Where to eat and drink at Barcelona Airport: T1 and T2, before and after security

Where do you need to eat?

T1 or T2: what each terminal has to eat

T1 has more than 30 cafés, bars and restaurants and T2 about 20. T1 is the only terminal with Catalan vermouth and tapas, a Catalan grill (braseria), noodles, sushi and Italian food; T2 covers coffee, bakeries, sandwiches, ham, burgers and a supermarket. Outlets open, close and change names, so check the list in Aena's directory close to your trip.

Lavazza, Breadway, Pret a Manger, Malvón, Foodies, Enrique Tomás, Budweiser, Burger King, McDonald's and Tutti Frutti appear in both terminals, but as separate outlets with their own floor and hours. Stops and times of the free shuttle between T1 and T2 are on the terminal page.

Before or after security, and which side of passport control

Most of the sit-down and grab-and-go choice is airside, past the security check, and anyone meeting a flight can only use the landside outlets. Each outlet's entry in Aena's directory shows its floor, its boarding zone, whether it is before or after security, and its hours.

Terminal 1

You check in on Floor 3, at the North and South docks, and the central security checkpoint is on the same floor. Schengen flights then board from gates A, B and C on Floor 1; non-Schengen flights board from gates D and E on Floor 3, after passport control. Floor 1 also holds the arrivals hall and La Plaza, both landside.

Terminal 2

Check-in and arrivals share Floor 0, landside. T2 has two security checkpoints, one at T2B and one at T2C, and the boarding areas are upstairs on Floor 1: Schengen gates R, S and U, non-Schengen gates W and Y, and M, a separate non-Schengen area. An outlet's directory entry shows whether it is in T2B or T2C.

Terminal 1: coffee, bakeries, ham, noodles and sushi

T1 handles most flights, with Vueling, Iberia, LEVEL and most long-haul and full-service airlines, and it has the longer list. Coffee comes from six brands, and there are more bakeries here than anywhere else at the airport. Noodles at UDON, sushi, La Donatella's Italian food and La Tramoia's Catalan grill are found only in this terminal, and COMO and Foodies add international and fast food.

Terminal 2: coffee, sandwiches, ham and a supermarket

T2 is one terminal in three sections. T2B is used mainly by Ryanair and Transavia and T2C mainly by easyJet, while T2A is not used for departures. Its list sticks to the basics: Lavazza and Santagloria for coffee, Pret a Manger, Breadway and Camden Food Co. for sandwiches, Go Natural for healthy food, and Iberian ham at Enrique Tomás and La Bellota. Carlsberg's bar and Carrefour City, which sells drinks, snacks and basics, are found only in T2.

Catalan and Spanish food: ham, vermouth, bakeries and turrón

Iberian ham is the easiest local food to find: La Barra de Enrique Tomás, Dehesa Santamaría and Sibarium in T1, Enrique Tomás and La Bellota in T2, and Enrique Tomás gourmet vending machines in the terminals. For something Catalan, Morro Fi in T1 pours vermouth with tapas, La Tramoia grills Catalan-style and Buena Pinta is a tapas bar.

Boldú and Brownie are Catalan bakeries and Pans&Company a Catalan sandwich chain, all in T1, while Malvón, in both terminals, and Santagloria, in T2, are Spanish bakeries. Torrons Vicens in T1 sells turrón, the Spanish nougat; for ham, turrón and other food to take home, see the shops page.

Breakfast before a dawn flight, food late at night

The airport is open 24 hours, every day of the year, but each café and bar keeps its own hours, set around the first and last flights. Many airside outlets open from about 05:00 for the first departures, and closing time depends on the last flights of the day, so there is no single time for the whole airport. Check the outlet's hours in Aena's directory the evening before an early flight.

On a very early departure, a landside café near check-in lets you eat before you queue for security. On the Schengen side of T1, the Pau Casals lounge opens at 04:30, before the cafés, and includes food in the entry price.

Late at night, when the counters shut, the fallback is the vending machines with food and drinks spread around both terminals; the map in the Aena app finds the nearest one. If you land late or are meeting a late flight, you are limited to the landside outlets near the arrivals halls, on T1 Floor 1 and T2 Floor 0, so check their hours before you count on a hot meal.

Vegetarian, allergies, food from home and babies

Go Natural in T2, Greenaway in T1, Pret a Manger in both terminals and UDON in T1 are the places to look first for vegetarian and lighter food. Ask at the counter about allergens and gluten-free or vegan dishes before you order. The four Aena lounges offer gluten-free food, special diets, kosher and halal.

You can bring your own food. Small amounts for personal consumption are allowed in hand luggage, and baby food, breast milk and special-diet food needed during the trip are treated like liquid medicines, outside the 100 ml limit. Carry proof of need where you can, and expect security staff to ask you to open packaging. Your destination may restrict meat and dairy products, so check its rules before packing anything with ham or cheese for a flight outside the EU.

The breastfeeding rooms have changing tables and microwaves for warming baby food: on T1 Floor 1 at the Sky Center and at boarding area C, and on T1 Floor 3. In T2, ask at an information desk.

Water, drinks, beer and the open-air terraces

The 100 ml limit applies at every security checkpoint, so finish or empty drinks before you queue and buy them again airside. Free drinking water comes from fountains and dispensers, most of them near the toilets.

For a beer, Budweiser has a bar in both terminals and Carlsberg one in T2, and in T1 Morro Fi and Buena Pinta serve drinks with their tapas. For fresh air, T1 has two open-air courtyards on Floor 1, North and South, with restaurants and a smoking area, one of them also with a pet area; the T2 terrace on Floor 1 has a restaurant, a smoking area and a pet space. These terraces, all after security, are the only places where you may smoke.

On a connection between T1 and T2 you clear security again at the second terminal, and an open drink bought after the first check will not get through the second; the rules of the check are on the security page.

Eating in a lounge instead

The four Aena lounges include food and drink in the entry price. Entry is sold per visit and lets you in for up to 3 hours before your scheduled departure. All four are after security, and a lounge in one terminal cannot be used from the other.

Canudas, the only T2 lounge, is at gate U on the Schengen side; if your flight leaves from W, Y or M, ask at the lounge before you buy. Access with Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass or a bank card depends on the card, so check your card's app. Facilities and booking are on the lounges page.

Ordering ahead with Food to Fly, and what it costs

Food to Fly, part of Aena Market on Aena's website, lets you order food online and collect it at the terminal. For shopping the same idea is called Shop to Fly, explained on the shops page.

Expect airport prices at the cafés and restaurants, and check the price at the counter before you order.