Barcelona - Gracia eats and birthday treats??!

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Evening all

In Barca for six days next week. Staying in Gracia and also spending time at Primavera Sound down at Parc del Forum

My very rough Gracia list includes

La Pepita - went last year and enjoyed it though had a loooong wait for a table
Coure - not been but recommended last year on ‘that other site’…
Betlem - ditto
Tanta - ditto - but mixed reviews elsewhere ?
Can Codina - saw elsewhere - basic but good ??

La Paradeta - because I like it even tho its like a canteen…last went to Passeig de Gracia branch - is the one near Sagrad Familia any good ?

and for pizza have been recommended

Italian Tradition or Lucania II

I would welcome all thoughts on the above places and also

1. Any more places in Gracia that are recommended ? Any cuisine but squid, octopus and most fish generally score highly with me and my other half…
2. Anywhere enroute from Gracia to or from Primavera to stop for casual food
3. Where would you got to for your birthday if in Barca ? … as its mine while I am there ! Nowhere too crazily gastronomic please ( just loooked at Tickets website out of interest - it looks scarily amazing but i have left it about three months too late to book ! )
4. Where can I get great fresh pastries for breakfast near Carrer d’Igualada ?
5. Which is the best market in Gracia for fruit & veg shopping ?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give !

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Wow. Does no one have any Gracia or Barca recs - or is there something wrong with my post ?
Too long ? To many random questions ?
Would appreciate some feedback !
Thanks

[uni]

Hey, we are also going to be in Barcelona next week and it will be my birthday. Happy birthday Gemini! We were fortunate to secure a reservation Tickets one night, but other than that pretty much winging it as we have had no time to plan. I think I posted here at when we were first considering the trip and didn’t get much in the way of recommendations. We are staying on Passeig de Garcia near Las Ramblas. I will share any recommendations we come up with if I find time to do some research this weekend. Enjoy your trip, the weather looks to be beautiful there next week.

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Spooky ! Have a great trip, let me know if you find any gems ( we are there for 6 days so I might be able to nip there while in the city ! ) and do report back on Tickets - from what I read it sounds amazing.

[dfk]

How about this Barcelona thread for ideas:

Spain Report (long)

My family and I just spent two weeks in Spain: Barcelona and several locations in Andalucia. As I try to avoid a rambling discussion about the wonders of the nation at large, a summary of findings is below. Travelling with friends and several kids, we did not attempt haute cuisine/molecular/prix fixe joints and stuck to bars and traditional or specialized places. Excellent: La Tasqueta de Blai (BCN): Wildly inventive and popular pintxos joint, with constantly revolving platters of wonderful bi…

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Already read and absorbed Was just wodering about whether anyone had any other ideas or recs…

[uni]

I hope your trip is going well. Definitely don’t miss the ice cream at DelaCrem (Carrer d’Enric Granados, 15 08007) while you are here! Also, around the corner is La Pastisseria (Carrer d’Aragó, 228 08007). These more than fit the bill for birthday treats.

I will report more when we are home, but our dinner at Tickets was excellent. We were there in the early side as it was the night of our arrival but they definitely looked to seat a few walk ins at the bar seats. YMMV.

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Thanks for the update. We have had a wonderful lunch at Betlem ( tuna tataki with strawberries particularly sumptuous) ,a good lunch at La Pepita ( octopus great) and as ever crazy value for various fish, albeit in a canteen style at La Paradeta ( see attached pic of my squid ) . Tried to get into Bar Pinoxtos as recommended above. One he’ll of a q - even in a market! Thanks for the sweet treats tips!

[uni]

That squid looks fantastic.

Also received these tips for Sunday afternoon stroll, vermouth and lunch:

Go to Parlament Street (heart of Sant Antoni area)
Close to the old market (under renovation) today is a flea market.
Bar Calders
Jonny Aldana
Sortidors del Parlament
El dinàmic
La Xalada

Then you can jump to Poble Sec neighborhood and enjoy:
Seco
Palo Cortao
Cal Marino

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Brilliant, thanks. Let me know how you get on as we may head over to that area this evening!

[willowan (EMLYN WILLIAMS)]

Hello again
If you are still in barca you MUST try the Donuteria on Parlament in Poble Sec. The citrus with vanilla filling is scrumptious. I flew back yeterday…already wish i was back there !!

[uni]

We flew out yesterday as well will try it next time though!