Barcelona, a while within the late nineteenth century: Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí is dreaming up a church so fantastical it should take over a century of development to… stay unfinished. Quickly, rich tycoons — your early 1900s’ Musks and Bezoses — are commissioning the name-droppiest architects to outdo the neighbours. It’s peak Modernisme, Catalonia’s maximalist tackle Artwork Nouveau, the place floral motifs, fantastical façades and patterned tiles will flip the brand new housing venture of Eixample (pronounced Ee-sham-pla, that means ‘enlargement’) right into a structural wonderland.
Immediately, Eixample’s ethereal, grid-structured streets supply a meditative breather after navigating the tangle of the Gothic Quarter. The neighbourhood is a story of two halves: the proper aspect (Dreta de l’Eixample) — east of Carrer de Balmes and residential to wonder-constructions like Casa Batlló, one other Gaudí — is smarter and extra sedate.
Go left to L’Esquerra, and issues really feel freer. Rainbow flags mark ‘Gaixample’; an LGBTQ+ hub the place it’s completely regular to see grandmas wheeling their trolley luggage previous window shows of latex jockstraps. The left’s restaurant scene exploded post-pandemic, whereas newly pedestrianised road Consell de Cent cuts throughout Eixample’s entirety — offering a far much less touristy La Rambla 2.0 that’s speckled with boutiques and terraces of vermouth-dispensing bars.
Need to know the very best nooks? This resident welcomes you into their tackle guide that will help you craft the right weekend break in Barcelona…
What to do
It’s onerous to verbalise the magic you are feeling contained in the Sagrada Família, aside from to easily say: see it. Whereas the outside is mad and exuberant, the inside’s sunflower-hued mild — kaleidoscopic, virtually, because it passes via stained glass — is otherworldly. In summer time, guide tickets at the very least three weeks prematurely.
To see Gaudí’s different Eixample gems at their greatest, go to at quieter instances. From March to November, Casa Batlló’s Magical Nights mix an hour-long go to with a rooftop live performance (from rock classics to rumba) with a glass of cava thrown in. The excessive level of La Pedrera’s guided Evening Expertise is a rooftop projection present — usually accompanied by reside jazz in summer time; or select a Dawn ticket for a tour when the one factor pouring in is first mild.
The most effective breakfasts in Eixample
Barcelona breakfasts hardly ever begin earlier than 9.30am — blame these 10pm dinners. Once they do, Funky Eatery’s ‘Barcelona Breakfast’ options pan con tomate (heat bread slathered in olive oil and tomato), manchego cheese and jamón ibérico, in addition to Continental twists like babka French toast or Turkish mezze. Perch on the terrace or inside amongst uncovered brick partitions and contemporary flowers; should you’re nonetheless in siesta mode, the espresso smoothie (double espresso, banana, dates and milk) is rocket gas.
Eat My Journey’s colour-explosion plates are created with one eye on social protection (the pancakes are certainly topped with sweet floss), however the queue doesn’t lie — its atypical dishes, such because the Alps Brunch skillet of truffled roast potatoes, poached eggs, melted cheese and mushrooms, are flavour-packed. Close by, sustainability-focused Faire, which vegetation a tree for every invoice handed out, whips up chia puddings, açaí bowls, avo toasts and all method of eggs, alongside an alt-latte line-up spanning mushroom espresso, matcha and home made chai.
Salut Bistro, which transforms right into a breezy early-doors restaurant after 7.30pm, opens with croque madames, shakshuka and croissants. If the alfresco spots are full, the inside’s marble tables and green-leather benches befit crucial meal of the day. For one thing on the go, bougie bakery Origo’s sourdough loaves and cinnamon twists are extensively thought of the town’s greatest baked items (price noting: wine is bought right here, too).
The most effective espresso in Eixample
You odor LOT Roasters earlier than you see it — just lately floor beans mixing with scorching spiced cardamom and baked items so contemporary it’s just like the oven door has simply opened. Then you definately stroll inside and it appears to be like as lovely because it smells. Authentic patterned ground tiles home sacks-of-coffee beans-turned-seats, all graced by the bottoms of Barcelona’s coolest dressers and their canines. Nobody’s in a rush, however that’s sort of the purpose — sit again, sip, style-watch and savour.
Onis Espresso is teeny however scene-y. Styling is deliberately minimal other than a curated edit of unique artworks in gilded frames, a crystal chandelier and one window seat in and out (AKA: the spot). Glorious brews come from Barcelona-based Three Marks Espresso and visitor roasters from throughout Europe, and there’s a small-but-willpower-straining assortment of buns and pastries.
The place to buy
Passeig de Gràcia is a type of still-magnificent European excessive streets with out a vaping store in sight. The flagships of locals Loewe and Massimo Dutti impress for the buildings alone: Casa Loewe’s pink pillars are by Modernista grasp Lluís Domènech i Montaner (inside, the artwork assortment consists of ceramics by some bloke referred to as Picasso). In the meantime, Massimo Dutti occupies the previous house-studio of painter Ramon Casas — the primary ground is a jawdropper, with its flower-carved pillars, mosaic flooring and secret terrace overlooking Gaudí’s La Pedrera.
Inventive kudos goes to Considering Mu, which shows its sustainable casualwear (constructed from hemp, natural cotton and biofibres) atop micro-cement tables in a limewashed retailer that hosts espresso residencies by native roasters. For youths, Bobo Choses’s colour-pop outfits — all Vichy checks and funky graphic tees — sit inside an equally vivid retailer: you enter through theatre curtains, and children will probably beeline to the tent to get den-building.
