Whatever you do, don’t you be leaving Gaudi’s gates empty-handed.
When in Barcelona, a thorough ransack of the gastro vault is a must, but look between the endless taperias and tascas for the very best Catalan spoils. From fresh mercats to artisan enclaves, here’s our pick of where to rummage… Stretch pants on!
Begin your eat-a-thon in modernista Eixample, with a turrón-tial downpour of gourmet nougat at Vicens. This toothy trove is home to over 150 types of nougat, including their signature soft almond Agramunt, plus decadent nuggets created by Spain’s pastry padre Albert Adrià, including raspberry marzipan with sugar and violet flower, rosemary truffle with crunchy hazelnut and raspberry, and piña colada cuts.
A short scoot around the corner onto Pau Claris and you’ll stumble upon Jaime Beriestain, a divine home n’ kitchen haven where culinary queens can pick up trad wooden cheeseboards and delicate food nets, before sashaying into the adjoining cafe for a tea cake or early-bird G&T. Si!
Onwards to Ciuitat Vella for a retail refuel at Bacaro. This rowdy, pared-back alley cat fires up Venetian and Sardinian-style seafood from the market next door – try the brined sweet n’ sour sardines with raisins and onion confit. If you’d rather see the still-twitching suckers, sidestep to the iconic Mercat de la Boqueria for a sensory spectacle of land and sea, with everything from flip-fresh fish to a rainbow of fruit and veg.
Post-boqueria, hit choc pot Ganja M. Viader for a quick cocoa fix, before trotting over Las Ramblas and on through Carrer de la Palla to lovely Oroliquido. The shelves of this gothic trove are packed full of bottles of liquid gold, including extra virgins and sauces like Neus Especial, a Catalan oil derived from the arbequina olives of Priorat.
Hope you’ve got one last push left in those pins, because the scent of Formatgeria la Seu lingers on Dagueria. This former butter factory now wheels out Espana cheese specialties from Cantabria to Galicia, but what really has dairy queens squealing with glee is the fantastic ‘formatgelat’ fusing three gourmet cheeses and artisan ice cream. Pair that with a bottle of something spesh from tower of vino Vila Viniteca, a grape’s toss away on Carrer dels Aguillers, and you’re just about done, hun!
Vicens, Edificio La Pedrera, Provença 265, Eixample, Barcelona. +34 93 488 1764, vicens.com
Jaime Beriestain, Carrer de Pau Claris, 167, Eixample, Barcelona. +34 93 515 0779, beriestain.com
Bacaro, Jerusalem, 6, Raval, Barcelona, +34 695 796 066
Mercat de la Boqueria, Rambla, 91, Barcelona. +34 93 318 2584, boqueria.info
Ganja M. Viader, Carrer d’En Xuclá 4-6, Raval, Barcelona. +34 93 318 3486, granjaviader.cat
Oroliquido, Palla, 8, Barri Gòtic, Barcelona. +34 933 022 980, oroliquido.es
Formatgeria la Seu, Dagueria, 16, Barri Gòtic, Barcelona. +34 93 412 6548, formatgerialaseu.com
Vila Viniteca, Aguillers, 7, Born, Barcelona. +34 93 777 7017, vilaviniteca.es
