late at night. Recommended!
Read morePros: Fondue fondue fondue, Amazing gin and tonic menu, do not miss!, Very nice waiter
Cons: Stinky loo!, No PB cheesecake, sad times, Better choice for veggies than vegans
Wine Lover
The toilet was pretty rank when we were there so obviously not just a bad day.
Read moreGuest
vegetariangirl
Points +2700
great place for a nice dinner - Edit
Beautiful space. Had the tasting menu which was easily made vegan. The food was well presented. Lots of flavor. A very gourmet experience.
Read morePros: flavor , space, fresh
Guest
kvelistruan
Points +60
Amazing - Edit
We had our last meal in Barcelona at Sesamo and wish we could have gone there more (and More and MORE). Not a hippie place, no tripped out painting on walls and loud rock. We had the tasting meal with two glasses of wine and were blown away by the taste of each dish and the wonderful chef, he came out to explain each dish. He is cute too - kind of like a young Frank Zappa. Although we are vegan there was some dairy in a couple of the dishes. Didn't mind because everything was so tastefully done and the dairy was only used as a condiment. Small place call for reservations.
Read morePros: Favorful, Great Presentations, Sophisticated Decor
Cons: Can't go back soon
Guest
Happyheffer
Points +78
Open on Sunday! - Edit
Read moreSesamo is one of the few places open on a Sunday.
We had a fabuouls meal there.
The starters were unusual and tasty. The mains were a good size and dessert was heavenly.
I would recommend giving it a try.
Guest
Ruby X
Points +81
All vegetarian tapas - Edit
We went to Sesamo for dinner and were in the mood for tapas (hey it's Spain, what do you expect). There was an option to take an 8-course degustation menu, with wine/beer/water and a dessert for 25€ per person. It seemed like the ideal option.
Read moreThe items were partly from the tapas menu, as we expected, but also contained some items from the day specials. A pleasant surprise. In the end we even got a complementary ninth course.
The tapas were tasty, but nothing very special. Some olives, mushroom croquettes, bread with tomato, etc. Good, but not special. But of course there were also "specials"-items, which were worthy of their name. A smoked watermelon gaspacho, a pistachio pasta pesto, ... Much more orginal than the tapas. And of course also delicious.
We were a little disappointed with the dessert, as we did not get to choose which one we wanted. And it was NOT the peanut butter cheesecake that we had been drooling over all evening. Fortunalty the coconut cream truffels were also extremely satisfying, so we'll forgive them this small negative point ;-)
The staff was very friendly, but seemed to be somewhat more interested in me than my boyfriend. We'll just assume this was because I clearly spoke better Spanish than he did. The waiter did not speak English very well, but at tables where no one spoke Spanish, the chef would personally come and explain. Very cute. (The menu does contain a translation by the way!) They had a blackboard with the specials which they moved around from table to table. Also very cute. Especially when they swooshed it around to the English side on request.
Plus: the chef had a red chef's hat. He should get a bonus point for that :)
In conclusion, Sesamo's was a great place for an evening of tapas and would be a good place to return to and try the specials. And to have that peanut butter cheesecake after all!
Pros: degustation menu, original and yummy specials, Cute & friendly staff
Cons: Waiter only speaks Spanish
Guest
JDH
Points +101
Excellent food and vibe - Edit
The batman owner is incredibly helpful. Spoke fluent English and spoke eloquently about all the food. The food was excellent and well presented and the place was very busy so they have very high standards. Excellent vegan selection.
Read morePros: Friendly, Vegan choices, Amazing food
Guest
Boboveg
Points +25
Good food - Edit
The dining experience was friendly, informal and casual. The food was great. The chef salad was my favorite - lentils, several types of nuts, an olive paste, a green pesto-like paste, beets, thinly-sliced cucumbers, potatoes, and of course the greens. It was a meal in itself. I also had the stuffed yellow pepper. The pepper (actually 1/2 of a pepper) was tasty and served with a very acidic and salty side of mushrooms and squash. This side is not quite as intense as an Indian pickle, but serves much the same culinary purpose. The stuffed pepper, while tasty, is no bargain. It's about a half of a meal at the price of a full one.
Read morePros: interesting, tasty
Cons: Small portion on some dishes
Guest
Blacklizard
Points +101
Great Vegetarian Find in BCN - Edit
After struggling to find satisfying vegetarian/vegan food on our first trip to BCN, we ate at Sesamo on Dec. 8th. I believe it is open for dinner only 8-12, and we had no trouble getting a table at 8:30 PM on a Wednesday. Sesamo is a small operation, with just ten or so tables, one waiter and one chef. It has an open kitchen, and the chef is an amiable fellow trained in Madrid who talked with us for a bit. My wife and I shared an excellent salad, and then she had risotto and I had Pad Thai. Everything was fresh and nicely presented. The restaurant is completely vegetarian, and my impresion was that the chef will make dishes vegan if possible -- for example, he omitted the egg from my Pad Thai.
Read morePros: Friendly Chef, Vegan Options, Appetizing dishes
Cons: A little hard to find
Guest
grahamrsimms
Points +37
Ok... - Edit
I enthusiastically went to Sesamo after reading the reviews on here and i have to say i was a little disappointed. The place certainly has a nice feel to it and we were treated well whilst there...but contrary to what I have read here i found that there were few vegan options. None of the main dishes were vegan and so i picked out some tapas. They were all perfectly edible but nothing to write home about.
