Since moving from Gótico to Gràcia I’ve come to appreciate more strongly the neighborhoods on the other side of Eixample. What once represented to me a type of palm tree lined Disney World in which I would lie awake until 4 a.m. waiting for the rumble of inebriated tourists to cease is now something more beautiful. I descend for special occasions…

empanada /ˌɛmpəˈnɑːdə/ : a Spanish or Latin American pastry turnover filled with a variety of savoury ingredients and baked or fried. Spanish, feminine past participle (used as a noun) of empanar ‘roll in pastry’, based on Latin panis ‘bread’. There were chapters in my life during which I pretty much depended on them for sustenance. I first…

A softly lit, bamboo-lined jewellery box of a place on the corner of a peaceful street in Sant Gervasi/Gracia. That’s where we found it, the best Japanese food in Barcelona. It’s also where we found the best sashimi, the best quality fish prepared with the most careful attention to detail. Ikabana is but a joke,…

Deep in the heart of el Born is a quiet plaza named Sant Agustí Vell where the bae and I found ourselves one day as we wandered the streets looking for a place to sit and have a beer. It´s one of those countless hidden places – side streets and alleyways, courtyards and plazas – that you…

A few weeks ago I wrote what I guess you could call a slightly negative critique on a brunch my boyfriend and I shared at an overhyped American fusion restaurant in el Born. The experience was everything we did not want on that day. Prices too high for ingredients too cheap, carelessly prepared and served…

The coolest kid on Carrer Girona these days is Malpaso, a gourmet Mexican spot sporting a funky menu, which fuses local favorites with classics from the Yucatán. That means a combo of vermutería snacks to “picar” out of tin, with stuff like tortilla soup with crunchy corn and a cake made of de-spined cactus and veggies fresh out of the…

On a Monday evening in early autumn we found ourselves in Sant Antoni an hour before our showtime, so we stopped by at Fàbrica Moritz for dinner and a bottle of freshly brewed beer. The scope of this place has always fascinated me. It’s a ginormous beer-themed amusement complex, featuring a brew room lined with towering stainless steel tanks in the…

I’ll be the first to admit that my expectations of Picnic Restaurant in el Born had perhaps been a bit too high from the beginning. I had heard so many stories of its wonderful brunch menu, its charming atmosphere and hearty morning cocktails that when my beaux and I made plans one Sunday morning to check it out I slipped my…

Poblenou has always kind of reminded me of Miami’s art district. Both are on the outskirts of the central buzz. Both feature massive, industrial-chic loft spaces, studios, artisanal coffee brewers, craft beer, palm trees and a beach nearby. Both neighborhoods serve as cradles of innovation and provide a great environment for culinary creativity. That means food trucks. I…