Here is another article to help you with your Eating requirements, while
you are staying visiting the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We will be adding something new every
day, so keep coming back.
Eating and Drinking Tips
Coffee and a pastry make for a typical breakfast in Catalonia. Ordering
coffee can be a complex art, but the most common varieties are "café
solo" (espresso), "café con leche" (plenty of milk) and "café cortado"
(just a bit of milk). Expect to pay around €2 for a coffee and
croissant; it'll cost more in a hotel, of course. Breakfast hours run
from around 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Most restaurants have a set three-course lunch menu that's good
value, but you can always order à la carte or just nosh on "bocadillos,"
the sandwiches that are a Catalan national treat. Lunch runs from about
1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Catalans, like all Spaniards, eat dinner late; 8 p.m. is considered early.
Almost all the restaurants below feature full bars. Expect to pay €2
to €3 for a beer and around €5 for harder stuff. The local beer most
commonly on tap is Estrella Damm; ordering a "caña d'Estrella" gets you a
glass of the good local stuff.
Where to Eat and Drink
The new convention center
has 49 restaurants, including fast food and sit-down options, different
international cuisines, vegetarian, Kosher, and Halal food. You still
might want to leave the convention center, though—whether you arrive
before the venue opens in the morning, you want to take a break, or just
want to try out a local business.
Fortunately, the Fira is surrounded by restaurants, mostly north and
east of the venue. We got local recommendations and tried the best.
The city of Barcelona has world-class dining, of course. The city
tourism board offers a free restaurant booking service at a kiosk just
inside the Fira's North Entrance and the South Entrance, letting you
book tables at 170 restaurants. Once your reservation has been
confirmed, the restaurant will welcome you with a free glass of cava
when you display your Mobile World Congress pass.
Restaurants Near the South Entrance
Nuclo
Avenida Joan Carles I 58, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 233-4989;
Hours (Monday to Friday): 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Lunch menu: €26.50, Tasting menu: €49.20
Right by the entrance to the convention center, the award-winning Nuclo
offers world-class, international cuisine using local, seasonal
ingredients. Chef Jordi Narro worked with the legendary Ferran Adri
à .
Expect creatively reinvented Spanish cuisine, with dishes like crayfish
tartare with corn foam being followed by a fish of the chef's choice in
a crayfish jus. See what he did there? There's even narrative.
Reservations are absolutely essential, as far in advance as possible.
Spiral
In the Porta Fira Hotel, Plaça Europa 45, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 297-3500;
Hours: Lunch 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
Entrees: €10 to €21
If you can't get into Nuclo, Spiral, on the ground floor of the Porta
Fira hotel across the street, is your next best bet. Like Nuclo, Spiral
offers wittily reinvented traditional Spanish food: a forest of
asparagus dusted with Parmesan "dirt," for instance, or little pasta
pockets stuffed with a mildly sweet pear jam. When I went, service was
attentive and occasionally delivered surprises, like an unexpected
amuse-bouche of strawberry sangria. Reservations are strongly
recommended.
Palmer
In the Renaissance Hotel, Plaça Europa 50-52, L'Hospitalet 08902
+34 (93) 261-8000;
Hours: Lunch 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Lunch menu: €24, Entrees: €13 to €28
The most dramatic setting in the area, Palmer perched up on the 14th
floor of the Renaissance Hotel and promises truly business-class
service. When I ate there, though, both service and food were off; there
was no host to greet me, and my monkfish "all cremat" (a popular local
sauce with garlic and white wine) was unpleasantly chewy. Things are
sure to improve with time, though, as the hotel is brand-new and just
getting on its feet. Reservations strongly are recommended.
Narandam
In the Fira Congress Hotel, Carrer de José Agustín Goytisolo 9-11, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 267-1800;
Hours: Lunch 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Lunch menu: €24
The hotel restaurant in the Fira Congress Hotel, Narandam has a long
wall of bright windows, letting light in. The menu combines Portuguese,
Spanish, French and Italian influences, so you can get Galician octopus,
steak with Port wine sauce, or pasta puttanesca. The approach to the
hotel is a little less classy than with the Porta Fira or Renaissance,
though, and the Fira Congress looks like it could do with a bit of a
sprucing-up. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Atlantida
In the Hotel Solvasa Barcelona, Carrer Ciencies 98-100, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 503-5090;
Hours (daily): Breakfast 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Lunch 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Entrees: €9.95 to €21
The least imposing of the local hotel restaurants, Atlantida is in the
basement of the Solvasa hotel a few minutes' walk southeast of the Fira.
The menu is basic, hearty and simple: steak, sausage, grilled fish, and
squid, for instance. Free Wi-Fi is available.
Casa Varela
Carrer Blas Fernandez Lirola 82, 08908 L'Hospitalet
+34 (93) 431-9205
Hours (Monday through Friday): 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; (Saturday): 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lunch menu: €9.95
A very traditional, family-run restaurant right near the South
Entrance, Casa Varela gets very good reviews from locals. The menu is a
mix of local specialties and European favorites; you can get pasta,
roast chicken, fish stew or even Wiener schnitzel. While the owners
don't speak much English, they're used to doing corporate events for the
companies in the area; make a reservation if you want to make sure
there's room.
