Beks Lockie takes a deep dive into Barcelona’s rich culture, from Gaudi’s masterpieces to tapas and the rhythms of local life
Barcelona has always had something that other European cities don’t. As the capital of Catalonia, it sits outside the rest of Spain, politically and culturally. It feels like a living art gallery dotted with trendy bars and eateries and effortlessly cool locals. And while you could easily fill a week-long visit with awe-inspiring museums and landmarks, the best itineraries involve immersing yourself in the flavour and sometimes friction of the city.
There are seemingly infinite beautiful little bakeries selling a good flat white and a laminated pastry in Barcelona. The rhubarb Danish from Origo is a personal favourite. But if you want to break the fast like a true Catalan local, you’ll need something a little grittier and a lot richer. Look for any nameless local cafe with pokie machines buzzing by the door. Inside, the regulars (often groups of Catalan men in their 70s) will be starting their day with white bean and pig’s trotter stews or fried eggs with sobrasada (spiced cured pork sausage) and honey. La Pubilla does all the classics in a slightly more beginner-friendly setting. The flavours are delicious and intense and, dare I say, a bit much at 10am. With your mouth coated in a fatty film, you’ll understand why the locals are washing it all down with a beer or wine. The local orxata (a creamy spiced drink made from ground chufa nut) is a refreshing non-alcoholic alternative.
A large part of what makes Barcelona stand out is its architecture, heavily influenced by the work of the famous architect and designer Antoni Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is Gaudi’s final and most celebrated work. Construction has been ongoing for 144 years and may need at least another 10 to be completed. There’s no need to wait for the finished product – the work in progress is breathtaking. A guided tour will help you find stories hidden in the artwork that you could never find alone.
Don’t overlook Park Guell perched high above the city. Eusebi Guell, a local businessman, recognised that Barcelona lacked the green space of other global cities and commissioned Gaudi to build a space that was more of a whimsical open-air gallery than simply a park. Spend a few hours exploring the monuments, viaducts and marketplace, and the view over the city from the Nature Square.
Barcelona is built on a famous grid street pattern, making the city aesthetically pleasing from above but not especially friendly on foot. Gracia, an old village that has been absorbed into the city, sits outside the grid: geographically and in many ways culturally. The streets are leafy and walkable, lined with citrus trees, public drinking fountains and ornately decorated homes designed in the post-Inquisition “show off” era. In a city that is always changing, Gracia holds on to tradition and local identity as a form of political resistance.
I joined a Culinary Backstreets food tour around the neighbourhood to understand Gracian food, culture and politics by way of hours of eating. We visited old local markets where vendors will refuse to speak Spanish (it’s Catalan only here). Behind the counter at Pastisseria Montserrat, the 82-year-old matriarch serves nougat and flan in the shop she was born in. And at Can Punyetes, you can order hearty grilled rabbit dishes and drink wine straight from the spout of a porro (a cross between a wine carafe and a watering can).
The late-afternoon drink of choice for Catalonians is vermut: a fortified wine infused with any number of herbs and spices, often served with citrus, olives and maybe an anchovy if you’re lucky. If you can’t visit a vermuteria in rural Catalonia to learn how it’s made, you can try endless variations in the city’s vermut bars. Try Vermuteria del Toro for a small family-run bar or Morro Fi for a modern “cool kid” hole-in-the-wall. Either way, you’ll need some of the local potato chips sprinkled with paprika vinegar on the side. The combination is addictive.
Continue down into the grid via the Passeig de Gracia, and you’ll find two of Gaudi’s residential works of art: Casa Batllo (a marine fantasy) and Casa Mila (a rugged and rocky fortress). They are stunning from outside, but the real magic is found in the interior stairwells and terraces. They serve as a reminder that no matter how commercialised Barcelona’s city centre becomes, it will always have its personality and flair.
You can’t help but be a little drawn into Barcelona’s emerging food scene. Promising young chefs are opening restaurants, wine bars and vermuterias with daring menus of modern takes on Catalan tapas across the city. Amateur is part restaurant, part music venue. Here they serve a celeriac puree with hazelnut dukkah and sea bass with beetroot and strawberries in an otherwise industrial part of town. Or visit Mesa Lobo, for a decadent pork belly bikini (triangle-cut toastie) and monkfish cooked in chicken butter at a lively wine bar. Wherever you go, there’s no excuse for a bad meal here.
From the architecture to the tapas, Barcelona’s refusal to do “ordinary” makes it an exciting destination to visit over and over again.
The writer travelled at their own expense.