First published: February 18, 2025 07:57 PM Associations of neighbours from the Eixample neighborhood in Barcelona presented a report on Tuesday in which they say they have detected 232 "speculative" single-ownership properties. With these "speculative processes", the associations claim that between 2016 and 2024 there have been 4,000 "invisible evictions" which they estimate have affected 10,000 residents. Included in these are five senior citizens' homes and a day center that have been "expelled" from the district in the years analyzed. To consider a property to be "speculative," they have taken into account whether there has been any activity that could be considered as such, including the purchase of an entire building or a single property intended for the commercialization of homes, new construction or major renovation promotions, contract cancellation processes, and eviction of residents or rental prices that exceed the average price index, among others. This was explained by Jaume Artigues, president of the Dreta de l'Eixample residents' association explained, at the event on Tuesday. The study found 131 such properties in the Dreta de l'Eixample area, 48 in the Esquerra de l'Eixample, 24 in Sagrada Família, 18 in Sant Antoni, and 11 in Fort Pienc. Residents have also noted the average price of the property on offer is nearly 33% higher than compared to the city average. The study also detected that 70% of the rental offer in the Eixample is short-term, which avoids having the price regulation applied to it. Meanwhile, 21% of the beds in the district are for tourist use. They have recorded 97 judicial and 4,000 "invisible" evictions in the time period studied, with around 10,000 residents affected. However, this figure is a rough estimate, as it comes from a calculation by the neighborhood associations regarding the average number of homes in a building and the number of people living on average in each home. In presenting the results, which are part of a study that is still underway, the president of the Dreta de l'Eixample residents' association denounced that current laws are "too weak" against speculation and claimed that "more decisive market intervention than has been done so far" is needed. 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Barcelona Casa Amàlia is a long-established restaurant (it first opened all the way back in 1950) right in front of the Concepció Market offering a classic and uncomplicated menu where quality ingredients and traditional cooking take centre stage when Jordi Castán and Sergi Suaña took over – a duo with decades of experience in high-end dining and a focus on local produce but then things get interesting: the main courses are divided into two sections one dedicated to tradition and one to transformation you'll find wonderful classic dishes like grilled monkfish with a fish and sherry velouté and fennel or three-meat cannelloni with béchamel sauce The transformation section offers playful creations like the ‘Mallorcan panalena’ a grilled aubergine with thinly sliced bacon This culinary creation evokes the pleasure of sobrasada with honey They take pride in highlighting the finest products even specifying on the menu which stall in the Concepció Market (which supplies 50% of the kitchen) has supplied each ingredient the cod with tarragon mousseline and rum-soaked raisins is a light and delicious reinvention of the typically heavy cod with garlic mousseline It's not just the food that's exquisite – the elegant refurbishment makes it a fitting place for those looking to impress someone special Still hungry? Check out our list of the best restaurants in Barcelona.  Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! facebooktwitterspotifytiktokAbout us Contact us Time Out Worldwide Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The property has a built area of 1,487 square metres The total investment will amount to €8.7 million including the cost of the necessary renovations The operation is part of a strategy to increase Barcelona’s public housing stock and eliminate tourist apartments from the city thus raising the number of homes available the right of first refusal and setting aside will allow the acquisition of new housing units in a densely populated area where new construction is difficult Already a member? Log in Not a member? Sign up Explore our Food Tours → This is how Adrián Rubio – originally from Aragón province where he studied cooking – ended up in Barcelona Perhaps it was the strong wind known as cierzo which blows from the Pyrenees and down through his native land to the southwest that carried him here to open a restaurant where the recipes change every day A chef has to be tough and creative enough to face such a powerful force and he decided to name his new personal project Cierzo is a small two-story restaurant in the Dreta de l’Eixample neighborhood with just a few tables managed by Adrián’s good friend “Javier was recommended by a friend when I needed a waiter and now he is like part of the family,” says Adrián The area around the restaurant is full of offices and shops with hundreds of workers who are spoiled for choice when it comes to their daily lunches But among the well-organized crowd of eateries in L’Eixample Cierzo has made a name for itself as a reliable option drawing a crowd of regulars that drop by week after week they can find a simple but delicious menú del día for just 14 euros The regulars who come in pairs know what to do: they just sit and order one of each After a different project that didn’t work out as he expected The original idea was for a bar with a counter serving street food another sudden gust of wind took this space away and brought the unexpected opportunity that today is Cierzo Adrián flipped his vision into a more gastronomic concept dedicated to the main clientele in the area: the neighbors and local office workers which meant he needed to serve meals with both high quality and accessible prices “Eating [out for lunch] shouldn’t be boring or lame,” he says mixing local Mediterranean market cuisine with Asian or South American touches He plays around with any and all possibilities to build the four new dishes for the daily lunch specials but traditional Italian recipes are an especially important source of inspiration at Cierzo especially when it comes to exploring vegetables the infinite variations of pastas and gnocchi Here we’ve enjoyed tasty cannelloni and the fantastic lasagnas with meat Winter is a time for more local recipes like Aragonese or Catalan soups and stews The second courses typically feature one fish and one meat dish When we see Javier pass by our table with a magnificent roasted Iberian pork sirloin with mashed potato parmentier and crispy leeks But we’re reassured when we’re presented with our freshly grilled corvina a juicy and tender white fish served with a crunchy layer of breadcrumbs on top and covered in roasted garlic sauce I never repeated one single dish!” Adrián explains “I go with the seasons and throughout the day the I get ideas for the next menu.” It makes us wonder how he keeps track of this incredible number of creations And I don’t have time to take notes or even take photos of everything.” The suppliers announce the products available each day and Adrián selects what makes the most sense to produce something different within the restraints of the season and the menu costs “Now things are different; if something becomes a big success I try to include it [in the menu] again every fifteen days,” he explains Some of these successful dishes makes their way onto the menu for dinner an event that only takes place on Thursday and Friday nights Dinner at Cierzo is a fun selection of around twenty high quality dishes to choose and share which hang around for a bit longer on the menu than the fleeting lunch specials concentrating all the attention on just a few tables downstairs The tomato tartar is one of the favorites among the nighttime customers: a juicy “meaty” vegetarian tartar of preserved tomato with avocado covered with black olive paste and a sun-dried tomato sauce making the flavor change from intense at the top to fresher and creamier on the base levels It’s impossible not to be curious about what’s going to happen next week at Cierzo; which new ideas will appear scrawled on the blackboard Come Monday through Friday to get a taste of Adrián’s latest creations loading map - please wait...Map could not be loaded - please enable Javascript!