Eating in Barcelona

I wasn't writing this blog yet when Stacy and I went to Barcelona back in May. But after a trip down memory lane last night I decided I have to share some of our food experiences. Let me start by saying how much I enjoyed Barcelona. The city is vibrant and alive with excitement. Spain has recently overtaken France and Italy as Europe's food capital and Barcelona is the epicenter. With mountains in the distance and the Mediterranean at her footsteps it's clear why Barcelona (and Catalonia more generally) is a foodie's paradise.

Our first night in Barcelona we were a bit tired so we got a recommendation from the owner of the hostel we were staying at for a good tapas restaurant nearby. This brought us to Ciudad Condal Cerveceria, located just north of Plaça Catalunya on Las Ramblas. And what an amazing recommendation it was! We had a fantastic meal of tapas and sangria, including sauteed mushrooms, veal sirloin, Spanish omelet, sausage and foie gras baguettes, and fried sardines.

Perhaps our favorite restaurant find in Barcelona came courtesy of our good friend Mark. Thanks to Mark we had the pleasure of eating at Taller de Tapas twice while in Barcelona. At Taller (as we came to call it) we tried the cava sangria instead of the traditional version and between the two meals many of their tapas offerings including: grilled sardines, pan-seared foie gras, spinach sauteed in bacon fat with chick peas, sauteed mushrooms (again), grilled prawns (I love sucking the heads!) and of course the grilled tomato bread and crema catalana. You'll notice that Stacy had to finish my crema catalana, as I don't have much of a sweet tooth. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to mention our favorite little corner patisserie. There was nothing particularly note-worthy about La Rambla 31, just yummy sweet treats and great coffee located next door to out hostel.  

No one, foodie or otherwise, can visit Barcelona without spending some serious time at La Boqueria (more formally Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria). Located in the Ciutat Vella (Old City) neighborhood also on Las Ramblas, La Boqueria has been a food market of some form since 1217! In addition to food stalls selling everything from candied fruit to cow stomach there are a number of tapas bars in the market. The most famous, Pinotxo Bar, named after Pinocchio is located near the main entrance - be sure to look for Juanito Bayen the owner, always wearing a bow tie. There is no menu and good luck getting a seat so we opted to buy some of the prepared foods from other stands, my favorite were the fried cod dumplings. 

As if the beautiful beaches, amazing art, friendly people and a laid back atmosphere weren't enough, Barcelona is also a food paradise. Be sure you find the time to check it out!

¡Bon profit!