Like a Local - Barcelona - page 42

Water & Wine
Lunch or dinner, wine is always a fine idea, according to most barcelonins . Luckily, many
restaurants offer menú del día (menu of the day, or fixed price) lunches that include a glass
of red or white. If you become a regular, waiters may give you complimentary refills or
even leave the bottle. Of course, you can also opt for another drink. A word on water: no
one drinks it straight from the tap (taste it and you'll know why). Order agua mineral, either
con gas (bubbly) or sin gas (still).
Tapas
When hunger pains arrive in the afternoon or early evening, locals head out for a predinner
tapa. This means heading to the local favourite for a bite of anchovies, sausage, squid, wild
mushrooms, roasted peppers or dozens of other tempting morsels. Wine, cava or beer all
make fine accompaniments. Many tapas spots are quite lively stand-around-the-bar affairs
( Bormuth and Vaso de Oro are great places to start). When it's time for a change of scenery,
barcelonins might make their way to dinner or just head to another tapas bar and skip the
sit-down formality altogether.
Local Meal Spots
La Rambla is fine for a stroll, but no local would eat there. The same holds for Carrer Ferran
and other tourist-packed streets in Barri Gòtic. The Gòtic does, however, have some local-
favoured gems, particularly on the narrow lanes of the east side - such as Onofre and Cafè
de l'Acadèmia . For a more authentic neighbourhood dining experience, browse the streets
of El Born, Barceloneta, El Raval and Gràcia.
Weekends
Many barcelonins head out of town on the weekends. That could mean skiing in the Pyren-
ees in winter, or heading up the Costa Brava in summer. Those that stick around might hit
up flea markets or produce markets, head to the beach or have an outing in the park. The
parks are liveliest on weekends, when local musicians, picnickers, pop-up markets and play-
ing children add to the city's relaxed air. Culture-craving locals might hit an art opening -
openings at CCCB and MACBA are good fun - see a rep film ( Filmoteca de Catalunya has
intriguing fare) or catch a concert (like at Jazz Sí Club or Sala Apolo ) .