→ more information You won't go wrong with our guide to where to stay in beautiful Barcelona it can be hard to pick a base for your trip Do you opt for the medieval charm of the Gothic Quarter with its winding alleyways and architectural marvels the emerging art scene of formerly industrial neighbourhood Poblenou or the glamour of the affluent Dreta de l'Eixample where you’ll be surrounded by some of the city’s greatest examples of modernisme architecture we’ve put together the essential guide to where to stay in Barcelona breaking it down neighbourhood by neighbourhood so you can find where suits you best in Sant Antoni, is where locals come together Recent arrivals to the neighbourhood share marble tables with Sant Antoni veterans drinking beers surrounded by barrels of wine, all under the affable watch of the owner who looks after all his customers with extreme dedication and a rather majestic waterfall designed by Josep Fontseré and his apprentice snack on comfort food like churros with chocolate or artisan turrón you can get a good gander at it away from the throng of tourists – including from the rooftop bar.As you may have already guessed Sagrada Família is named after Gaudí's most famous building The magnificent basilica sits to the west of the neighbourhood and is flanked by the beautifully landscaped Plaça de Gaudí Given the church's notoriety (it is the most-visited attraction in Catalonia and Spain) but there's plenty more to explore in the area which forms part of the wider Eixample district traditional cuisine can be had if you venture further out a lot of which can be found along Avinguda de Gaudí Also worth checking out is the modernist architecture of Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site If you do just one thing: Stop by the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site a former hospital (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) made up of 20 pavilions abundantly adorned with colourful Byzantine Gothic and Moorish flourishes and set in peaceful gardens you can get another fab view of the Sagrada Família Stay here: Hotel Jazz is a good central base for getting to know Barcelona plus the rooftop swimming pool and terrace have views across the city and transform into a chilled-out lounge bar at night.Though they are part of the same district Dreta is sometimes referred to as the 'Quadrat d'Or or Golden Grid You’ll find great shopping along Passeig de Gràcia bars lining the pedestrian-friendly Passeig de Sant Joan as well as quite a few of the buildings that make up the Ruta del Modernisme If you do just one thing: A good way to immerse yourself in a city is to visit a market, blend in with locals, and buy what they do. A good place to do that is at the Mercat de la Concepció located in a beautiful church-like iron building with three naves that is also home to the Flores Navarro market The Festival of the Dreta de L'Eixample neighborhood in Barcelona is imbued with modernism and it could not be otherwise: modernism is a characteristic feature of the area's architecture One of the most popular activities of this Festival is the Modernist Fair which this year celebrates its sixteenth edition This fair is already a prominent activity in Barcelona and every year it has more visitors musical groups and other organizations of the district The Festival of the Dreta de L'Eixample neighborhood has been organized since 2004 between Diagonal Avenue and Consell de Cent Street and in the central lane of Diagonal Avenue The specific program of the fair also includes demonstrations of ancient crafts Barcelona Modernista Fair 2025 is holding its 19th edition on 23 This year it pays tribute to two great figures of Catalan music: Conxita Badia i Millàs on the 50th and 150th anniversaries of their birthdays The fair will offer a continuous programme for all audiences with outstanding activities such as the inaugural conference with concert at the Casa Elizalde (20 May) New features include the presence of the Centre Jujol - Can Negre of Sant Joan Despí and the participatory workshop on the life of Conxita Badia which will culminate with the screening of the documentary Conxita Badia no existeix and a film forum The travelling show Galop sobre rodes will also be included The atmosphere will be completed with the traditional antique car parade The Fira del Comerç will include gastronomy and a large stage with music and performances throughout the day Program Martín Berasategui’s embassy at the Monument hotel has become one of the essential restaurants not only in the city but in all of ​​Catalonia and Spain where people flock to marvel at the chef's creativity The sampling menu is a treat that everyone should have the chance to enjoy Such excellence has earned the Lasarte the top prize in the restaurant world and as of November 2016 the restaurant is the first in Barcelona to boast three Michelin stars the man responsible for the day-to-day operations is Italian chef Paolo Casagrande Casagrande adds his own stamp of high elegance and creativity which you can see in dishes such as apple millefeuille and where the surprising aesthetic never surpasses the combination of amazing flavours the last secular building designed by Antoni Gaudí the Casa Milà (popularly known as La Pedrera It is a stupendous and daring feat of architecture and the culmination of the architect's experimental attempts to recreate natural forms with bricks and mortar (not to mention ceramics and even smashed-up cava bottles) it appears to have been washed up on shore its marine feel complemented by collaborator Josep Maria Jujol's tangled balconies sea-foamy ceilings and interior patios as blue as a mermaid's cave.When it was completed in 1912 it was so far ahead of its time that the woman who financed it as her dream home became the laughing stock of the city - hence the 'stone quarry' tag Its rippling façade led local painter Santiago Rusiñol to quip that a snake would be a better pet than a dog for the inhabitants But La Pedrera has become one of Barcelona's best-loved buildings and is adored by architects for its extraordinary structure: it is supported entirely by pillars asymmetrical windows of the façade to invite in great swathes of natural light.There are three exhibition spaces The first-floor art gallery hosts shows of eminent artists while the upstairs space is dedicated to giving visitors a finer appreciation of Gaudí: accompanied by an audio guide (included in the admission price) you can visit a reconstructed Modernista flat on the fourth floor with a sumptuous bedroom suite by Gaspar Homar framed by parabolic arches worthy of a Gothic cathedral holds a museum offering an insightful overview of Gaudí's career Best of all is the chance to stroll on the roof of the building amid its trencadís-covered ventilation shafts: their heads are shaped like the helmets of medieval knights which led the poet Pere Gimferrer to dub the spot 'the garden of warriors' The Winter Garden restaurant at the El Palace hotel lives up to any expectations you might have when you enter one of the great hotels in Barcelona was founded in 1919 and has in the last few decades been a key spot in the luxury and modern side of the city.The exclusivity is in the views as well as in the kitchen The restaurant boasts spectacular 360-degree views of Barcelona and  you get to choose between two tasting menus (between November and April only) with an air of French haute cuisine that are perfect for trying a bit of everything along with wine pairings You're served the best possible seasonal products made into recipes that are sophisticated the Jardín Diana garden is transformed into an urban oasis The hotel's top floor offers guests and visitors signature tapas and Mediterranean cuisine à la carte a selection of cocktails and good music with DJ sessions It's an idyllic space away from the noise of the city streets with one of the best panoramic views in town Antoni Tàpies exploded on to the art scene in the 1950s when he began to incorporate waste paper eventually moving on to the point where his works included whole pieces of furniture his trademark scribbled and paint-daubed pieces are sought after for everything from wine bottle labels to theatre posters.The artist set up the Tàpies Foundation in this the former Montaner i Simon publishing house dedicating it to the study and appreciation of contemporary art Tàpies crowned the building with a glorious tangle of aluminium piping and ragged metal netting ('Núvol i Cadira' The building remains one of the earliest examples of Modernisme to combine exposed brick and iron and is now a cultural centre and museum dedicated to the work and life of the man himself Colour has become one of the leitmotifs of Isabel de Pedro Collection after collection they reiterate and play with colour and materials such as Lycra just like the creatives that the designer herself admires Eugenia Sukhacheva has turned her home-made Eat My Trip into one of the hottest breakfast spots in Barcelona 'And it occurred to me to make breakfasts with international touches.' The menu features sweet and savoury items so all day you can get yourself some 'American waffles' (which happen to be both sweet and savoury) or an amazing 'Guacascramble' that also includes salmon tartare. Try some eggs Benedict with a Thai touch thanks to the panang sauce vegan and gluten-free options are available.  