Read morePros: Cosy, Helpful staff
Cons: Expensive, Few vegan options
Guest
sarahpalin1
Points +52
Must go - fully vegetarian - Edit
Sesamo is a non pretentious candlelit restaurant and bar. Its open from 8pm-12am and it well worth going. They speak English and take pride in their food. If we were in barcelona longer, we would have gone back. It is small and took us a walk up and down the street to find it but I'm thrilled we did. Would highly recommend. They have a full menu and tapas special.
Read moreCons: healthy and excellent food, great staff
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2357
Almost on par with BioCenter, but really classy! - Edit
I noticed I neglected to write a much deserved review for Sesamo! I honestly don't remember them having any animal products on the menu, but its a chalkboard menu redone often. They have a really hip restaurant with great english speaking staff & chef who were delighted to accommodate our dietary limitations. Wonderful alcohol, chalkboard menu, front is Spainish back is English. A must do for a nice night out in Barcelona!
Read morePros: classy/hip, english menu/staff, accommodating
Guest
Midori
Points +114
The best meal I had in Spain - Edit
I tried several vegetarian restaurants in Spain, and while there were certainly restaurants with more options, this was the best quality meal I had for my entire twelve days.
Read moreI am surprised by the review that mentioned Sesamo having meat, since we didn't see any meat on the menu. We didn't examine the tapas menu closely, since we decided on the prix fixe lunch, so there could have been a meat tapas I didn't see. I would be surprised, though, since it is called Comida sin Bestias (food without beasts). Certainly, the menu of the day had no meat at all.
There are smoking and non-smoking sections at Sesamo, so don't be put off by the ashtrays in the front. You will quickly be escorted to the main, smoke-free dining room if you so choose. When we were there, the prix fixe lunch consisted of (good, basic) vegan salad, vegan minestrone, and a choice of vegan risotto or vegetarian (not vegan) pasta. However, when the chef (who took our order when the waiter realized it was better for us to speak to him in English than to the waiter in Catalan) noticed that I was more interested in the pasta than in the risotto, he immediately offered to make me a plate of vegan pasta. I was touched when he poked his head out of the kitchen a few minutes later to make sure I ate nuts. Yes, I do. The result was an absolutely excellent, perfectly prepared plate of pasta with garlic and almonds. It sounds very basic, and it was a very simple dish, but it was cooked just perfectly and the flavors were excellent. After the salad and minestrone, there was no need for a vegetable-laden sauce, and the pasta was just perfect.
You must try Sesamo while in Barcelona! It is in a neat neighborhood that you might otherwise miss, too, so make a special point of going. (It's not far from La Rambla, but on the opposite side from most of the tourist stuff. We really liked the atmosphere.)
Please note: Happy Cow only allows me to give this restaurant four stars instead of five because it is, to Happy Cow's knowledge, non-vegetarian. I hope this is correct, since I didn't notice any meat and I would hate for the restaurant to lose points unnecessarily.
Pros: a truly gourmet experience, very helpful staff, excellent pasta
Guest
susannahbcn
Points +32
Sesamo no longer vegetarian - Edit
I have recently visited Sesamo and can confirm that it is no longer a a vegetarian restaurant and now serves meat and fish.
Read moreSome vegetarian dishes are still available.
Guest
CO FF
Points +27
Please Stay Open, Sesamo! - Edit
Great find! A small bar with a 20-30 seat restaurant space at the back. Open kitchen. Very interesting menu - vegetable dishes, cheese dishes, rices, pastas. Surprisingly good desserts, which we didn't find a lot of in Spain. Staff isn't very strong in spoken English, though, so bring your dictionary.
Read moreDue to the small size of the space, I suggest a reservation. Also, maps of that area are bad -- to find it, go to the southeast corner of Mercat Sant Antoni, and look for the street going off at a diagonal; it's at the corner, 1 block off the Mercat.
Pros: Creative chef, excellent food, large portions
Cons: Small space, hard to find
Guest
Haggai
Points +103
The BEST in Barcelona!!! - Edit
This is the best place in Barcelona. A bit expensive - but very worth while.
Read moreHigh class cooking, with a wide vegan menu. English speaking staff and a warm atmosphere.
Every single dish, from the appetizers through the soup, the main course and to the cake - all had that special touch that turns just "good food" into an entirely wonderful experience.
The food is organic and local grown.
A MUST!
Pros: Briliant food, welcoming staff, vegan friendly
Cons: NONE
Guest
michal
Points +93
delicious! - Edit
this place is good for some vegan tapas and at a decent price, too!
Read morePros: local beer, good price, good taste
Cons: servers attitude
Guest
anto
Points +51
lovely mains, skip the starters tho - Edit
the mains were lovely very filling etc. especially the buckwheat option and the polenta one. but the starters were disappointing overly fancy looking and not good value for money. id recommend this place nonetheless...
Read morePros: healthy, tasty mains
Cons: starters poor value, very hot place - toasty..
Guest
Jan
Points +56
Could have more vegan options - Edit
Sesamo Bar is a cosy place where you can potentially have a three course vegan meal. Unfortunately when we went, they had no vegan desserts. There were about three vegan options for mains and similar for starters, much more choice for vegetarians. We really enjoyed our starters but were a little dissappointed with our mains. The staff were friendly and the wine was good. They have a standard menu and different 'specials' daily. I would recommend giving it a go and would go back there if I go back to Barcelona
Read morePros: Helpful staff, Daily specials
Cons: Need more vegan options
Guest
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