Streetlife: Rec Comtal

Originally published July 2018, updated November 15, 2021.

• Elsa y Fred

  Inspired by a 2005 Argentine rom-com, this gastrobar radiates the same warmth as its namesake. Elsa y Fred is a popular spot for brunch in the Born, offering a menu brimming with tapas and breakfast dishes. The snug space is decorated with patterned wallpaper and kitsch photo frames, enticing passers-by inside for a catch-up over coffee or food.

  Co-owned by couple Camila and Ramón Matarazzo, the business is a family affair: Ramón wanted to pursue his passion for cooking, while Camila designed the cozy interior with the help of her sister. “I always loved that the film was about positivity and living happily,” explained Camila. “We wanted to reflect this in the restaurant. People come here for the friendly atmosphere as much as the food.”

• Hiper Retal

  Offering a range of beautiful fabrics, sold by the meter and stored by the stack, this family-owned fabric shop is one of Rec Comtal’s oldest shops. It was founded in 1978 by Francisco Ripoll Barbera and is now run by Ripoll Barbera’s daughter, Sonia. A bonafide neighborhood business, the staff have developed lasting relationships with their customers, who come from all over the city to purchase reasonably priced materials.

• Hotel Rec

  The adults-only Hotel Rec opened in January 2018 to much fanfare from the press—and for good reason. Housed in a custom-built block overlooking the Arc de Triomf, the modern three-star hotel is named after the waterway that supplied the city with its lifeblood for hundreds of years, and attempts to channel the same spirit of innovation through the design of its rooms and social spaces. Boasting a rooftop pool, a light and airy lounge with views of the city and the acclaimed Fismuler restaurant, the Hotel Rec offers a simple but chic place for weary travelers to escape the bustle of the city center.

• Les Dues Sicílies

  Named after the bygone Southern Italian kingdom, this take-away pizza joint aims to transport its patrons to the streets of Napoli and shores of Sicily, and prides itself on using imported ingredients, such as wild fennel from the Sicilian mountains.

  The Neapolitan-style pizzas are made from dough that has been left to rise for 48 hours to enhance flavor and help with digestion. “The site here on Rec Comtal chose us,” explained co-founder, Elena Cristiano. “We inherited it, ovens and all, from a bakery that had been open for over a hundred years.”

• Nakashita

  This popular Japanese restaurant is inspired by the layout of a traditional Japanese tavern, with sushi chefs at a wooden bar along one side of the restaurant, fashioning their innovative creations and devising new and exciting recipes for the daily specials menu. The space itself is compact, snugly fitting 16 diners at oak tables, with an overflow terrace on the street outside.