Pinotxo Bar
Our first meal in Barcelona is in Mercat de la Boqueria called Pinotxo Bar located in numbers 466-470, in the middle at one of the ends of the market. It is completely full but we are able to snag a couple of open seats as they become available.
There is a display of everything fresh that they have to offer behind the glass counter screen that you can order from.
We ordered the baby octopus dish that is a bit sandy.
The smoked and marinated anchovies that are delicious but on the salty side for me but is a great complement to the bread.
The sweet grilled shrimps.
The dishes that I find notable are the sauteed garbanzo beans with garlic, beef cheeks, and most of all–the razor clams and sweet clams.
Our eyes and taste buds are awakened by the new and unexpected flavors and textures that these clams have.
I now understand why Pinotxo has the following and rave reviews of food critics, locals, and tourists alike. I am a new fan. My guess is that the vendors must give him the best limited clams for that day and only Pinotxo knows how to bring out the balance of amazing flavors and textures to only steam them with a bit of olive oil. How can something so simple be THAT delicious? Since they ran out of razor clams and only gave us the one clam left, my friend and I have a new mission while in Spain–to find razor clams that are just as good as the one we have.
We order a cronut filled with custard for dessert.
We pay for our meal to the charming elderly handsome owner, who you can see his passion and pride exude of his special food destination and the care he shares his customers. The others working along with him seem to also be kind and caring people.
One of the younger staff warned me of keeping my cell phone closer to me because there are lots of pickpockets here and all of Barcelona. He didn’t tell me to rudely but more matter-factually, but I felt it was a genuine concern for his customers and of people. I am thankful for the reminder for the rest of my trip as I put away my phone each time I take a photo of a new dish that comes out.
Come early or others may eat it first. My favorites are definitely the razor clams, sweet clams, and the beef cheek. Feel free to grab whatever else makes you drool!
Brunch and Cake
We head to an inviting brunch place called Brunch and Cake. It is a charming place with a bunch of tourists and locals waiting to eat there. This place boasts of fresh and healthy menu items. The plates are unpredictable and creatively plated.
I ordered a cocoa cappuccino and we split a blueberry pancake and turkey waffle dish.
The blueberry pancake comes out with the top of a pineapple on a bed of granola and fresh fruit.
Fun and filling dishes that are visually stunning and teases our curiosity. We cannot help but ask the people next to us in our communal tables what they are having. Others wonder the same about our dishes and I am happy to share.
Bilbao Berria
We walk by the gothic quarters and reach a Spanish tapa bar that our hotel recommended, Bilbao Berria. It has a casual rustic hip bar feel to it. There are plates of tapas to choose from and we pay depending on the number of toothpicks we grab.
My favorite one is the sea bass and egg yolk.
They have many choices to choose from, whether it is vegetarian, seafood, or meat. I grabbed one with veal, fresh fish, and an omelet one.
It leaves you pretty stuffed since the toppings lie on a piece of thick bread with every tapa. Definitely a fun dining experience while in Spain!
Cerveceria Catalana
We go off to find dinner at Cerveceria Catalana since it is highly rated and also serves the razor clams that we are so obsessed to find. It is a good tapas like experience–almost a grander scale Pinotxo with more people on both sides of the restaurants.
We order our razor clams, which is delicious, but is more baked and flavored than the juicy ones we had earlier.
All the other dishes we have are delicious but the razor clams here are also one of the more memorable dishes to try here.
Santa Anna
Always in search of good paella, we decide to give Santa Anna a try since they seem to exude in many varieties of paella dishes. They have friendly service and we feel welcomed in the happy atmosphere with our fun drinks.
While they have large portions and we had a pleasant time, it leaves me to continue my search for more delicious paellas.
Zenzoo
During our time in Spain, we grabbed as many bobas we could from Zenzoo, which is an authentic, fresh, and delicious tea room inspired by Taiwan. This place has incredible service and really great drinks.
The boba craze seems to only just begin to reach Spain so I was so happy to see this place here.
If it is closer to me in the states, I would still be a patron there despite all the competition we have in the San Francisco Bay Area.
There is so much excellent food in Barcelona. Keep looking and you will not be disappointed!