Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Closing days and holidays
Many restaurants close on Sun or Mon, and on public holidays,
and lots close over Easter and throughout Aug - check the listings for specific details but ex-
pectchanges,sincemanyplaces imaginatively reinterpret theirownpostedopeningdaysand
times.
MENUS
Dishes and specialities
To ask for a menu, request
la carta
, though be warned that some
cheaper places might not have a written menu, with the waiter merely reeling off the day's
dishes at bewildering speed. Turn to the
“language”
section for a menu reader.
A warning
Budget meals sometimes come in the form of a garishly photographed
platcom-
binat
(
platocombinado
, combined plate) of things like eggs, steak or calamari with fries and
salad,butgenerallyspeaking,picturesofdishesonamenuisnotanindicatorofgreatcuisine
- especially so in the case of the pre-prepared paellas advertised on boards outside tourist
restaurants.
THE RAMBLAS
CAFÉS
Escribà
Ramblas 83 933 016 027,
escriba.es
;
Liceu;
map
.
“We don't just make
pastries,wecreateillusions”,claimstherenownedEscribàfamilybusiness.Visittheirclassy,
historic
modernista-
designedpastryshopintheAntigaCasaFiguerasneartheBoqueriamar-
ket and find out why many rate this as the best bakery in Barcelona.
Daily 9am-9pm.
Café de l'Opera
Ramblas 74 933 177 585,
cafeoperabcn.com
;
Liceu;
map
.
If
you're going to pay through the nose for a Ramblas seat, it may as well be at one of the bank
of sought-after pavement tables at this famous old café-bar opposite the opera house, which
retains its
fin-de-siècle
feel. Surprisingly, it's not a complete tourist-fest, and locals pop in
day and night for drinks, cakes and tapas.
Daily 8.30am-2.30am.
CaféZurich
Pl. Catalunya 1 933 179 153; Catalunya;
map
The most famous meet-and-
greet café in town, right at the top of the Ramblas underneath El Triangle shopping centre.
It's good for croissants and breakfast sandwiches and there's a huge pavement terrace, but sit
inside if you don't want to be bothered by endless rounds of buskers and beggars.
Mon-Fri
8am-11pm, Sat & Sun 9am-11pm.
TOP 5 CLASSY CAFÉS
