Food:¶
We’re slowly accumulating various recommendations and thoughts about fun/good places to get food. Since the experiences tend to be spread randomly through the journal entries it is getting hard to relocate them when I want them later. This page will hopefully provide an easier way for me to keep track of the places we’ve found and liked (or not)
Origo Bakery:¶
This bakery was recommended to us by Iria Gomez who is a mentor/staff at Barcelona SAE. It is a sourdough based bakery that is relatively close to the classrooms for Expanish where we do language classes. It is more pricey than regular bread (baguettes etc) which are around 1€. Loaves at Origo run 3-5€ but are very tasty and chewy. So far we’ve loved them all.
Lanto:¶
Lanto (named after the owner’s son) has a limited webpresence. We found them because they popped up on Google maps near our apartment and had great reviews. Took us a few weeks to connect with them for a Menú de mediodía but the food is delicious and the owner/staff are delightful. We are making this a regular part of our eating while we are here. Menú de mediodía is 16.5€ but the only decision you get to make is whether you want meat or fish for your main dish. All other decisions are made by Ricardo the owner/chef. The space is lovely and spare. If you can sit in the front room (tables for 2) you get the added pleasure of watching Simone (from Perugia Italy) running the grill and prepping the food. Adds another dimension to the taste treat you are experiencing. Arica is Ricardo’s wife and is also a joyful presence on the staff. Hard to imagine how they squeeze all this prep and service into a tiny space and manage 40-50 plates during lunch service. Hours are a bit tight by Barcelona standards since it feels like they are mostly open 13:00-16:00. This is a little different than it says on the website so I’m not sure. To be clear, this is a taste treat but not a filling experience.
Les Dues Sicilies: el Born¶
This is a little pizza/calzones shop that we tripped over as we explored el Born looking to find our way to Life Drawing and other places. I noticed it because if was crowded with high school students on lunch break. Suggested that the food was good, inexpensive, and filling. When we came back later it was less crowded and all of the above turned out to be true. We’ve been back a couple of times when we need a solid and quick filling bite.
We Love Italy:¶
This small restaurant was recommended by the students after they found it one day. It is a couple of blocks from the Expanish classrooms which is handy. Standard fare but nicely prepared from scratch with excellent service when we were there. A pizza to split and coffee/fanta was 15€ - ish for two of us. Apparently on this side of A/ Diagonal is considered Gracia instead of Eixample on the other side of Diagonal.
Ferrum Restaurant¶
We accidentally found this restaurant when another one nearby didn’t seem as appealing as reviews suggested. It is just where C/ de Girona meets C/ de Córsega near the Origo bakery. Not far from the intersection of Diagonal with Passeig de Gracia. For us the service was great and the food was also wonderful. A bit more expensive than standard places but not out of line. Definitely worth a visit. Here is a link to some reviews.