Comerç

A culinary approach that fuses the traditional with the exotic, offering a unique experience in a jungle setting, with a gorilla at the door and a waterfall downstairs. Mixed Mediterranean buffet, with various meats roasted in the rodizio style, served on a sword: cuts of beef, lamb, pork and chicken. Picanha, entraña, mamiña, chorizo, loin, rib, filet mignon... and also some fish dishes. Pair them with your choice of starters (cold meats, cheeses, salads, rice, quinoa, salmon and, in the evenings, sushi), and downstairs, cocktails served by smiling bartenders, in a space ideal for hosting events and celebrations, with carefully chosen music. Quiet at lunchtime, lively at night. Open every day. 

With around thirty tapas on the menu, led by the beloved patatas bravas, many consider La Esquinica Barcelona’s ‘tapas mecca’. Other specialities include choquico (cuttlefish), morrico fritico (pigs snout), breaded and fried bombicas de hombre y mujer, tigrecicos (battered mussels), almejicas a la planchica (grilled clams), champiñoncicos de París (mushrooms), Padrón peppers, fried fish from the Ebro river, longanicica (sausage cold cut)... Its philosophy: the best fresh products at a competitive price, always accompanied by friendly service. Today, La Esquinica continues to offer the unique experience that has characterised it since its beginnings in 1972, when it opened in a small space in the neighbourhood of El Turó de la Peira at the corner of Carrer Montsant and Carrer Cadí, hence its name (‘esquinica’ means ‘little corner’ in Spanish). In 1997 it moved to larger space, which was decorated with a distinctly Aragonese style, and which has a wonderful terrace and a quirky waiting room. 

A neighbourhood restaurant-brasserie committed to the surrounding area, which has been building up a steady clientele since the late 1970s.In 1977, Teresa –mother of these five brothers– and her own mother, who were both running an eatery in Guineueta Vella, were offered a space under a new block of flats. Teresa, who started working behind the hobs at the age of 14, wasn’t sure her children would want to follow in her footsteps, but when she saw that they did, she made a decision for which they are grateful: to delegate tasks so that they could learn. Today, with Julio and Javi in the kitchen, and Manel and Jordi front of house and at the bar, they nail their traditional home cooking dishes and serve them up gimmick-free, and with good value for money. Generous portions. Seafood from the fish market and local garden produce; grilled meats; black rice and fideuà; tripe with capipota stew, cannelloni and fricandeau stew; and a La Viña-style cheesecake that gets rave reviews. The set lunchtime menu, which feeds many local workers, includes paella on Thursdays, as tradition dictates. Coveted terrace for tapas. Friendly and attentive service. Takeaway dishes at number 25 of the same street and at Carrer Albert Einstein, number 11.

Open for 24 years, it has established itself as one of the most popular restaurants in Verdun. With Mireia in the kitchen, Dani front of house, and their two sons helping out, this traditional farmhouse opened in the late 1980s, serving breakfast and afternoon snacks. They are committed to serving fresh, quality, local produce, purchased in the neighbouring markets of Guineueta and Montserrat. These products are prepared with originality and passion and used for breakfasts and lunches for the neighbourhood’s residents and shopkeepers. The midweek menu, which changes every day, is determined by the season and made up of traditional slow cooked stews, salads made with vegetables from organic gardens in Tordera, and fish and seafood from sustainable catches in Malgrat and Blanes. And on Thursday and Friday evenings, they offer trendy dishes and other specials. Their fixed dishes include the teriyaki bacon tacos with radish sauce, tender leaves and pickled onion, and the lemon 0-km fish tartar (depending on availability) with coconut milk, lime and coriander sprouts. To contribute to responsible consumption, they use reusable containers for their take away. And once a month they organise events where you can enjoy a night of great music and food. 

A family-run vegetarian restaurant located fifty metres from the stream (riera, in Catalan) that separated Barcelona from L’Hospitalet de Llobregat during the last century. In operation since 1988, it has become a meeting point for the neighbourhood’s residents. Bright, spacious, simple and spread over two floors, its cuisine is homemade, natural and healthy, made with fresh, organic ingredients that vary according to the season and availability. The set menu (there is no à la carte option) consists of 3 dishes –with proposals for vegans, coeliacs and people with other intolerances– and with many desserts to choose from. Salads, creams, soups, vegetable stews, rice dishes, pasta, cocas and pizzas, stews... The set menu comes with water, bread and a drink such as white wine sangria and cava, or apple juice, on the house. Friendly staff. Open only from 1 pm to 4 pm, Monday to Saturday. 