The daughter of a Filipina mother and a Brazilian father has created this space where she cooks up a fusion of Southeast Asian and Latin American street food with realism The menu isn't lengthy but the plates are unusual for these parts and a total hit: among them you'll find Philippine adobo mixed with pork jowls and it features delicacies such as 'malay redang' a Malaysian stew made into a street sandwich with 'roti paratha' which is a soft Singapore bread similar to Indian naan The space itself is minimalist and spacious while still managing to be cosy The Tívoli is another of the city's grand centenarians The original space was inaugurated in 1849 and since 1918 it's been standing proudly in its current residence boasting a 'neo-rococo' style featuring rich mouldings and lavish golden plant motifs to complement the lush reds of the seats and curtains These days the theatre is known for its eclectic programme including comedy shows Motivation in innovation and an artistic spirit is what's behind Jordi Herrera's cuisine in Manairó which features menus and a concept that still deserve recognition Herrera has invented gadgets to help him achieve his desired outcomes and they're somewhere between objets d'art and implements for cooking He's come up with a nail grill to heat steaks in the middle where you can enjoy eye-popping dishes that will make all your senses come alive as soon as they're served like a stewed oxtail with crunchy peas or the lamb bacon you won't want to miss a visit to Monvínic the brainchild of Sergi Ferrer-Salat and a wine bar/restaurant that has become iconic over the years Even more so since Ariadna Julian took over in a kitchen that cooks up exquisite dishes in every sense When someone's career has spanned restaurants all around the world like the wild hare a la royale or the charcoal-grilled squab brought to the table with a sauce and accompaniments And we can barely find words for the poached egg wild mushrooms and the juice from roast chicken later became an expert in her trade at the restaurant Cal Xim in the Catalan town of Sant Pau d'Ordal There she perfected grilling techniques and set an excellent precedent in that great restaurant and always with regard for using local products Gourmets will love savouring the veal shank which is cooked 15 hours at a low temperature You can enjoy all of this in surroundings that won a FAD (Fostering Arts and Design) Award in 2009 In addition to the wine bar (the cellar boasts 3,000 varieties) and restaurant and the privileged chef’s table in the kitchen Monvínic has the impeccable performance of the women who work there to thank as well as sommelier Isabelle Brunet who won the National Gastronomy Maître d’ award in 2018 who shares two Michelin stars with her son Raül Balam at the restaurant Moments is the head of Blanc restaurant at the Mandarin Hotel She chose to build a menu of simple and fresh recipes based on the seasonality of products in the area Ruscalleda specializes in Catalan cuisine and the menu at Blanc is nothing but the best dishes from the region pork and beef is a must and the Mediterranean inspired salad has the freshest burrata (buffalo milk cheese) This contemporary art gallery is run by Rocio Santa Cruz who previously headed up projects such as Raiña Lupa o + R and now approaches the gallery as a space to produce The gallery also supports and exhibits works by local artists in the area including veterans such as Ferran Garcia Sevilla and younger artists such as Mar Arza and Blanca Casas Traditional Catalan cuisine with a haute cuisine approach headed up by Michelin-starred chef Nando Jubany himself dedicated heart and soul to tradition the Russian salad and the fried calamari rings are excellent starters that show off what's to come The filling in the croquettes is juicy and tasty and the Russian salad might just be the best in the whole of the Eixample Jubany's original and creative cannelloni are some of the best in Barcelona: lovely bechamel sauce and instead of a filling that smells like nothing at all and only tastes of chicken or foie gras here you'll sink your teeth into perfectly prepared roast beef And do not miss out on their 'fricandó' (a sort of beef stew) with chips Xavier Pellicer closed his restaurant Celerí which featured a mostly plant-based menu with animal protein options He reopened a little while later in a new location under his own name and was immediately awarded the title of the Best Vegetable Restaurant in the World in 2018 by the 'We're Smart Green Guide' in its 'Think Vegetables' contest Dive into his experiments with the new setup like the incredible cauliflower steak with massala spices Or the glazed aubergines with wild watercress to which carnivore types can add 'botifarra del perol' sausage Or try the green beans with potatoes and chanterelles (you can add bacon) which is already a must in the world of Barcelona creative vegetarian creations The Mapfre Foundation was founded in 1988 with two offices in Madrid Its first space in Barcelona opened in 2015 at the emblematic Casa Garriga-Nogues which brings together works of art from the late-19th to mid-20th century highlights include the collection of works on paper and photography The hall focuses on featuring important content of Catalan origin but most are centered around the early years of pictorial modernity (1850-1950) and on the great masters of photography they often feature collections from the Romanesque Massimo Pignata’s DelaCrem has become a Barcelona fixture since opening in 2010 and now the ice cream artisan has finally expanded his business to a second location Obrador DelaCrem isn’t just a carbon copy of the original spot though; Pignata’s new adventure experiments with new flavours and allows patrons to see part of the ice cream–making process Pignata and his team still offer the classic flavours – they use seasonal fruits and therefore change their options based on the time of year – but they’re also are developing new recipes ‘We have more equipment here: a grill more room for a gluten-free preparation space,’ Pignata says ‘I see Obrador as a centre for future developments like a laboratory where we can come up with new ideas and experiment with new creations.’ Apart from ice cream Obrador DelaCrem has a simple café and also makes up horchata Don’t leave without trying the house speciality ‘affogato’: a scoop of ice cream inside a cup of coffee with milk ‘drowned’ by espresso ‘but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like it.’ Da Michele isn't just your everyday pizzeria the top of the top that other pizzerias aspire to be which is how they refer to the original in Naples The Condarro family started the long tradition in Naples where the descendants of Don Salvatore have kept up the art of pizza-making following the secrets of creating the dough and cooking the pies.  with tomato sauce that tastes like it came from the Campania region of Italy a product with Protected Designation of Origin status Da Michele doesn't boast a long list of pizzas but they feature those that have been the most successful since 1870 and bear the names of the family's ancestors: Don Luigi Each pizza is big enough to share among two or three 'All the ingredients come from the south of Italy and are DO products Au Port de la Lune has reopened in the Eixample And although the new space might not have the charm of the old location in the Boqueria market with an excellent paté and steak tartare the menu offers a wider range of this menu and French cheeses at a price that will make your wallet as happy as your stomach Guy Monrepos still takes a regular trip to southern France – also called le Midi – in search of gourmet products If there was a café in the animated part of 'Mary Poppins' – you know when they jump into the chalk drawing on the pavement – it would look like Pudding Opened by a Frenchwoman based in Barcelona Pudding was designed for spending the afternoon with the kids Parents can enjoy a cappuccino with pastries or sandwiches while the little ones occupy themselves with books chalkboards and even iPads that they'll find at their disposal This spot can also help organize birthday parties that are much more stylish than at Burger King This venue is closed.Pay no attention to the address Mutis is Mut's hidden little cocktail bar sibling You can get into this charming little secret cocktail bar – which was named best bar in Europe by 'Drinks International' magazine in 2012 – if you book ahead by telephone or ask to be let in from Mut (always politely Head in and find out why Robert De Niro wanted to open a branch in New York Food is the new football: 'When it's Monday and people are talking about the weekend And our obligation as chefs is to give them surprising experiences – but above all of course.' This quote could be a cliché that impresses exactly no one it really makes you want