A special welcome, and a new project
My favorite places in Barcelona, plus more travel guides
People of Longer Tables! I want to give a special welcome to new readers—almost 3,000 of you decided to join us in the last month, with so many of you joining in the last few days. I’m so happy to have you here and to grow this incredible space for us to enjoy, learn, discuss, and share. If you’re just joining us, you might be interested in looking back at a few recent posts. Maybe you’re interested in wine—you might want to read about the 500+ year-old sparkling winemakers, Raventós i Blanc. If you’re just looking for a bit of hope, check out these words of advice from the legendary Dr. Jane Goodall. (Or maybe you just want a great recipe for Burnt Basque Cheesecake to help start the week off right!)
For today, I have been planning a special announcement—keep reading for more!
I have something exciting to share today—one that might come as a welcome moment after the last week, since maybe a few of you are thinking about where you can be traveling around the world…
A year ago I launched the Chef’s List, an amazing Substack community of food lovers and travelers. I shared recommendations of my favorite spots around the world, from DC to Spain and beyond. Before, I saw it as a different project from Longer Tables…more focused on travel and food, maybe aimed at a smaller audience. But in the last week, I’ve thought about how we all need to get out and see the world, meet people from other places, walk around in other shoes—and some of us might need some extra encouragement to do that.
So that’s why, my friends, I am bringing the Chef’s List here, to Longer Tables—both communities under one roof.
What this means for you: in addition to our regular posts and Wednesday recipes, monthly and annual paid Longer Tables subscribers will also have access to all past Chef’s List content (like Eva Longoria’s favorite tacos in Mexico City, or my guide to my birthland of Asturias!).
To give you a sense of what to expect when you gain full access to all past Chef’s List posts, here is my ultimate guide to Barcelona.
Thanks for reading, this is what you can expect from our Chef’s List posts from the past, and let me know if there are places you’d like to explore in the future!
And thanks for being part of our longer table.
My family and I moved to Barcelona from the northern region of Asturias when I was six years old. It’s the place where I feel like I grew up, where I went to school (and dropped out!), where I started to see the world through food.
My culinary career started at Escola Superior d´Hostaleria de Barcelona, a cooking and hospitality school in the city, where I started to learn the life of working in a kitchen while getting around and tasting the food of the city. I never graduated, though—instead, I landed in one of the greatest kitchens not just in Catalonia, not just in Spain, but the entire world…the restaurant elBulli on the Costa Brava. If you know it, then you know how iconic the restaurant was when it was open (it closed in 2011, of course)…and I was there with Ferran and Albert Adrià when we were all much, much younger. It was there that I saw what food could be, and so many others of us, the Bullinianos, started to see the potential we all had in our hands.
It seems like so much culinary magic was born in Catalonia, so I am lucky to have spent my early years there. The culture and cuisine of the entire Catalan region is at the core of who I am and how I eat, and Barcelona is, to many, the heart of Catalonia.
This list is the tip of a massive iceberg for the amazing food of Barcelona—and we are not even talking about the rest of Catalonia here. You’ll see some restaurants from my friends (Albert Adrià and Albert Raurich, for example) but not all of their restaurants, because there are so many incredible places to visit in the city.
Here you go, some of my favorite places to visit when I am home in Barcelona.
Restaurants
Disfrutar
C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
If you never had the chance to go to elBulli, one of the best restaurants in history run by the one and only Ferran Adrià, then you NEED to go to Disfrutar. Its three chefs (Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch) were Ferran’s brains outside of his brain, and at Disfruitar they have kept the legacy alive and pushed it even further. I don’t want to tell you anything more…you just need to go!
Restaurant Ca L’isidre
Carrer de les Flors, 12, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Restaurant Ca L’isidre is the restaurant to dine at to understand Catalan cooking. They specialize in contemporary Catalan cuisine, mixed with hints of the Mediterranean, without turning their back on the traditions that make Catalan food so brilliant. Ca L'isidre has been in business since 1970, passed from generation to generation of the Girones family. Núria Girones, who heads the kitchen today, learned her love of cooking, pastry, and wine from her parents and grandparents. I also love that they also emphasize local ingredients…for 50 years, Núria’s grandfather, Isidre, visited La Boquería market each morning before starting his work at the restaurant. This is traditional cooking in an unbelievable setting.
