24 Hours in Barcelona
When we talk about Spain, you probably think of paella and tapas first. Paella alone cannot be put into a single box when you travel through Spain. Let alone tapas. A pit stop in Barcelona? Here’s how to spend it eating your way through the city.
Breakfast
The Spanish aren’t really big on breakfast. Usually, a cup of coffee and a piece of fruit is enough. If they take a break two hours later, they’ll eat something small. A crema catalana, for example. It looks like crème brûlée, and one of the best can be found at Escriba. Definitely stick around for a while, because this pastry shop has plenty more delicious treats.
If you’re more in the mood for something savory, you can always go for pa amb tomàquet: a piece of baguette rubbed with tomato, garlic and olive oil. You’ll find it in every self-respecting little café, so order one alongside your coffee.
We love makrout: semolina cookies with date filling
Snack
At L’Antic Forn (the old oven), whole spring onions are roasted Catalan-style. The calçots, as this dish is called, are then served with salsa romesco made with grilled peppers and nuts. Since you’re here anyway, you can immediately try the baby octopus and other Catalan specialties too. At that point, though, it can hardly be called a snack anymore.
Lunch
Ah, paella. As mentioned earlier, paella cannot be put into a single box across Spain. Spaniards are all very proud of ‘their’ paella. In Catalonia, they have fideuà. It’s not a rice dish but a noodle dish, and it contains plenty of fish. At Cal Papi, you’ll eat delicious fideuà, and if you’re lucky, Mama Carmen will share the recipe with you. P.S. Since you’re waiting anyway, try the salted cod.
Drinks
For the Basque version of tapas, pintxos, head to Maitea Taberna or Txapela. All the bites are laid out, so beautifully that you can hardly keep your hands to yourself. The individual pintxos are very affordable: around €1.60 each. And keep all the cocktail sticks you’re given, because they’ll count them. According to insiders, Maitea is the best in town. Since you’re snacking anyway, try the tortilla de bacalao (salted-cod omelet). It’s the all-time favorite of famous chef Juan Mari Arzak, of the Michelin-starred restaurant of the same name (***). Delicious with an ice-cold beer on the side.
Vermouth is the drink of choice for Barcelonans. Quimet i Quimet serves the best, the most and the most exciting varieties. Order the sweet drink in red or white, with an olive and ice in it. Quimet i Quimet looks like a mini wine shop, but once you step inside, you’ll see that they know their stuff. They’ve been open since 1914 and are still incredibly popular. If you haven’t eaten enough during drinks, you can also get delicious tapas here. Standing at the bar, you’ll feel just like a real Spaniard. Salud!
Dinner
Yes, we know—you’ve just had eighty thousand pintxos. Luckily for you, Spaniards don’t eat dinner until 9:00 p.m. at the earliest. So you still have time to let everything settle. Want to dine somewhere fancy? Head to the Michelin-starred restaurant Disfrutar, run by three top chefs from the former El Bulli. Here, you’ll be served special dishes such as ‘crispy eggyolk’, ‘gazpacho sandwich’ and a ‘liquid salad’. They love experimenting.
If you simply want a good meal, go to Xiringuito E Scribà on the beach. You can eat paella and fideua here too, but those are more lunch dishes. At dinner, you’re better off choosing one of the (fried) fish dishes. Grilled sardines, anyone?
Spaniards eat a heavy lunch and have a light breakfast and dinner. If you want to behave like a real Spaniard, you should therefore eat nothing but pintxos in the evening. Not exactly a punishment, if you ask us.