to head to his restaurant In 2014 the self-taught chef opened a cooking workshop in Barcelona's Sants neighbourhood called UMA and it soon started building up its clientele Erauzkin's project was so popular that it got to number one on TripAdvisor in an area that brings in little tourist traffic and it stayed in the top ten for a year and a half In 2016 Erauzkin moved to the Eixample to kick things up a notch and now that he's got a restaurant licence but not slow.' There can be quite a wait to get a reservation – a few months even – but they never waste a thing if they can help it I buy 12 scallops.' When you do get a table you'll be there for three hours and you'll sample 14 dishes of strictly seasonal cuisine that Erauzkin defines as 'intense and daring cooking' 'We shy from the label of Mediterranean cuisine because everyone uses it and then goes ahead and puts in ingredients from somewhere else.' Erauzkin is a chef of his time and he pays a lot of attention to presentation: in the photo a mackeral ceviche with cream of capuccino and a dusting of yellow ají pepper so the element of surprise is very important.' But it's a double-edged sword: when the restaurant moved and 430 of them were excellent,' says Erauzkin 'My business might very well depend on that.' Just next door Erauzkin has NOBOOK a gastrobar with plenty of cooks/servers where they don't take reservations In this more relaxed version of UMA you can eat and drink for €20 – on dishes such as frog and tongue Les Gens que J'aime emerges from the depths of the Eixample like a mythical beast from the past that they say was divine and even more gauche The mirrors in the entrance whisper from beyond decades from a time when children obeyed their parents and played outside Someone was thinking a lot about Paris when they decided to build this bar a sort of bohemian cave fit for the Boulevard Saint Germain in a city whose inhabitants stroll in the Bulevard Rosa.The stairs are the real creaky wooden deal leading into the velvety murkiness full of red velvet armchairs and love seats where you can pore over a Conan Doyle novel The stained and dusty carpet looks like the floor of someone's hoarder granddad who lives surrounded by altars to charming little figurines and unimpressive pictures of Godard the friendly bar staff prepares cocktails with candied red cherries minds the narrow staircase that leads to the loo His legs seem to be hidden in one of those devices where magicians cut a perfectly good assistant into three parts or the excellent Jaén 'botifarró' blood sausage cooked sandwiches with an emphasis on fish as the star of the show made with bread from the Sant Josep bakery that's crunchy can stand up to sauces and hot ingredients They've also got really popular Càdiz-style fried tapas and they have a 50-year-old age minimum for their wait staff If you've ever had to wash your clothes in publich washers and dryers you'll know the boredom of waiting for the cycles to finish But if you require the use of a laundromat in Barcelona Marta Pérez and Gerard Navas opened LaBar a spot that's half laundromat and half café/bar Please take a moment to appreciate the name as it just looks like a translation of 'The Bar' is actually a combination of the words 'Laundry' and 'Bar and when spoken sounds like the pronunciation of 'lavar' You're under no obligation to eat or drink anything while you're using the machines you'll find you're in a bright and welcoming space – which in previous incarnations was a dairy and a furniture store – where you can connect to WiFi and relax with an excellent coffee from El Magnífico (where Pérez and Navas were trained by baristas) for less than €2; one wash and one tumble in the dryer for under €7 (with a well-poured €1 draught beer to be the most cost-efficient) A bonus for many older people who don't normally dare to use laundromats on their own is they'll be comfortable here where there are always friendly staff on hand LaBar feels like a modern neighbourhood bar where you can get fair-trade soft drinks and something to eat from a short but carefully crafted menu that includes hummus and sandwiches made with Folgueroles coca bread And all this turns one of your dull weekly chores into an enjoyable couple of hours out you'll find the champion of Barcelona haute cuisine for delving into the great unknown of Catalan gastronomy by using raw materials and recipes from the Delta d'Ebre who at age 25 won a Michelin star at his Villa Retiro restaurant in Xerta now offers dishes in Barcelona that combine the raw power of the sea with gastronomic creativity 'We're the only gastro restaurant with a Delta seal in Barcelona And that's what makes us so different and interesting in a city where there are great Peruvian we have access to all the raw materials from there and we're experts in the regional cooking techniques Here we've got a singular and little-known cuisine – European eels which are mollusks that have a very strong sea flavour and from Tuesday to Friday at midday they do a set lunch menu with spectacular value for money: appetizers The seafood menu is where López captures the true soul of his cooking which gives off an amazing aroma to further tempt you gelatinous texture in the mouth – you take a bite and it melts and at the same time makes you salivate.' López doesn't exaggerate The rice with anenomes is one of those dishes that's the reason you go to places like this – creamy rice with anenomes in batter and 'espardenyes' all wrapped up with seaweed mayonnaise and salicornia With its decor that evokes the American diners in ‘Grease’ Peggy Sue's is a high-quality franchise: its burgers might not be huge Hamburgers play only a small part in a menu that is based on 1950s America It doesn't matter if you grew up worshipping Stan Lee or Frank Miller following the sagas of 'Godzilla' or 'Star Wars' or if you can argue till you're blue over the work of Art Spiegelman Norma Comics is a comic aficionado's paradise and window displays that aren't afraid to put Jack Skellington right next to Spriou Holy battle of good versus evil!The more than 1,000-square-metre shop boasts not only the most impressive manga catalogue in Barcelona but it's also got shelves devoted to figures and everything that has anything to do with the world of otaku And their collection of American comics will leave your jaw on the floor The amazing service you get from the staff who not only sell products but also understand and love them makes visiting this great comic warehouse a true pleasure And did we mention it won the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award (aka best bookshop in the world) at the 2018 Comic Con in San Diego This place is reminiscent of a Chicago speakeasy during Prohibition You might miss the entrance entirely if you don't keep your eyes open since you have to first go into a sort of basement and then down some stairs in darkness which all may well help to get your heart pumping and your liver good and ready for your destination The generous cocktail menu is longer than a Stephen King book and it's dominated by concoctions made with Campari but they also have a gift for those mixed with whiskey Martin Berasategui’s Oria restaurant stands right next door to his Lasarte in the Monument Hotel Berasategui’s got more than a dozen restaurants to his name including Lasarte (with three) and Oria (with one) The Basque chef and restaurateur puts maximum effort into offering what he calls an avant-garde vision with roots in the land where he’s working young and innovative chefs who put a bit of their soul into ever dish (a special nod to Oria chef Felipe Carvalho) Oria is the informal dining room (‘sport casual’ as Berasetegui says) to Lasarte’s more upscale atmosphere but it’s a stellar way to enter into the Berasetegui universe without feeling the pressure of ‘this meal will change your life’ Oria brings back the tradition Berasetegui first implemented in 1993 with a sign that said you could pay what you want and he and his team would come up with the best tasting menu they could for you inviting you to be excited and fearless about the experience For €45 (the set lunch menu is €40) they offer a tasting menu that’s brief yet with simple dishes without the complexity of those at Lasarte but with raw power and plenty of surprises During the six courses I fall in love with cannelloni stuffed with pig’s trotters and oxtail cockles and capers with nuances from the sprouts and a roast beef steak where the celery and turnip mash lightens up the perigourdine sauce Berasategui attributes his success to being someone who loves to enjoy himself and good food as well as being a bit of a non-conformist And he offers his clientele an unbeatable dining experience that combines those two sides of him Laie is one of the top bookshops in town among the literati and those looking for the latest in literary publications from Catalonia They have an immense collection of fiction (including local and foreign literary magazines) Cinephiles and music aficionados can also satisfy their cravings Dine on an award-winning meal at one of these Michelin star restaurants in Barcelona and devouring divine food is right there at the top.  