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Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
International
Organic
Raw
Juice bar
Beer/Wine
Fusion
Spanish
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Restaurant at Almanac Hotel focusing on plant-based dishes. Offers the option to make others items on the menu vegan or vegetarian. Between lunch and dinner times is bar service only. Removed September 2023 - serves veal; better options nearby.
2 Reviews
First Review by VirensBarcelona
junkfood_vegan
Points +268
Vegans, Skip This One - Edit
I was really looking forward to trying Virens. We booked the Almanac hotel for our stay in Barcelona largely due to the presence of this restaurant. And in fairness, their breakfast buffet did not disappoint! However, dinner was a different story. For a “plant-forward” restaurant with a Michelin starred chef, I was very underwhelmed by the entire experience - the food, the service, and even the atmosphere. The bottom line here is that plant forward does not necessarily translate to vegan friendly. While the menu does have an extensive “vegetable” section, few of the vegetable dishes are vegan by default, and a few aren’t even fully vegetarian. Furthermore, none of the vegan or vegetarian options are labeled. When we asked our server which options were vegan, she said that she needed to go double check with the chef. When she returned with a few suggestions, she was not able to answer our follow up questions about certain ingredients and had to go back and ask again. I was intrigued when I saw on the menu the Roasted Lettuce dish. We asked what kind of lettuce it was, which she was not able to answer. When she returned from the kitchen and told us that it was Iceberg, we were a bit disappointed but nonetheless gave it a try. I wish I hadn’t. What came out was a soggy plate of cubes of iceberg lettuce with rather bland curry sauces that all tasted the same. I was disappointed to find a very bitter piece of lettuce core in one of the wedges as well. She also suggested that we order the Peppers (hold the trout roe to make it vegan) which sounded great, but we were even more disappointed when she returned with the bad news that the peppers were not available this evening. Instead, we ordered the tomato salad - and we were majorly let down when a plate of basic sliced tomatoes with a bit of dressing came out. We couldn’t see or taste any of the blue spirulina that the menu indicated was a part of this dish, either. Furthermore, at this type of restaurant, I’m always very interested to hear more about the ingredients, the cooking process, the methodology and concept behind the dish. None of that here, just food placed on the table with an unenthusiastic “enjoy.” I can’t say that we enjoyed any of it. In fact, I think this might have been the worst meal we had during our entire 3 week multi-country Eurotrip. After these two disappointments, we unrelunctantly decided to pay our bill and go somewhere else for a second dinner. Z
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-09-03
Cons: No labeled vegan options, Appears to serve veal
Guest
VirensBarcelona
Points +26
Virens, the new restaurant of Almanac Barcelona - Edit
Almanac Barcelona abre su nuevo restaurante VIRENS, dirigido por el chef Rodrigo de la Calle, galardonado con una estrella Michelin. VIRENS es una confluencia de cocina basada enla cocina verde, de origen local y honesta. A menudo relegados a un papel secundario, las verduras ocupan un lugar central en el menú, como se ve en los calçots al vapor con crema de frijoles y salsa de piparras. Las frutas y verduras también desempeñan un papel principal en la sección de postres, con reinterpretaciones de clásicos como la compota de manzana con helado y dulces creativos como el pastel tricolor de zanahoria con aceitunas.
Read more-
Almanac Barcelona opens its new VIRENS restaurant, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Rodrigo de la Calle. VIRENS is a confluence of plant-based, locally sourced and honest cuisine. Often relegated to a supporting role, vegetables take center stage on the menu, as seen in the steamed calçots with cranberry bean cream and piparras souce. Fruits and vegetables also play a leading role in the dessert section, featuring reinterpretations of classics such as apple compote with ice cream and creative sweets like the tricolor carrot cake with olives.
Guest
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