1 of 2
Elephanta
Elephanta Bar Teteria, Gracia
2 of 2
Bottega Verde
Bottega Verde natural cosmetics
1. Shopaholics rejoice Even if you’re feeling a bit guilty about those three, ok, four, recent shopping sprees, there’s room in even the tiniest purses for a trip to the brand new fashion megastore, Primark, which opened its first location in Catalunya on June 9th. With 184 shops across Europe, the chain has become a phenomenon among young people looking for the latest trends at the lowest prices. With t-shirts for just €3 and bags and trousers for €6, how can you resist? Three thousand square metres of the latest must-haves are waiting at Diagonal Mar Centre Comercial. Avinguda Diagonal 3 www.primark.co.uk
2. Fabulous baking A just-opened bakery-café is already making ripples in the icing of Barcelona’s pastry world. The Fabulous Baking Co., in the Sarrià neighbourhood, buys all of its products from the US for use in their large bakery and attached café. Next time you fancy something sweet, and fabulous, you know where to head. Bisbe Sivilla 48. www.fabulousbakingco.com
3. The size of an elephant A little bar in Gràcia with a big name, Elephanta specializes in flavored gin and tonics and boasts 40 different varieties of tea. It is also the place to go for quality snacks, acoustic concerts, film screenings, and handcrafted art exhibits that rotate out every three weeks. With comfortable seating, air-con and WiFi, Elephanta might become your new go-to. And just in case you’re not convinced, they claim to have an unbeatable mango margarita that you have to try, and you’re not one to back down on a challenge, now are you? C/Torrent d'en Vidalet 37 www.elephanta.cat
4. Natural beauty The Italian cosmetics company Bottega Verde is passionate about keeping it natural. With products ranging from skin treatments and make-up to perfumes and hair products, Bottega Verde has taken the top position in natural cosmetics sales in Italy and is now expanding onto the Iberian Peninsula with franchises in Barcelona, Tenerife, and Malaga. If the Italians love it, perhaps we should give it a go. Gran Via 2, www.bottegaverde.es
5. Cool cravings Ice-cream maestros Ben and Jerry have released three new flavours for the season, just in time to beat the heat. Cocoa-covered macadamias are sunk in creamy vanilla in the aptly named ‘Chocolate Macadamia’; you can indulge guilt-free with the pineapple and passion fruit sorbet ‘Jamaican Me Crazy’; and chunks of mango and red berries await in the fat-free ‘Mango Berry Swirl’. You’ve probably already dropped everything to go get yourself a cone, and if not, what are you waiting for? Available at Maremagnum and Centro Comercial Diagonal Mar; www.ben-jerrys.es