Chef Albert Adrià’s guide to Barcelona

Until I was 15, Barcelona was my home. Then I went to work with my brother Ferran at El Bulli up the coast and didn’t come back to the city until I was 29. One of the special things about Barcelona is that it’s bounded by rivers to the north and south, there are mountains to the west and sea to the east, so it can’t really grow. To anyone that comes here I just recommend they walk – walk all over the place. I don’t use a car. I walk all the time. You can really see the different aesthetics of neighbourhoods. 

We have amazing architecture, and a crazy number of music festivals, such as Cruïlla, Primavera, Sónar and Festival de Jazz de Barcelona. So many world‑famous artists come throughout the year, and our museums are always packed with tourists. I’m a pizza lover, and in recent years Barcelona has become a world capital for pizzerias. The award for the best pizza restaurant in Europe was given to Sartoria Panatieri last year. Other favourites are Parking Pizza, La Balmesina and Frankie Gallo Cha Cha Cha. 

Downtown, I recommend Bismillah Kebabish. It’s very casual and in one of the most beautiful streets, Joaquín Costa. They make the softest shawarma bread while you wait. Near here is Granja Viader, which is famous for chocolate and churros and Cacaolat, a Catalan chocolate milk. It’s packed at breakfast time. Nearby you’ll find Xarcutería La Pineda, where they have four different hams available at the same time. Normally in a store you’ll just find one.

Another place that’s very special to me is Dos Palillos, the restaurant of a chef from El Bulli; his wife is Japanese and the food is a beautiful combination of Spanish and Japanese. For Mexican, go to Michelin-starred Come and order suckling-pig tacos. I don’t often go out to eat pasta in Barcelona – I make it at home – but there are some very good Italian restaurants, including the Venetian Bacaro and Xemei, where I think the Rolling Stones went when they last visited.

A vermouth ritual is not just a drink but eating cured anchovies, stuffed olives, mussels…

My little secret is Bodega del Vermut. I go there and have my vermouth ritual, which is not just a drink but the very Barcelonian tradition of eating cured anchovies, stuffed olives, potato crisps, canned mussels and, on special occasions, an expensive can of clams. They de-salt and clean the anchovies daily, and it’s very difficult to find them with this quality. The interior is one of the most beautiful and authentic corners in Barcelona. Historically there hasn’t been much of a culture of going to cocktail bars here. But this is changing; in 2022 Paradiso was voted the number one in the world, followed last year by Sips. It’s almost impossible to get in. 

If you want to shop for big brands, there’s the Passeig de Gràcia. But personally I prefer El Born, a smaller, older neighbourhood that has a New York SoHo vibe, with alternative brands and little shops. The Gothic Quarter is a beautiful neighbourhood to walk around, and there’s Bar Brutal for natural and local wines and Ganivetería Roca for beautiful kitchen knives and wares. 

Head to Carrer de l’Argenteria for provisions: Sans & Sans sells teas, and Casa Gispert, a beautiful shop from 1851, roasts all sorts of nuts over wood. There’s also Vila Viniteca, which is the most important wine shop in the city. Barcelona’s most famous market is the Boqueria but the quality has been going downhill in recent years. It’s so full of tourists that it’s lost the sense of a market. Head instead to the less touristy Mercat de Santa Caterina and Mercat de Sant Antoni, around the corner from my restaurant Enigma. 

For hotels, I recommend La Florida in the mountains or the Miramar on a hill overlooking the sea. Both have great views. In the centre of town there’s Alma and El Palace, in which Amar, a great seafood restaurant, opened in 2022. When Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Spielberg were last in Barcelona they went there. The next day it was the most famous restaurant in the city. 

Albert Adrià sourdough, umami and smoke pastas are available from atavi.uk