The staff at Mesón David has a typically Spanish take on how run a restaurant. The service is friendly but brash, and one should be prepared to wait a while to share a table in the ultra unpretentious dining area. Likewise, don’t be surprised to hang around and find yourself playing table football between courses. If this is beginning to sound a little negative, then be assured that the experience here is actually a quite positive one.

The waiting around is a reflection of the popularity of the excellent and cheap food, and the simplicity of the environment is the principal reason why it stays that way. The brashness of the service can be explained by a confidence in these truths. And besides, the abundance of classic and wholesome yet inexpensive food and drink should see to it that one would only notice these aspects as an afterthought. The Galician stew, mixed grill and seafood dishes set the bar high, and the sangria pushes it higher.

Like much of the Raval district, Mesón David gives a vibrant and flamboyant account of how life in Barcelona is lived—best enjoyed with a touch of sunburn and the remnants of a hangover.