Dos Palillos
Carrer d'Elisabets, 9, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
The “two sticks” of Dos Palillos refer to the chopsticks of East Asia and the toothpicks of Spain…simple tools for bringing food from the plate to our mouths. Albert Raurich, a good friend of mine who worked as head chef at elBulli, along with his wife Tamae Imachi, a sommelier originally from Japan who also worked at elBulli, have created one of the best Asian restaurants outside of the continent. Every time I go, I give myself up to the chefs behind the bar and let them feed me a series of incredible tapas with a tasting menu, plus the wine and sake pairings from Tamae’s team. But if you want to just go for a few bites and drinks, the sake bar next door will be a good bet.
Alkimia and alkostat
Rda. de Sant Antoni, 41, 08011 Barcelona, Spain
Alkimia is one of the best restaurants in Barcelona that most Americans don’t know about…and when they want to look for it, they can’t find it! The chef, Jordi Vilà, built his restaurant in a converted beer factory…the space is like Jordi’s food, beautiful and modern. He’s had a Michelin star for almost 20 years, which will tell you something about how consistent and excellent his tasting menus are. If you are not up for a full tasting, you should check out alkostat, in the same building, which serves amazing Catalan dishes and inspirations—botifarra amb mongetes del ganxet (sausage with rare Catalan white beans); a Catalan-inspired lasagna, and of course you have to try the “niguiri catala”—Catalan nigiri!
Enigma
C/ de Sepúlveda, 38, 40, 08015 Barcelona, Spain
For this one, I really can’t tell you anything beyond the fact that it is the restaurant of my very old friend, Albert Adrià, who has one of the greatest culinary minds in the world…and maybe in all of history. I’ve already told you too much. Go to Enigma.
Koy Shunka
Carrer d'en Copons, 7, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
I admire any chef that can use the typical ingredients of their adopted country to bring the cuisine of their home country to life. That is exactly what Chef Hideki Matsuhisa has accomplished…a beautiful union of a Japanese approach to gastronomy while using Mediterranean products. Hideki, the son of a sushi master, grew up in Japan and moved to Spain in 1997 and in 2009 he opened Koy Shunka in the Barrio Gótico which earned one Michelin star for its high quality approach to aesthetics. Whatever fish Hideki is serving is what you want to eat.
RiasKRU
C/ de Lleida, 5, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Rias de Galicia was one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona. I would even say it had some of the best seafood (traditional or modern) cooking ever! It was one of the restaurants I was always recommending when people asked where they should eat in Barcelona. I know I’m using past tense…but you don’t need to worry. No, Rias de Galicia doesn’t exist in its original form anymore. That’s because the brothers who owned it, Juan Carlos, Borja, and Pedro Iglesias (who are partners with my friend Albert Adrià in some other projects), merged it with the Japanese-inspired operation they ran in the upstairs part of the Rias de Galicia building called Espai KRU. The result of this marriage of restaurants is just as delicious and innovative as the original.
Granja Elena
Pg. de la Zona Franca, 228, 08038 Barcelona
Granja Elena (Elena’s farm) started in the 1970s as a fine goods grocer, so you know that the ingredients are going to be the star of the show. This is a three generation family-run business, and each generation has adapted to the times. When it opened, Granja Elena was a market/deli where you could stop in to get fresh milk and meat, straight from the farm…and then after shopping, you could sit and have a hot meal. Today, it has transformed into an incredible breakfast and lunch spot. On the menu you’ll find classic dishes, like jamón Ibérico, croquetas, a salt cod omelet, and a super rich, super amazing capipota. More than anything else, Granja Elena’s chef, Borja, always uses the highest-quality products, just like the generations before him.
