Goat Cheese Salad, Terra Mia Italian Restaurant, Barcelona

Sometimes the best places to eat are not necessarily along those well trodden touristic routes nor are tips suggested by travel guides comprehensive enough as to include them. When we think of Italian restaurants pizza and pasta come to mind instantly leaving short room for other kind of dishes. But even though you go beyond that point and you are a true enthusiast of Italian cuisine and you accept the fact that it is richer than that sold in Italian fast food restaurants, you may be surprised at some troves you can find out there. Terra Mia is a very small restaurant very near Parc Güell, but difficult to see if you get to the park by bus. It happens that tourists go straight from the parking lot to Parc Güell and back to the bus again without noticing that some blocks down the street, exactly at carrer Ramiro de Maetzu, 31 there is this hidden gem. I am just a very happy client and they are responsible for that because the service is impeccable and food is exquisite.This goat cheese salad in the picture above is just a sample but you ought to try their every dish as not only the ingredients are genuinely Italian but also the way they are cooked and served. In spite of being a small place they have a very nice terrace. Don't forget to try a bottle Il carpino wine. Find here Terra Mia Facebook page.

Italian Food in Barcelona: Calzone Pizza

Nothing like well presented food to welcome guests into a restaurant. Besides growing your appetite, it creates a mood. Who is not thrilled by Italian food and the pleasures of Mediterranean recipes? The sight of this calzone pizza at the entrance of La Tagliatella (Mallorca, 266) couldn't be more appealing. The fact this is a franchise does not mean you can't have a good meal sometimes. I have used a strong vignette to give it a sort of old silent movie effect. Here is an interesting Calzone recipe: Meat Feast Calzone via BBC

Plaça de les Olles, Barri de La Ribera, Barcelona

In the old part of town, Barcelona can boast of several squares with this atmosphere of intimacy only given by the very architecture, by the space in between buildings. I mean, behind the next corner you may find a hidden spot with no sidewalks, few trees...sort of esplanades with terrace chairs and a fountain at most. In those places you certainly travel in time and in that sense you are just another old villager, part of the historical settings, part of the scene. A good example is Plaça de les Olles at Barri de La Ribera in the center of El Born. I am not fond of making gratuitous publicity but a few exceptions when it comes to recommending places to visit or enjoy the local food do help. As it happens to be in the picture here is a link to an interesting place to have tapas and taste some excellent wine: El Celler de La Ribera. At least the terrace well deserves spending a buck or two.

Celler de la Ribera
Plaça de les Olles 6, 08003, Barcelona
93 3107845

Bar Papitu, La Boqueria Market, Barcelona

From the strategically located terrace of Bar Papitu on Passatge de la Virreina 1 on a lateral corridor at La Boqueria you can witness the constant flow of visitors to the famous market near La Rambla. According to many they serve good tapas so why not take a rest there after the always difficult walk through the crammed packed market premises. This barrel in the picture really caught my attention, specially the red letters advertising the place. Papitu was the name of a renown humor publication in Catalonia from 1908 to 1937. It had a clear leftist orientation opposite to their conservative rival magazine called Patufet closely connected to the church. Papitu played an important role in the history of satirical publications in Barcelona, specially during an initial moderate period conditioned by the censorship of Primo de Rivera. Right after the dictator's resignation in 1930, Papitu became more irreverent, particularly with regards to the clergy and spicy, naughty, if you know what I mean, in the sense that they use double meaning jokes and symbolic sensual illustrations. But let's not forget my post was basically about the bar. Here is Bar Papitu on Myspace and on a Google map.

barcelona barcelona+photoblog barcelona+photos barcelona+pictures barcelona+photography barcelona+images

Vildsvin, The Old Tavern in Ferran Street, Barcelona

Vildsvin, The Old Tavern (L'Antiga Taverna), 38 Ferran, Barcelona. It is funny to use a Swedish word to baptize the stylish but informal middle European tavern conceived by Sagardi Euskal Taberna Group. If you are reading this you know English, so Vildsvin might ring a bell. Let's see in German: Wildschwein. Huh, do you get it now? Wild Swine? Ok, let's quit it. That's a wild boar. Would you believe that a cute, chic place, with tiled floor, noble wood furniture and an oyster bar in the ground floor is called the Wild Boar? Nope. So I can imagine some smart guy, saying hey, it has to be a wild boar cause a tavern is a tavern but we are going to make it sound a little posh so we create an atmosphere here. 

Update 2023: Vildsvin is now: Orio Gotic restaurant also by Sagardi. A restaurant venue in Barcelona changes easily after 15 years. Restaurants come and go like mushroom.

Escriba's Desserts

Escriba's: A restaurant by the beach in Barcelona. Here is a sample of what kind of desserts you can have while enjoying the view. Check Xiringuito Escriba

Set Portes Restaurant, Barcelona, Spain

7 Portes or Set Portes Restaurant is located at Passeig Isabel II, 14 near Barcelona harbor (check Google Maps at the bottom of the page). Under this arcade which is old and needs some clean up, you will notice the big wooden doors to this renown restaurant which is a must in Barcelona, mainly because of the good paella they prepare. Nevertheless there are other great places in the city with better reviews. This one is a classic so it is worth trying instead of wasting your time and money at Las Ramblas.

barcelona barcelona+photoblog barcelona+photos barcelona+pictures barcelona+photography barcelona+images nikon+d70s