This unconventional venue offers a cosmopolitan menu for all tastes, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, the latter prepared by sister project M2. Foie balls with apricot coulis on a lime base; octopus with honey aioli; warm burrata with roasted cherry tomatoes, rocket and olive oil; crispy chicken with lemon curry sauce; cochinita pibil tacos with guacamole, Metric Burger, tandoori lamb with basmati rice and fermented yoghurt... with dishes like these, guests have no problem cleaning their plates. They also have a set lunch menu and serve breakfast, and on Fridays and Saturdays, the DJ sessions and the Irreverent Bar signature cocktails, such as the Kraken, surprising on the inside and spectacular on the outside, or the Dr. Fleming, which cures all ills, will make you want to keep the evening going. Private room in an underground bunker available for groups. 

In a world increasingly aware of the importance of a diet that contributes to wellbeing and health, places like this are a welcome sight. They work with fresh, seasonal and 0-km products, provided by nearby markets, with an offering that is 70% vegetables, pulses and fruit, and 30% on quality animal protein: white meat and fish. Every day they look for raw materials to incorporate into their kitchen, in order to achieve the tasty, balanced dishes with high nutritional value of the set lunch menu, as advised by a dietician. Highlights of the menu include the organic açaí buddha bowl, the Uno pancake and the veggie burger. Breakfast with speciality coffee and brunch at the weekend. Try the Ayurvedic basil tea. And to encourage sustainable consumption, they use reusable containers in their take away/delivery. 

In Les Corts since 1987, this restaurant has made a name for itself thanks to its service and good value for money. Frequented by local residents, people who work in the offices in the area and an international public. It starts the day serving breakfast and closes at midnight. A set lunch menu is available six days a week, with its fun daily references to the saints’ day. On the menu, a wide range of tapas (translated into 12 languages), and dishes with something for everyone, such as scallops with Iberian bacon, braised octopus leg with baby broad beans, Okelan beef tataki, and between-meal snacks such as frankfurters on sliced bread with melted Havarti cheese, mustard and grated onion. Combo platters, Iberian cold cuts or acorn-fed ham platters, an assortment of cheeses and hamburgers. Extensive list of beers and gins.

With a 26-year history of engaging with the community and bringing it together, El Petit Galileu is frequented by local residents and shopkeepers alike. The couple who own it have created a cosy and friendly atmosphere which makes everyone feel welcome. Judging by the number of rave reviews from those who have tried it, they nail the Spanish omelette (choose from the just potato, potato + onion and potato + spicy -chorizo options). At lunchtime they offer homemade dishes (Cuban style rice, lentil stew, chickpeas with spinach and hard-boiled egg, spaghetti with garlic, roast chicken, meatballs mixed with vegetables, fresh fish on Tuesdays). Not to mention ham or cod croquettes to nibble on, hot and cold sandwiches, salads and combo platters. Open Monday to Friday from 6.30 am to 9 pm. 

It’s no wonder this multipurpose, cross-cultural and welcoming space is always busy. Casa Petra brings two spaces to the neighbourhood, making this a second home: a restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere, and a delicatessen and gourmet shop, as well as a large terrace. One of the founders remembers how much he enjoyed the dishes his grandmother Petra and his mother would leisurely prepare. Those family recipes taught him as a child, that great food, like life itself, is best enjoyed when shared. And his aim is to make us link memories to flavours, as happened to Proust with the madeleine. They use seasonal and local products, and serve breakfast, aperitifs, after-work finger food, lunches and dinners. The menu includes oysters, seafood preserves, a chistorra sausage tapa, acorn-fed ham, Iberian loin and Comté cheese grilled sandwich, pig’s trotters with squid and Spanish sauce on toast, linguine with American sauce and red prawn tartar, rice dishes, turbot with charcoal-grilled lettuce hearts, a T-bone steak and an XL botifarra sausage made in-house with chips. Selected wines well served in good glasses. Open all day, every day.