Accessed discreetly through the lobby of the Ohla Eixample, Xerta welcomes you into a cocoon of modern refinement where the kitchen is both theatre and atelier. The design is polished but understated, allowing the eye—and appetite—to settle on what truly matters: the steady choreography of chefs at the pass and the luminous ingredients arriving from the Ebro Delta. It’s a setting that invites calm deliberation, where each detail feels edited for grace.

Chef Fran López, who spent three formative years under Alain Ducasse, channels classical rigor into a personal ode to his homeland. With 90% of products sourced from the Delta’s World Biosphere Reserve, the cuisine distills a singular terroir: briny-sweet oysters that taste of open water and sun; eel with a supple richness, lifted by citrus or smoke; rices whose grains carry the whisper of marsh and breeze. Seasonal treasures—sea cucumbers, galera shrimp, blue crab, wild mushrooms—are treated with reverence, their natural character heightened rather than disguised.

The à la carte celebrates appetite and curiosity, while the four set menus—Ejecutivo for elegant weekday lunches, Delta and Degustación for immersive discovery, and Homenaje as the chef’s grand tribute—compose narratives in courses. Temperatures shade from cool and saline to warm and umami-rich; textures slip from satin to snap; sauces are feather-light yet deeply flavored. Wine pairings lean toward precision and freshness, spotlighting Mediterranean whites and polished Catalan reds that echo the food’s maritime clarity and earthy depth.

What sets Xerta apart is its sense of place, delivered with urban poise. The Ebro’s abundance arrives on Barcelonan porcelain, transformed by classic technique and contemporary intelligence. Service is discreet and fluent, guiding without hurry, anticipating without interruption. The result is a quietly luxurious experience—rooted in one of Spain’s great landscapes, shaped by haute cuisine, and tailored for those who prize purity, craft, and the subtle thrill of discovery.