Time Out Market Barcelona sees 14 award-winning chefs bring local cuisine to the city all under one roof – find it at Port Vell, on the terrace-viewpoint of Maremagnum. Cocina Hermanos TorresThe Torres brothers’ rise in popularity and fame has not in any way changed their philosophy that so many customers – and the good folks from the Michelin guide – fell in love with during their time with the now-defunct Dos Cielos. The twins pride themselves on cooking 'through memories', with their cusine based on family recipes and made with seasonal garden-fresh products and using contemporary techniques.  Raül Balam, son of Carme Ruscalleda, earned his second Michelin star in 2013 with this leading hotel restaurant. Like the original in Sant Pau, the concept is impeccable, innovative – and very Catalan – cuisine. On the menu, you'll find dishes such as the veal 'fricandó' (beef fillet with mushrooms) with Scotch bonnet mushrooms and the Maresme shrimp with glazed tomato petals, a vegetable medley and toasted pine nuts. Chef Paco Pérez has earned two Michelin stars (2010 and 2013) for his Enoteca. No longer is it just another restaurant in the Hotel Arts, but a heavyweight in Barcelona in its own right. Few chefs can translate the flavour of the sea into haute cuisine the way he does, and his craft speaks to the imagination. © Ferran SendraThe dishes at Disfrutar are incredibly imaginative and made with tremendous precision the famous macaroni à la carbonara made with ham jelly Here you'll find an explosion of the senses carried out at the perfect speed.  Scott ChasserotIt's an understatement to say their Michelin star is well-deserved Everything on the menu is out of this world but the nigiri really steals the show: they come directly from the hands of chef Hideki Matsuhisa and arrive on your plate with no change in temperature It's a ceremony where everything is done with precision and control: the cut of the fish An absolute must for any lover of Japanese cuisine For over 40 years they've been turning acts as simple as peeling an orange into culinary art. This is a restaurant where true gourmet food lovers should dine – their truffles are peerless, while the service sets the standard for Spanish haute cuisine. Romain Fornell, a child prodigy of haute cuisine in Barcelona, has moved Caelis from the hotel El Palace, where it was for years, to the Hotel Ohla, where he has carried on with the work he's done in this spot that earned its Michelin star in 2005. You'll find a bold kitchen that's willing to take risks but that also boasts an impeccable classic spirit, conveyed in two tasting menus.  © Ivan GimenezFor 13 years Alkimia operated from C/Indústria Jordi Vilà and Sonia Profitós reopened their restaurant in the Fábrica Moritz On Indústria it was a good spot for getting to know the basic concept of a modern Barcelona restaurant from the first floor where the Mortiz family once lived Vilà made a surprising announcement of the great offerings they'd have in minimal space We all know what they say about gastro restaurants not being profitable their move to the former flat in Sant Antoni wasn't about expanding (though they do have a fantastic open kitchen) but rather about redefining © Iván MorenoThe Adrià brothers have triumphed again with ​​this ambitious Barcelona-based round-up of their philosophy of tapas With four different sections – seafood and little inventive surprises – you'll get El Bulli–style versions of tapas from all around Spain Squid in its ink with almond paste or grilled watermelon are just a couple examples Dishes such as crunchy octopus with kimchi mayonnaise or an air baguette with 'rubia galega' steak are already part of Barcelona's haute-cuisine gastronomic heritage Dining here means a trip through Ferran and Albert Adrià's culinary wisdom Barcelona must be among the world’s great gourmet capitals monumental – from the neighbourhood tapas bar that’s been around for ever to the more than 20 restaurants boasting Michelin stars Boca Chica is the cocktail bar in Boca Grande a spectacular restaurant in Barcelona’s most upscale little street The drinks establishment is just as lavish and posh as the street it’s on It’s nothing out of the ordinary to see Barcelona’s beautiful people sipping on Boca Chica’s well-mixed signature cocktails.  in the Sagrada Família neighbourhood.Foto: Vicente Zambrano As you walk the streets of any Eixample city block streets that are full of movement and noise a little opening in the wall attracts your attention A green sign tells you there are gardens here You follow the narrow passageway and before you a green courtyard opens up with facilities for resting and for the little ones to play on and isolated from the constant roar of the metropolis Acoustic and visual insulation from a high-speed city that does not stop until you find that hidden corner a slice of pseudo-nature in the middle of the city There are about 50 interior gardens open to the public in the Eixample As Ildefons Cerdà said in his Teoría general de la urbanización: ‘In each of these spaces enclosed by city streets And in each block interior we find this reduced microcosm each with its own particularities and features: large or small But they all have certain things in common: spaces for leisure use their imitation of nature and their perceptual isolation which facilitates neighbourhood socialising egalitarian town-planning project for the Eixample Ildefons Cerdà foresaw that the city block interiors would be green zones for use by the public that they would increase the salubrity of the buildings at the same time as they provided residents with an area for resting and leisure This proposal was adulterated from the start as the project was dogged by opposition from the municipal authorities and landowners and became watered down Speculation meant that the gross floor area was much larger than Cerdà had planned The town-planner and engineer had foreseen buildings on only two sides of each city block he eventually accepted that all four sides could be built up a series of bylaws increased the height of the buildings: in 1891 it went from the four floors Cerdà had stipulated to six and under Francoist mayor Porcioles the figure rose to eight The depth of interior construction on the block was also increased and the interior spaces were eliminated The whole of the ground-floor level could now be built up and this is how factories and businesses proliferated in many of them this interior construction went above the ground floor and reached two or more storeys The variety of bylaws can still be seen on a walk around the Eixample to take in the interior and exterior façades The yard of the old Ernst Paul Lehmann toy factory a building that now houses some 20 studios for different creative disciplines in Esquerra de l’Eixample.Foto: Vicente Zambrano lives in the Eixample and has a passion for finding details that break with the excessive regularity Cerdà and his plan were so often accused of ‘Imagine they hadn’t gone above the four storeys Cerdà said pointing to an 8-storey building with penthouse in Carrer del Consell de Cent a site that still preserves its ‘organic courtyard’ the advent of democracy in 1976 brought with it a new Pla General Metropolità (PGM General Metropolitan Plan) that included the recovery of the city block interiors as gardens The regulations stipulated that businesses building below ground level in block interiors would have to garden the roof so long as the ground floor was not developable the first gardens to be recovered in 1985 were the ones at Torre de les Aigües (Carrer Roger de Llúria The PGM was established in the 2002 Eixample bylaw which repealed and modified the 1986 bylaw which on the ground floor can reach a depth of 4.5 metres for use only by the residents living in the buildings on the block if the basement level has been developed (with a car park it has to be ceded to the City Council and access provided to make it open to citizens From the Jardins d’Enriqueta Sèculi you can enjoy an impressive view of the Sagrada Família The City Council has opted to name the new gardens after women to make up for their scarcity in street names Enriqueta Sèculi (1897-1976) was an educationalist writer and feminist activist and co-founder of various women’s organisations in the years before the Spanish Civil War.Foto: Vicente Zambrano The decision to recover the city block interiors took off in 1996 with the creation of the mixed company Proeixample which combined public and private capital (62% and 38% It invested in green spaces for use by the public in the courtyards and recovered part of the capital by selling