There is a multitude of places to eat in La Boquería. The most famous by far is El Quim de la Boquería. Its signature dish is huevos fritos con llanqueta (fried eggs with small fried fish), though it's not available all year round. We recommend the fried eggs with baby squid (19.00€), fried artichoke (6.75€), and gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic, 19.00€). Around 20€ per person. You have to stand behind someone seated at the bar and wait until they finish before sitting down.
If the queue is too long at Quim, other good places to eat in La Boquería are Pinotxo (on the right when you enter the market) and Universal (on the left when you come in). Both offer high quality market-fresh cuisine at slightly lower prices than Quim.
If La Boquería is closed this day, we recommend Irati (15€ per person), a Basque tavern where the hot "pintxos" (tapas) are divine. When you come in, place your drink order and ask for an empty plate at the bar. Then serve yourself whichever "pintxos" (Basque tapas) you want, leaving the toothpicks on the plate. When you're finished, hand the waiter your plate with the toothpicks on it so they'll know what you've had. All the hot "pintxos" are scrumptious, particularly the chistorra (spicy sausage) and croquetas de jamón (ham croquettes). Cold bar snacks are taken directly from the bar; hot ones are brought out by waiters on trays. Drinks: ask for a zurito (small beer) or txacolí (typical white wine from the Basque Country). This restaurant is in Carrer Cardenal Casanyas no. 17 (street that runs from Plaça del Pi to Las Ramblas).