Bars…Tapas, Vermouth, and More
Tapas24
Av. Diagonal, 520, 08006 Barcelona, Spain
C/ de la Diputació, 269, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
A few steps below street-level, this nearly subterranean spot is one of the most famous tapas restaurants in Barcelona and it happens to be run by one of my closest friends, Carles Abellan. It’s a favorite among the city’s visitors for a reason…it’s a fun, vibrant, and always feels like a party. The bar is open all day and is well known for serving one of the best sandwiches in the world—Carles’s take on the bikini, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich , which he spreads with an incredible black truffle puree…it’s a recipe he created almost 40 years ago, and it’s still one of the best bites in the city. I also recommend getting the roasted chicken and Ibérico ham croquetas. Don’t be frustrated if there’s a crowd when you arrive, it’s worth the wait!
El Xampanyet
C/ de Montcada, 22, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
If someone tells me they have one night and one night only in Barcelona, this is a place I tell them they need to go. The name comes from the bar’s own brand of Cava (the “x” in catalan sounds like “ch,” so it’s pronounced “cham-pan-yet”...have you had a glass of champagne yet??), so getting at least one glass should be your top priority. Luckily, there’s lots of delicious tapas for you to try with the Cava! The space is small so it can fill up quickly…but that just adds to the atmosphere and spirit.. Also, there are no reservations! You just have to try your luck, but that’s part of the fun, don’t you think?
MorroFi
Multiple locations in Barcelona
Okay, this one is not just a recommendation for a place to go get a drink or a bite, but for an entire way of living your life. Unless you grew up in Catalonia a generation ago (or you’re a young trendy Barcelonan), you might not know about the traditions and culture around vermouth. You might think that vermouth is just an ingredient in a martini! But you’d be so wrong. Vermouth is a universe in and of itself, and MorroFi is leading the charge into the future. Understated yet refined (the name comes from a Catalan expression for having a refined palate) Morro Fi is bringing back vermutería, an old Catalan tradition in style. Hey, what do you think…should I do a post about vermouth and the vermuterías of Spain sometime??
Quimet & Quimet
Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes, 25, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
When Quimet & Quimet opened its doors in 1914 it was mostly a place for the owner—the first Quim in the story—to sell his homemade wine. Today, his great grandson, another Quim (Quimet is the diminutive of Quim) and his children run it as a tapas bar, and it’s one of the city’s most famous and popular tapas bars. Here you should get all of the classic tapas (pan con tomate, atún con piquillo, boquerones en vinegar etc…) and montaditos (anchovies, cheeses, tuna, mussels…the list goes on)—a lot of the dishes will start in the amazing latas—tinned fish—that are all over the walls. The wine and vermouth selection is great, so you’ll be able to find anything you want…though if you want a beer, you’ll have to get the Quimet & Quimet Toasted, which is made specially for Quim. If you go, say hey to him for me!
And a bonus…
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
La Rambla, 91, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
One of my absolute favorite things to do in any city is to visit the local markets, mercados, bazaars, and souks. In Barcelona, we have one of the most famous, most incredible mercados in the world…Mercat de la Boqueria! I am not exaggerating when I tell you it is one of my favorite places on planet Earth. You can start your morning (early to beat the tourists!) with a xuxo and a cafe con leche at Bar Pinotxo (and maybe a glass of Cava with some garbanzo beans and morcilla?)…then off to El Quim de la Boqueria for some fried eggs with baby squid (and maybe another glass of Cava?). Then it’s time for some shopping—incredible mushrooms (you can’t miss Bolets Petràs, legs of jamón, super-fresh fish, whatever produce is in the peak of the season. You won’t be disappointed, I promise you. Oh—and before you go home, maybe just one last glass of Cava for the road…
Does anyone know if the Chef’s List map still exists? We are traveling to Porto and Galicia in October and are trying to research recommendations. Thanks!
Filing this away for a future trip to Spain! ❤️