developable land on the block a good 30 or more inner spaces were recovered for use by residents The arrival of the former CiU on the Council put an end to this enterprise stopped the recovery of city block interiors The President of the Dreta de l’Eixample residents’ association ‘From the start of the crisis in 2012 until now no new premises have been inaugurated in the neighbourhood Inner courtyards were recovered by buying premises and not by expropriation Now the facts are starker: there aren’t enough funds There’s no town-planning management because prices are too high.’ since 2012 only two block interiors have been recovered: the one named after Anaïs Napoleon (Carrer de la Marina and one year later the one named after Montserrat Figueras (Carrer de Còrsega the name approved in July 2017 but still to be made official If it’s a public development and the administration has to devote a lot of money to the purchase the land has to be bought and the operation executed it has to be a large-scale operation because it’s the developer who pays for the work in the block interior Barcelona City Council’s director of licences and public space There are currently some 50 or so interior gardens open to the public in the Eixample They are difficult to count and in the City Council the numbers vary The concept of a garden set in a city block interior is difficult to pin down and although in theory it ought to have at least one side built up some inventories also take into account open gardens Other compilations include school playgrounds in city block interiors except for those schools that take part at weekends in the project Patis Oberts (Open Playgrounds) is the one by the Globus Vermell architects’ collective They have just published a guidebook called Jardins interiors d’illa de l’Eixample (‘Interior gardens in Eixample city blocks’) in which they also include those in the districts of Sant Martí some in Sant Andreu and a couple located on the border with Gràcia They do not include school playgrounds or public gardens or the private gardens of restaurants that are open to the public of which 46 belong to the Eixample district slightly less than the 48 its web site advertises At Barcelona City Council they do not give much importance to the numbers: ‘What we want are free green spaces we don’t care whether they’re block interiors or not we prefer to count everything: our aim is to have about 50 accessible spaces and a hundred green spaces’ The entrance to the Lehmann factory.Foto: Vicente Zambrano in the Fort Pienc neighbourhood.Foto: Vicente Zambrano in Dreta de l’Eixample.Foto: Vicente Zambrano there are currently several operations under way to recover new ones The first garden planned for inauguration at the beginning of 2019 is the one at Casa Macaya (191 but the City Council wants to recover the whole of the city block interior and manage it as a green zone Other projects under way will occupy old cinemas This is the case of the Niza cinema in the Sagrada Família neighbourhood which is currently being gutted and which has a building project with entrance and exit on Carrer del Rosselló and Plaça de la Sagrada Família It is foreseen that the work will be completed by the end of 2019 The old Urgell cinema has already been demolished: the Bonpreu group are building a supermarket there with parking below and will lay out a garden on the roof The old Novedades cinema in Carrer de Casp is also being demolished to make way for a new city block interior a small space is being recovered that is currently known as the Favorita Gardens as this is where the Favorita furniture store stood until its demolition in 2007 One project that has been held up is the CLIP block Carrer de la Indústria and Carrer de Padilla which includes eight premises on its ground floor but right now there is no private initiative interested nor public money to build All these projects are opportunities arising from private initiative which the administration has taken advantage of It is therefore difficult to establish a recovery plan as the Council depends on proposals coming from outside As it is impossible to plan the gardens to be built it means that projects like the ‘superblocks’ in which city block interiors could be used to connect the various blocks with pedestrian circuits ‘The “superblock” can be in the street or in the traffic lane or you can make a connection going through the city block interiors; the idea has always been that these interiors should have entrances and exits You go in one side and come out the other and They are also safer because there is more movement In Sant Antoni there are several next to each other but they have not got organised entrances and exits’ who says that the connections with the ‘superblocks’ are one of the challenges facing the Council The target Proeixample set itself in its day was that the Eixample should have a garden every 200 metres – in other words because you never know where opportunities are going to turn up but it does help to see where the shortages are you gradually see that there are areas that are more empty like the central area of the Esquerra de l’Eixample but you can never be sure what the result will be’ At the Esquerra de l’Eixample residents association the interior gardens there are much appreciated though they admit that if they have narrow entrances they are afraid to go in because I always imagine there’ll be someone there who might hurt me’ The entrances to the interior gardens are very varied Mercè Tatjer explains as she analyses the interior of the Sebastià Gasch block (87 Carrer d’Entença): ‘The parcelling of the houses is very varied Some preserve historical layouts and are at an angle or else they project more than others into the block and create an irregular garden in the interior This means that each garden can be different’ some share the space with public facilities like libraries Others have ceded part of the land for urban allotments or are turned into swimming pools in summer show the features arising from the three principles they share as pseudo-natural spaces isolated from the great metropolis and its traffic and earmarked for leisure use: the presence of places to sit and rest focused in a small area of garden or else broken up The space dedicated to the memory of the soprano Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011) is one of the latest to enter the municipal street guide.Foto: Vicente Zambrano Visiting them also provides a chance to discover the names of women previously unheard of in the city The City Council has chosen to give these gardens women’s names as a way of making up for the sparse 7% there are in the city as a whole apart from the fact that not a single street in the Eixample is named after a woman Women who have played a significant role in the city or the country are commemorated by giving them their own space The last names to be approved were for the Jardins d’Assumpció Català named after the first woman to get a PhD in Maths and Astronomy and officially inaugurated on 21 April 2018 and for the Jardins de Montserrat Figueras because it seems that if you’ve been discrete and haven’t attracted attention no one takes you into account’ The route through the city block interiors begins with the city’s newest gardens the Jardins de Montserrat Figueras in the Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample leads us away from the traffic in Carrer de Còrsega and into an oasis Full of trees and plants climbing up the walls between the paths and around the areas for rest or play the feeling of being in a small isolated space is stronger than ever But on Saturday morning the peace and quiet is shattered Two birthday parties share the space of approximately 1,500 square metres One of the parties is at the top of the park behind the play area where climbing plants shroud the urban furnishings in restfulness Some small tables are loaded with drinks and sandwiches while the families share the space playing and talking The other birthday party has been set up on one side of the park in a small projection An entertainer makes animal shapes out of balloons while trays full of coloured cupcakes wait for their big moment ‘Normally there’s one birthday party a month It’s quite a coincidence that there should be two today’ I’ve got children and it’s a privilege to be able to come and play so close to home’ he watches his young son playing with the sand that surrounds the play area and remembers the motorbike workshop that took up the whole of the interior before the remodelling ‘The change has definitely been for the better’ Nine-year-old Carlota is resting on one of the benches surrounding the park while she holds on tight to her bicycle named after a Baroness who spread the works of Ramon Llull and only a three-minute walk away The area around the Hospital Clínic has a high density of gardens on almost consecutive blocks But not all the neighbourhood follows the same pattern between Carrer d’Aragó and Carrer de Mallorca About 40 minutes away is the last garden but one to be built By mid-afternoon it is full of boys and girls running around playing Laid out like an Eixample flat with its rooms it is reached by a passage that looks like a hall and which houses a small exhibition on Anaïs Napoleon the first female professional photographer in Catalonia The hall is a transit point leading to the kitchen where three children are playing with a ball under the fruit trees even though it is one of the many activities not allowed in this space This place is for children!’ complains an angry Stefanie who lives on the block and visits the garden every afternoon with her children the courtyard was for residents’ use and they haven’t really accepted that it’s become public’ Before they were opened to the public they were a private part of the property They were not ceded at the time and when they finally were the residents reacted with angry protests centred mainly on the noise They removed two games from the middle of the play area because they were made of metal on a wooden base and they made a noise Elisenda Capera points out the contradictions in the prohibitions I can understand the nuisance when people are trying to sleep and that’s why they’re closed at night It’s not that this interior has more problems than others it’s that some residents are over-sensitive’ On the terrace in the garden we find tables with chessboards drawn on them and little benches in the shade of the trees which are empty today imitating the nature which the rubber paving and the surrounding buildings contradict The trees help to disguise this urban setting; sitting on a bench a silence broken only by the sound of a ball and the calling of birds The gardens dedicated to the famous popular singer Càndida Pérez (Olot in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood.Foto: Vicente Zambrano These gardens do not include any facilities unlike other places that coexist with a range of services This is the case of the gardens named after the popular singer and composer Càndida Pérez (44-46 which shares the space with a library and an old people’s centre Entrance is by a wide passageway with a high ceiling which leads to the busy five-storey Sant Antoni-Joan Oliver library It is half past seven and the only people there are an old couple with their granddaughter and two girls sitting on a bench but it’s such a nice day we took advantage to do some work’ ‘I often come to the library for its comic section’ as she glances at the letter of presentation she is getting ready to send to a business The door of the old people’s area in the inner courtyard opens and three women come out with a rose in their hand They sit on the benches surrounding the children’s play area and the apparatus for physical exercise confesses Núria Soriano Módena laughing happily and she makes it clear it is ‘Módena like the vinegar Dressed in a white jacket and matching skirt her lips very red and dark glasses that make her look very modern she tells me they have just been celebrating Saint George’s Day a memory of the sweet factory that used to occupy the courtyard the garden is dominated by the ochre of the sand and the black of the iron on the walls except for one corner full of climbing plants A little while later the rest of the attendants at the Saint George’s Day dance follow them crossing the courtyard with excited smiles I visit the Jardins de la Torre de les Aigües (56 which in summer become a swimming pool known as the ‘Eixample beach’ It is still spring and halfway through the morning the place is taken up with tourists The many trees distributed around the courtyard provide shade and a feeling of isolation The Jardins (gardens) de la Torre de les Aigües include a pool that is very popular in summer known as the ‘Eixample beach’.Foto: Vicente Zambrano ‘I work very near here and I come every morning to switch off during my work break’ with a cigarette in one hand and in the other half a sandwich wrapped in silver paper the secondary students from the school come at breaktime and the courtyard fills up’ Andros’s break ends and he heads back to the office She is on holiday and has rented an apartment very near the gardens; she found her way here by chance but she says it is very nice Two teenagers are talking and sharing secrets A man comes in with his mobile in front of his eyes He is nervous and does not stop pressing buttons as he slowly crosses the space hardly aware of the ground he is walking on The peace and quiet in the courtyard today is a far cry from the atmosphere there is in summer You can even hear the birds as they move from tree to tree with a confidence they do not find in the rest of the city Hidden gardens not yet perverted by tourism though they are beginning to get discovered Places to rest and disconnect from the sights and sounds of a city that advances headlong A corner combining children’s play and leisure in spaces that often have green zones and promise the feeling of being in contact with a distant nature which the city block interior gardens become a welcome replacement for that coveted nature far from the great metropolis and website in this browser for the next time I comment The first kiosks were built in Barcelona in the mid-19th century either to sell products or shelter musical performances the first newspaper kiosk was the initiative of an evening paper born in 1888: El Noticiero Universal newspaper kiosks spread throughout the city The last few years haven’t been kind to sellers of printed press new ways of getting information– are causing many to shut down the sector and the administration are taking on a necessary reconversion Climate change and air pollution have driven the world’s great cities towards a change in paradigm After a century of cars ruling the streets the largest metropolises are starting to restrict their use science was a man’s affair in Barcelona until very recently in the gallery of names of illustrious academics in the Paranimf of the University of Barcelona which only includes one woman: 17th-century philosopher Juliana Morell we find that women have in fact been involved in the scientific and technical life of the city in many different ways the historical establishments – neighbourhood cinemas and other first - run downtown cinemas – came up time and again against the challenge of survival and over and above the overpowering creeping commercialism alternative circuits have been established that have allowed new experiences for cinema-lovers while preserving the best of the traditional ones Food waste is a global problem which can be fought by means of better laws and social projects in addition to individual and household initiatives The Model prison has since been emptied of its prisoners for the residents in this part of the city it represents both an opportunity and a danger as they watch to see what sort of restoration will be given to this large chunk of their neighbourhood following four decades of calls for the prison’s closure in order to make way for amenities Since the appearance of the first graffiti in the mid-1980s Barcelona has had a rather tempestuous relationship with this new form of artistic expression in its public space There are three main characters in this story: the artists In the following pages we will analyse how their relationship has evolved over the last three decades The cocktail bar run by Eric Stephenson in the Casa Bonay hotel is out of this world: forget that school of signature drinks where you get something like French toast floating around or you're presented with a glass holding an entire centerpiece that seems like it was taken from the teapot scene in 'Beauty and the Beast' At Libertine your cocktail arrives in a glass suited to your order and the recipes used to make their concoctions are of high precision and so inspired that the first sip will astound you a medium-dry sherry combined with Ámbar vermouth Curaçao secco and Angostura bitters which is one of the best aperitifs that's ever passed this writer's lips The sound team is also stellar: virtuosos of vinyl (and champions of good taste) spin their records on Thursdays and Fridays from 9pm a child prodigy of haute cuisine in Barcelona is the only French chef in Barcelona with a Michelin star Fornell – who's also owner of the restaurant – has moved Caelis from the hotel El Palace where he has carried on with the work he's done in this spot that earned its Michelin star in 2005 You'll find a bold kitchen that's willing to take risks but that also boasts an impeccable classic spirit dessert and coffee included – quite generous for such a prestigious place This is one of those restaurants where it’s hard get a table for lunch if you don’t turn up on time Excellent food cooked by Maria Gloria and her mother Traditional cooking using very fresh