Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Street Eats
36
On the Tapas Trail
Quite a Mouthful
Barcelona, Spain
Technically, tapas—the tasty bar snacks
first served in Jerez, Andalusia, to keep
sherry drinkers from getting tipsy—could
be anything: toasted almonds, olives, a
slice of chorizo laid over a wineglass (the
word tapa means “lid” in Spanish). But as
the tapas custom spread around Spain,
then around the world, bars began creat-
ing increasingly elaborate tapas: snails,
shrimp, stuffed peppers, saucy eel or
octopus, dabs of seafood salad, even bull
testicles, until a
tapeo,
or tapas crawl,
could supplant dinner entirely. And thanks
to Catalonian culinary creativity, the most
intriguing tapas scene these days is in
Barcelona.
A great place to start is in the heart of
the Old City, at
Taller de Tapas
(Calle de
l'Argenteria 51;
&
34/93/268-85-59
), a
pleasant exposed-brick eatery that's a vir-
tual tapas classroom, with table service, a
trilingual menu (Catalan, Spanish, and Eng-
lish), and an open kitchen turning out clas-
sic Spanish tapas—marinated anchovies
from the Costa Brava, Palamós prawns
with scrambled eggs, grilled duck foie, or
sizzling chorizo cooked in cider. Within a
few streets' radius of Taller de Tapas, a
number of bars take tapas in other intrigu-
ing directions. To the north,
Mosquito
(Calle Carders 46;
&
34/93/268-75-69
)
goes international with Indian, Thai, and
Malaysian-style tapas. To the east,
Santa
María
(Calle Comerç 17;
&
34/93/315-12-
27
) serves Spanish-Asian fusion tapas,
such as local fruits stuffed with Thai-spiced
peanuts, suckling pig with wasabi and soy,
or raw sea bass marinated in passion fruit,
tomato, and lime vinaigrettes. To the west,
convivial
Cal Pep
(Plaça de les Olles 8;
&
34/93/310-79-61
) offers a 50-strong list
Classic Spanish bar snacks at Taller de Tapas.
of snacks with lots of fresh-off-the-boat
seafood, like tiny clams in spicy broth or
tuna with sesame sauce. Just south,
Bar
Celta
(Calle Mercè 16;
&
34/93/315-00-
06
) works wonders with novelties such as
octopus tentacles, pigs' lips and ears, and
delightful green peppers known as
pimien-
tos del padrón.
Heading uptown, veer off touristy Pas-
seig de Gràcia to find busy
Ciudad Condal
(Rambla de Catalunya 18;
&
34/93/318-
19-97
), beloved for its
patatas bravas,
fried fish, and anchovies. Then, push on up
the road to
Cervecería Catalana
(Carrer
Majorca 236;
&
34/93/216-03-68
), for
juicy slices of filet beef skewered with pep-
pers, and giant prawn brochettes.
