Food and drink blog

La Cassola is a sweet little eatery right in the heart of the Barri Gotic. Everything is home-cooked, authentically Catalan, and served, with what is perhaps the friendliest service in the area. They do a great menú del dia too, but unfortunately, when it comes to atmosphere it’s more of a place to warm the cockles of your heart in the winter. The old-fashioned dining room is the perfect antidote to the chill of November, but seems just ever so slightly gloomy in the glare of July. Fortunately, the sisters who run it are overrunning with cheer and have come up with a plan: to serve sweet-tart cups of tomato gazpacho, plates of cantaloupe melon and jamón, and a couple of other suitably cooling snackettes from a take-away menu that changes daily. It’s light, healthy and a perfect pick-me-up when you’re strolling the streets in the heat. It’s also arguably the cheapest food in town with take-away soups and salads raciones starting at just €1. Can’t say fairer than that.