Between bread
These Barcelona eateries pay tribute to one of the most humble and underrated Spanish snacks: the bocadillo.
It’s a rare occasion when there isn’t a line snaking out from the takeaway window at this tiny sandwich shop. Here, simple, fresh baguettes are filled with grilled chicken, beef, tuna, salmon or tortilla, and topped with all the fresh veggies and feta you want. After paying just €3-€5, stake out a spot across the street on the sunlit steps of Barcelona’s main post office—an unexpectedly majestic backdrop for such a casual meal. And once your jaw is tired of chewing, treat the pigeons to your leftover bread.
Fusteria 14.
Ask anyone who works near Plaça Sant Jaume where they go when they’re in the mood for a bocadillo and they’ll likely say Conesa. Since 1951, this iconic sandwich shop has been serving homemade hot rolls, pressed on its own trademarked griddles. When it was founded, the majority of Conesa’s customers were civil servants from the nearby city hall and Generalitat headquarters who came to drink a chatito de vino with their ham or cheese sandwich. Since then its clientele has grown to include four generations of Barceloneses as well as newcomers to the city and day-trippers. However, it’s still a family business, with Don Pedro Conesa’s son, Josep, now working hard to indulge locals and visitors alike.
Llibreteria 1.
Elvis, Lou Reed, The Beatles, U2, Queen, Kiss, Oasis—Louise se va has all the musicians you know and love, just not how you’re used to seeing them. This local haunt, tucked away in the neighbourhood of Horta, has named all 53 of its sandwiches after famous performers. So many choices may be overwhelming, but with the average price per sandwich under €4 you won’t break the bank by coming back again and again to try something new. There’s a general consensus among patrons that the service here is unusually fast and friendly, and it’s a great place to gather with friends any night of the week.
Plaça d'Eivissa 11.
Although a modest-looking joint from the outside, Sagàs is “possibly the world’s best sandwich bar”, according to Condé Nast Traveller. Oriol Rovira (of Michelin-starred restaurant Els Casals near Vic) set up shop on the edge of the Born to provide hungry passersby with a high-quality product made from healthy ingredients—free from additives, colouring and preservatives. ‘From the land to the table’ is his philosophy, and vintage black-and-white images of Rovira's farming family decorate the walls of the space to remind diners just where their meal has come from. Sagàs’ menu changes four times a year, but the house speciality—strips of bacon covered in capers, figs, arugula, fresh cheese from the small Catalan town of La Quar, olive paste and carquinyolis vinaigrette—is always available.
Pla de Palau 13.
‘A homage to the working class hero’, Chivuo’s prides itself on its menu of street food and craft beer. All three of its locations have a cosy, communal feel, inviting you to sit back and enjoy a sandwich from its shortlist. The pulled pork—slow-cooked at a low temperature and served on a soft, buttery bun—has been a customer favourite since the first of its restaurants opened in Gràcia almost three years ago. Waiter Daniel Zambrano explained that all the staff at Chivuo’s, like founders Alejandro Bringas and Juan Andrés Latuff, are Venezuelan. “Where we come from, we say ‘chivuo’ to men who haven’t shaved in two or three days,” he said, which is why the company logo is an artsy drawing of a beard. “Informally, people also call God ‘The Chivuo’, and we believe that here, as in God’s paradise, there should be plenty of good food and cold beer.”
Pintor Fortuny 15. València 204. Torrent de l'Olla 175.