Anna Boluda (1976)

I used to live literally up the stairs of this quiet cozy restaurant, so I got to know the menu pretty well… and the owner as well. 

Believe me: he makes the best ‘fideus arrossejats’ I’ve ever tried. It’s a kind of paella but it has tiny vermicelli instead of rice, cooked on some super tasty fish broth and you can add some ‘allioli’ to it. Just incredible. The steak tartare is another of the specialties, and the dessert menu has usually some seasonal interesting options as well. 

Most of the customers become regulars and it is not unusual to see them chatting with Jesús -the owner- about food, wine, politics or traveling. Because he loves traveling and has been almost everywhere. He invites costumers to bring some of their travel pictures and hang them on the wall of the restaurant. It is worth to have a look at them. 

Maybe the location does not seem too convenient if you are just in the main touristic routes, but if you happen to be around Poble Nou or Vila Olímpica -there are some hotels in the area-, it’s a great place for dinner. At lunch time they offer a main course + drink + dessert + coffee formula at very reasonable prices, considering the high quality. Take away is also possible. 

So you’re meeting someone in town but are not sure what a good place could be. Do you want to play like a local? Just say casually that you’ll meet at the Zurich. Everybody does! (If you want to say it in Spanish: “Quedamos en el Zurich!”).

Actually most people meet just on the left of the cafeteria, at the main entrance of El Triangle Shopping Center -aka the Fnac at Plaça Catalunya. But it is not a bad place to take a coffee too. A perfect terrace to stop for a few minutes and observe the people going up and down the street, coming from or heading towards la Rambla: a mixture of busy locals and map-follower tourists keep that corner buzzing every single day of the year. 

The prices are a little bit high, and the main problem might be -as in all the touristic areas of the city- the presence of pickpockets. Keep and eye (and a hand) on your belongings just in case and enjoy. 

Oh, I almost forget. They seem to know how to make coffee (I don’t drink it, but most people agree on that). Don’t dare to order a tea though!

The New York Times says that the best sandwich in the world is Viena’s ‘bocadillo de jamón serrano’ (cured Spanish ham in thin baguette bread). Maybe it’s a little bit exaggerated, but I can say that it is the best in Barcelona for sure! The bread is crunchy, but not too much, the meat is delicious and the price is right. But Viena is more than that. It is actually a local chain of fast food restaurants, but serving only good quality ingredients.

One of the best options for me are the ‘boisà’ (literally, ‘good-and-healthy’) sandwiches, a kind of soya wrap with both vegetarian and chicken options. Tasty and low-calorie, and for the same price of your regular junk food menu. You have to order at the counter as they don’t serve the tables, but besides that, it’s a great option for a light lunch.

There are several Viena restaurants all over the city. The one in La Rambla, next to a theatre, is always too busy just before and after the performance. In the one on Pelai street, take your food upstairs and try to get a table next to the big window. The view is great from there!

For the full list of restaurants visit their website

‘Rambla’ is the name of most of the big avenues. Not just in Barcelona but all over Catalonia. It actually refers to the route that water -after raining heavily- takes to go towards the sea. This Rambla, however, is was constructed recently. Where you can now see an open space there used to be -up until the 1990s- narrow old streets. 

This avenue is now the heart of the Raval, one of the most multicultural areas in the city, with a large number of immigrants from Morroco, Pakistan, the Philippines and other African and Asian countries.

All along the Rambla there are some Arab food shops and falafel and durum restaurants. On the top part there is a very good pizzeria -La Veronica (check the La Veronica article) and a local fusion food restaurant -La Reina del Raval. All of them have terraces and sitting there is what I enjoy the most. You can see pseudo-hippies with dreadlocks mixed with Bollywood-looking women and local old ladies in one single street. Like traveling while being at home.  

On weekends there is a street market with local designers and Moroccan tea and pastries. Some of the clothes are really nice and original, although the quality might not be the best one.

The cat in the picture, on the low part of the Rambla, is a sculpture of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero. Climbing on top of it has become a regular fun activity for the children of the area. And it’s harder than it seems!

Although some big book shops might have a small section of books in English, if you are looking for the best variety in Barcelona, this is your place. On the corner of Balmes and Rosselló, this well lighted store seems to have everything: from the most recent best-seller novels to the classics, non-fiction, learning books and dictionaries and a wonderful selection of volumes about the city and the local culture. 

And if they don’t have whatever it is you need in stock, they’ll bring it as fast as possible -they are really good at that, according to my own experience. Actually one of the things I like about this place so much is the customer service: they are helpful and nice, and willing to find what you are looking for. It’s the place I visit when I want to buy a book about home for someone abroad. 

Prices are very reasonable considering they import, similar to ordering online to the UK in most of the cases. But here you get the chance to see the books before actually buying them. 

Just next to the entrance there is an interesting ad-wall to offer or find jobs, rooms, language exchange and much more.