castles built upon sand

My roommate and I and a few of her friends smoked approx 25 joints last night at the Festa mayor de Prosperitat…..25 fucking joints like really? and in the streets, with our beers and debauchery and the whole town, students, parents and grandparents all together, partying until 5 in the morning. It’s madness, yet it’s so beautiful to see everyone together, everyone dancing and singing and smiling and enjoying life. Viva España, viva Barcelona!

Seeing as how I’ve lived in Barcelona for about nine months now and I’m a great lover of food, I wanted to write down my favorite places to grub in the city, you know share the love. Enjoy x

Tallers 76 (C/ Tallers 76)- perfect little café to stop at for a café con leche and a bocadillo or 4euro cheeseburger; cheaap, not far from La Rambla and everyone who works there is super friendly

The Stick House (C/ de la Boqueria 26)- amazing amaazing artesan icecream and/or sorbet on a stick, you can get it dipped in white, milk or dark chocolate and nuts etc etc pure BLISS on a stick; personal favorite is café w/ dark chocolate + nuts

Pasta Bar (C/ dels Escudellers 49)- fresh Italian pasta made to order, they have everything from gnocchi to spinach tagliatelle to meat raviolis and a list of about 10 sauces to choose from and another list of add-on’s, reaaaaally delicious if you’re in the mood for quick, but fresh authentic pasta; personal favorite is spinach tagliatelle w the parmesan cream sauce + chicken, mm

Ice Bar (can’t remember the address right now, somewhere in barrio Raval)- I’m a huge fan of Irish pubs and this one has a good atmosphere, cheap Irish carbombs and a 4euro drink list to top it all off, there’s also a ton of other pubs in the area so if you’re into pub crawls be sure to stop here (noooooot the Icebarcelona Bar which is literally an ice bar in the Vila Olimpica area)

La Rosa Negra (Via Laietana 46)- Reaaally neat decorating job in here, they call themselves a Mexican food restaurant but having tried the nachos, chicken burrito, and cheese enchiladas I’m sad to say that I was totally unimpressed. what keeps me coming back to La Rosa is the 3,50euro frozen margaritas; they have original, strawberry and passionfruit (my favorite) and I hiighly recommend a pit stop here in the middle of a sunny day to cool off w one or five of these bad boys

La Petra (C/ dels Sombrerers 13)- mm this place has the most savory food; a quaint hole in the wall sit-down restaurant that has incredible plates like traditional catalan sausage and cheese served over black rice (I know multiple ppl that recommend that dish specifically); I recommend having dinner here and then stopping for a fresh crepe or waffle afterwards as that area is full of places for that; by the way, La Petra is often full of locals so you may want to make a reservation ahead of time 

La Rita (C/ d’ Aragó 279)- elegant little place that serves authentic Spanish/Catalan food, it’s a bit fancy but without the fancy prices; I’d recommend the Menú del Día for about 8euros, it’s a sweeet deal and delicious, perfect for lunch after shopping on Passeig de Gracia!

Pub Fiction (C/ Casanova 96)- theeee single most awkward yet charming bar I’ve been to, it’s named after Pulp fiction obviously and yet it’s filled w random South park posters and zebra pillow cushions, and if that weren’t enough they play the randomest collection of music, everything from Enya circa Time after Time to Green day circa American Idiot; did I mention they have thee best mojitos in Barcelona and you get three for 10euros; lots of character, lots of mojitos, enough said

Vergés (Ronda de Sant Antoni 59)- my favorite bakery! they’re infamous for their huuuge oversized donuts which I have yet to try but I personally love their cupcakes, shortbread w dulce de leche and coconut cookies, and their sandwiches; really centrally located, cheap, has a sweet modern vibe and it’s just sooo yummy

El Xampanyet (C/ de la Reina Christina 7)- actually haven’t been here (yet) but plenty of my friends have and they love it so hey, known for having delicious cheap tapas aaand of course plenty of cava (champagne but made in Spain) at something like 4euros a bottle; muust go soon

La Hacienda (C/ del Rec 69)- Okay okay so I haven’t eaten at this place yet but I’m dyyyyying to as I’ve been on the hunt for good mexican food in Barcelona and have yet to find it so fingers crossed, I walked by it and it loooks like a good time, I’ll keep you updated on how the food/drinks are!

Dunne’s (Via Laietana 19)- a rowdy, large Irish restaurant and pub; the food is to die for specifically the burgers and fries (my vegan friend says the veggie burgers are amazing as well) and nothing like a Guinness from the tap to accompany good food; the drinks are a bit on the expensive side so we typically just eat and then head to Ice Bar (^) afterwards for drinks

The Pink Elephant (Carrer de Villarroel 82)- my favorite restaurant and cocktail bar in Barcelona, AMAAZING

Veggie Garden (Carrer del’s Angels 3)- vegan food, fresh juices, the veggie burgers w vegan mayo are soo delicious my friends and I are obsessed, the walls are brightly colored and just all around mellow vibes in this place highly HIGHLY recommended. they also have mint lemonade to die for

Bismilla Kebabish (C/ Joaquin Costa 22)- holyyyyyyyyyy cow if you’re looking for the best kebab in Barcelona, this is where you’ll find it; they make the pita bread fresh there, I personally love the pita de ternera which is beef but they’re allll good. seriously, GO

I’ll be adding to/editing this list as I continue to try out new places around the city, until then QUE APROVECHEEE! xx