Carrer d’Enric Granados is a one-street marvel for impartial manufacturers: peruse The Avant’s slow-made womenswear, Curated By’s way of life retailer and La Manso’s stackable costume rings.
Over on the Dreta aspect, don’t miss stylist Alissa Ashcraft’s flawless edit of pre-loved premium labels (together with Philo-era Céline) at The Favourite Classic. And Altell 112 is the best tackle on the town for unisex, indie-label streetwear, reminiscent of Aries and ROA.
The place to eat dinner
Behind an deliberately unmarked door, speakeasy-slash-restaurant Suru Bar is certainly one of left-side Eixample’s most memorable examples of young-authored Catalan delicacies (open mid-week solely). Britpop blares, and concrete, metal and dark-red decor units the stage for low-intervention wines and flavour-upending dishes, reminiscent of sweet-and-sticky skewers. To dial dishes again to the classics, buzzy Malparit serves completely baked market fish (plus wonderful chips) on squishy banquette seating that seems like Soho Home meets a summer time home.
The most effective of the under-€100 tasting menus are discovered at Âme and Besta. Âme melds French cooking right into a kaiseki idea (cohesively sequenced Japanese small plates); every thing is delicate and cooked to absolute perfection, from the plump scallops to the divine duck. Besta is Catalan-Galician, that means seafood from each the Med and the Atlantic, and that’s as a lot element because the menu provides you. Dishes are defined as they seem — the fixed being excellent freshness.
And for extra step-count gas after dinner, DelaCrem’s ice-cream flavours change month-to-month to replicate what’s harvested regionally and seasonally.
The place to drink
Whereas the pet-nat crowd quaffs in Poblenou, Eixample sticks to classics like vermouth. Gap-in-the-wall vermutería Morro Fi was launched by native vermouth bloggers to serve their very own blends of the botanical, fortified wine. Inside, there’s sufficient wiggle-room for 12, or benefit from the Catalan pre-meal ritual of la hora de la vermut on the road, the place vermouth is poured over a hunk of ice and an orange slice, and accompanied by salty skewers of olives, anchovies and piparras (Basque chilli peppers).
An atmospheric outside consuming spot has appeared the place Carrer del Consell de Cent crosses Carrer de Girona. This spot was as soon as lanes of visitors; at present, its benches and flowerbeds are a triumph of city regeneration. Individuals-watch from the terrace at Betlem, a family-run bar since 1892, that rolls out croquetas, cheese plates and well-priced wines by the glass. Across the nook on Carrer de Girona, you’ll spot the inexperienced doorways and bygone-era awning of Café del Centre — this Parisian-esque former on line casino, established in 1873, is a superb wager for night chatter and drink-clinking surrounded by charming unique decor.
For going out-out, there’s Sips, which was topped the world’s greatest bar in 2023. Downside is, there’s additionally the queue for Sips. Dodge the hour-long wait at The Alchemix, the place creative cocktails meet mouth-tingling South-East Asian bites, courtesy of proprietor Ignacio’s stint at Bangkok’s Michelin-starred Gaggan.
The place to remain
When you like your decor extra trendy than Modernista, Ohla Eixample Lodge cuts the chintz for a lesson in modern, steel-pillared minimalism. Nowhere extra so than on the roof, the place a domino-shaped pool enables you to hug the constructing’s edge… do you have to dare. One much less fright: it’s heated all yr spherical. Downstairs, Xerta restaurant specialises in seafood from the rice fields of the Ebro Delta close to Tarragona — the set-price, mid-week lunch menu is a specific steal, throwing in two glasses of wine.
If Ohla’s all in regards to the pool, Alma Barcelona is all in regards to the backyard. You’d by no means comprehend it from the townhouse façade, however the again conceals a big, established inexperienced area with tree-shaded sofas made for sipping mezcal-infused home cocktails. Alma is just like the glamorous aunt of the town’s lodge scene: all herringbone picket flooring, Aesop-lined tub tubs and limewashed neutrals. A spa with an indoor pool, Pilates lessons and a non-public solar terrace seal the (very good) deal.
For stealth-wealth decor (like Santa & Cole lamps) and the texture of an ‘in’ spot, Casa Sagnier attracts well-heeled locals and guests. For one factor, there’s its pedigree: it’s the previous house and studio of Enric Sagnier, Barcelona’s most prolific Modernista architect (who designed 380 buildings, should you fancy a counting problem). Secondly, there’s its library-turned-eatery, Cafè de l’Arquitecte, the place cortado-fuelled catch-ups unfold on the window seats and enterprise lunches natter inside. Situated on the nook of plant-filled Passatge de la Concepció, with nice night haunts like Pur (for dinner) and Boca Grande (for a nightcap), Casa Sagnier provides full of life surrounds, counterbalanced with some blissfully personal off-bedroom terraces.
Discover the remainder of Barcelona in a weekend or see the town’s greatest boutique inns
Freelance journalist Gemma Askham began her profession as a motoring author the place, per week into the job, she was despatched firstclass to Thailand to take a pick-up truck off-road. Since then, her profession path has been smoother, however actually no more sedentary: she’s lived in London, Sydney and just lately moved to Barcelona together with her half-Swedish, half-Spanish husband. Gemma’s writing has appeared in main British and worldwide titles, together with The Instances, Glamour, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.
