The Serrallo is Tarragona's old fishing quarter, on the harbour about 15 minutes' walk south-west of the centre. The streets are tight, the houses are low and brightly painted, and the area still has a working fishing community. The daily fish auction (la subhasta) at the Llotja around 17:00 is open to the public from the visitors' gallery — a fast, shouted, theatrical event watched by the city's chefs and restaurant buyers.
The half dozen seafood restaurants along the harbour are the best place in Tarragona to eat fish — Restaurant Cal Joan and L'Estanyet are the most reliable for the local suquet de peix (mixed-fish stew) and grilled whole fish. The neighbouring Plaça dels Carros, with its statue of fishermen, is a fine place for a pre-dinner vermut.