Comerç

The oldest restaurant in Barcelona, which opened in 1786, is the best example of how good traditional cuisine can last over time.  It was founded by Joaquim Pujol and specialised in hot chocolate until it was bought by the Regàs family in 1890. Since then, it has served traditional dishes: cannelloni; spinach with ham, raisins and pine nuts; butifarra sausage with beans; marinated wild boar; Catalan crème brûlée and more. The good food and ‘shilling meals’ in the early 20th century made it famous. But it went through hard times after the Spanish Civil War, when the Regàs family transferred it to the guild of restaurateurs and cooks. Sisco Agut –who had worked for years with his uncle and teacher Agustí at Ca l’Agut– and Sussi Manubens took it over in 1958. It was a bit run down but they managed to earn a name once again from its hallmarks both then and now: good food at a good price. There are two secrets of Can Culleretes’ survival: its family feel and the efforts of three generations of the Agut-Manubens family. The sisters Montserrat and Alícia are currently the restaurant's co-owners, where Sisco’s five grandchildren and Alícia’s husband also work.