market produce The Thursday paella and the onion confit are two of their best dishes where the prices of drinks change all the time you can get a good night without spending much money Ideal place to go with a group because it has large spaces and generous tables one of Barcelona’s most iconic districts was the main subject of Núria Llimona’s paintings this artist portrayed numerous buildings in the Dreta del Eixample district What makes his work especially valuable is that he painted in the street thus capturing the essence of the city in his works Llimona contributed to the rich modernist legacy of the city who as a member of the prominent Llimona family and a modernist painter immortalized the original facades of the Eixample As part of the Setmana del Llibre en Català the public had the opportunity to discover the life and work of Núria Llimona through a literary route called “Ruta a peu per l’Eixample de Barcelona,” in which the guides will be the authors of the book “La Catalunya dels Artistes,” Jordi Bes and Aure Farran This initiative sought to rescue and highlight the work of Núria Llimona are of incalculable value as a testimony of an era and a social class in constant evolution His works portray the original appearance of buildings designed as symbols of the rise of the Catalan bourgeoisie Some of these facades have remained almost identical over the years such as the Llopis Bofill house at 339 València Street some of the facades captured by Llimona have undergone significant changes in their appearance over time the Ali Bei 27 grandstand has undergone slight modifications to its window finials demonstrating how some structures have retained their essence over the decades The commercial evolution is also evident in Llimona’s works one of his paintings shows two modernist facades on Calle Roger de Llúria which housed a pharmacy and a “Vespa Mateu” motorcycle dealership Although the pharmacy is still in the same location the premises have housed a variety of businesses over time Despite her unique contribution to the art and culture of Barcelona Núria Llimona has remained largely in the shadows Most of Llimona’s paintings are in private collections and have rarely been exhibited to the public His biographical notes have also not been edited so far Stock images by Depositphotos La venta de la nuda propiedad Copyright © 2022 Salirporbarcelona , All rights Reserved. Created by JEZZ Media After being awarded the title of the best Spanish bartender in the 2016 World Class Competition Adriana Chía left her post behind the bar at Solange to take command at La Antigua Compañía de las Indias a space that opened in early 2018 in the Eixample rectangular bar that stretches between two exposed-brick walls In the back there's a room that hides a small kitchen and a space for pocket-sized concerts The concept of the cocktail bar is inspired by the 'Indians' (locals who left and made their fortune in the Americas and then returned) and the Barcelona-Cuba connection and you'll see the influence in the furniture If you're somehow not impressed by the interior design a stunning catalog also inspired by this Indian tradition With a most refined technique and elegance Adriana's personal touch is added to all she mixes up smoked tea and a wafer with an oriental drawing that you should eat before drinking The Zarabanda is an amazing vinegary drink with whiskey strawberry shrub and nut oil that will make you stand up and applaud and know you've found a new place to worship in the Eixample rosé and cava at these totally brilliant Barcelona wine bars you don’t have to be an expert; just pop along and the sommelier will help you choose what best suits you RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best bars in Barcelona Photo: Maria DiasIf you've got a sophisticated palate In addition to the wine bar (the cellar boasts 3,000 varieties) and the privileged chef’s table in the kitchen.  RecommendedIn the pleasantly cool you can appreciate the care that’s gone into the restoration of a neighbourhood bar Their reverence for the tradition of buying wine from the barrel persuaded them to combine a classic bodega at the entrance all from organic or bio-dynamic producers around the world creating the feeling of a local old-style tavern that sells vermouth by the litre Photo: Laura MorfinAfter visiting Venice a couple of friends decided to set up their own wine bar in Barcelona that runs on the same philosophy as our neighbouring country opening a place where you can drink wine and have a nibble The love of Italian culture is evident here where they wines from around Spain as well as a good selection of Italian wines they like If you want to stick around and have some goat's cheese croquettes or Iberian ham with your bottle a point where this spot differs from its Italian counterparts who happily pile more and more food on the bar or your table at no extra charge Lovers of good wine and tapas will be happy here. At Els Sortidors del Parlament they offer a stunning selection of wines from around the world, with a good range of varieties from Catalonia, all at shop prices and with a corkage charge of around €5. Propped against a barrel, you can enjoy a drink with selected cured meats and tinned products, and unusual tapas such as the quail egg omelette with black truffle oil. At the Casa Mariol Wine Bar, which is part of the bodega of the same name, you'll have the chance to get to know Suau, which is a version of a drink (a blend of soda and coffee) that was popular in the Ribera de l'Ebre region decades ago. You can also taste cask wines from the Ebre, accompanied by a nice 'clotxa' (bread stuffed with herring, onions, tomatoes and garlic), and then top it all off with delicious cakes from Batea (a town also in the Ebre). El Diset boasts a wine list with over 60 Spanish wines You're surrounded by bottle-filled fridges with all the colours in the wine rainbow: white this is one of the few places in Barcelona ​​where you can taste champagne by the glass featuring good matches for whatever you fancy RecommendedPhoto: Irene FernandezBar Salvatge is an innovative and popular spot with the aim of sharing the culture of natural wine with everyone They offer wine by the glass at fabulously refreshing prices ranging from €2 to €6 The wine is served out of eight rotating tapped barrels plus one filled with Rubén Parera vermouth Parera also happens to be responsible for the interior design and a wild neon sign on the ceiling that bathes the place in light They also offer a good selection of snacks to keep something in your belly This Gràcia wine cellar par excellence has earned its reputation with more than 25 years of bringing the exciting world of wine to connoisseurs and new fans. In addition to its extensive wine cellar, another strength is that they organise tastings and pairings. © Tina SchmechelGreat weather calls for being outdoors and what better way to enjoy being outside than relaxing with a drink in hand at one of the best rooftop bars in Barcelona Feel on top of the world and explore Barcelona from an entirely new perspective As the self-proclaimed 'home of international sports' Belushi’s provides a lively scene for viewing the world’s top sporting events on its three projector screens and nine flat-screen TVs Hundreds of sport fans turn out for Belushi’s party-like atmosphere full of action rock ’n’ roll fun and super cheap drinks.  The route starts on the corner between the streets of Roger de Llúria and Consell de Cent and ends at the junction between València and Bailén casting us back to a time when this part of L’Eixample was a place of residence for the most renowned figures in the bourgeois classes This is reflected by the buildings constructed here by the major promotors of this period The ten buildings to be discovered on this walk are: The route has been specially designed for primary and secondary school groups but is also directed at the general public and can be followed autonomously The materials include an explanation of the route worksheets for primary and secondary schoolchildren guides for teaching staff and a map of the route with an explanation for each of the buildings All the materials are conceived for classroom work before the walk but also with the idea of students completing the worksheets while they make their way around the streets QR codes have been included which allow participants to check all the information on the buildings and which are needed to complete the activities recommended for each level of education While materials are designed for people to follow the route on their own groups from schools or other places can also book organised tours This route around the Dreta de l’Eixample neighbourhood is just one of several routes recommended by the Barcelona Municipal Archive to get around and discover the history and most important architectural remnants of some of the city’s neighbourhoods