Piripipao
Carrer Arquitectura 20, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 421-1203
Hours (Monday through Saturday): 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Entrees: €7 to €20
Highly recommended by the staff at the nearby Marriott AC Hotel Som,
Piripipao is an upscale neighborhood restaurant with a classy Spanish
menu. Expect the usual tapas and entrees like sesame-crusted tuna and
beef tenderloin in a port wine sauce.
Panaderia Bolleria Cabré
Carrer Aprestadora 106, L'Hospitalet 08902
+34 (93) 422-6610
Hours (Monday through Saturday): 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Most pastries: €2 and under
This family-run establishment offers pastries so fresh and light, they
practically float into your mouth. While it's a bit of a walk from the
convention center, it's worth it for specialties like an apple tart
cuddled in a buttery cloud of phyllo dough. The owners also run a small
sit-down cafe down the block.
Glub
Plaça Europa 41, L'Hospitalet 08908
Hours (Monday through Saturday): 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Breakfast: €2.20-€5, Lunch: €11
The pleasures at Glub aren't necessarily the food: this relatively
nondescript neighborhood restaurant is right across the street from the
Fira and has both plenty of seating and Wi-Fi. Breakfast there wasn't
much to report about, but as I said: plenty of seating, and Wi-Fi. It's a
good place to base yourself if you're too early to get into the show.
Bar Mediterraneo, next door, is very similar, keeping the same hours and
also featuring Wi-Fi.
Bar Restaurant Maxi
Carretera del Prat 30bis, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 296-8410
Hours (daily): 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Entrees: generally €9.75 to €18; tapas: €4 and up
Want to eat and drink like a real local? Stop by this better-than-usual
tapas joint (shown above) right down the street from the convention
center. It's full of locals, but has an English-speaking waiter and
menu, and the patatas bravas and piquillo peppers are a significant
notch above the quality you can get at the tapas places at the mall.
Entrees focus on shellfish, with a massive mixed-seafood "marisco"
platter feeding four for €42. Reservations are recommended if you don't
want to end up eating at the bar.
Mangia e Bevi
Gran Via 16, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 259-0972;
Hours (Monday): 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., (Tuesday through Thursday): 8 a.m. to midnight, (Friday and Saturday): noon to midnight
Pizzas: €11 to €14; meter-wide pizza: €48
Pizza is the specialty at this clean, brightly-lit neighborhood
restaurant on the other side of the mall from the convention center. And
if you're bringing a party, the pizzas get big: they showed me the
wooden board on which they cook pizzas 36 inches in diameter. Like any
good pizza joint, this one delivers, if you can't manage to leave your
booth. A full bar and coffee are also available.
Niza Xurreria
Carretera del Prat, off Carrer Energia
+34 (647) 809-580
Need a snack? This food truck has been serving churros since 1952.
Churros start at €2, waffles at €3 and you can get french fries, too.
The truck is out during daylight.
Cafe Glacé and Muxia
Amadeu Torner 40 and Aprestadora 113, L'Hospitalet 08902
Cafe Glacé +34 (93) 263-5364, Muxia +34 (93) 263-0594
Cafe Glacé Hours (daily): 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Muxia Hours (daily): 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Sandwich and beer: €5.10; Muxia lunch menu: €13.80
Up Amadeu Torner street across Plaça Europa you'll find these two
neighborhood cafés with an important specialty: they both have Wi-Fi. As
you'd expect from the name, Cafe Glacé is mostly ice cream and crepes,
with a small indoor area and many tables out on the street. Muxia is a
more traditional Galician tapas restaurant with a full bar, lunch and
dinner menus, including a menu translated into English.
Granvia 2
Carrer de la Literatura 1, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 259-0050;
Hours (Monday through Saturday): 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Entrees: Prices vary, but usually €10 to €20
The gigantic mall opposite the convention center has an unusually
pleasant food court. Unlike most mall food courts, it's outside, with a
series of heated tents protecting diners. Food options include an udon
bar, two Italian pasta restaurants, a decent Basque restaurant called
Baskonia, and an entirely industrial tapas place, Barnatapa. It's not
exactly a meaningful cultural experience, but it's food, and it's easy.
Within the mall, the main highlight is Wi-Fi. The mall's two Jamaica
coffee shops and giant Carrefour supermarket radiate free Wi-Fi to
everything nearby, including the tasty Andreu jamón bar on the basement
level directly across from Carrefour. I'd go back to Andreu.
Restaurants Near the North Entrance
Granja Elena
Paseo Zona Franca 228, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 332-0241
Hours (Monday through Saturday): 7 a.m. to noon, (Monday through Friday): 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrees: approximately €20
The best restaurant in the area, Granja Elena (shown above) has the
atmosphere of a small local bar but offers world-class food. Expect
traditional Catalan dishes like fish croquettes and roasted artichokes,
but raised to the next level. My croquettes were cloud-light, and my
artichokes were fork-tender and fell apart into a black sausage soup,
giving a bit of a feeling of noodles in gravy. The restaurant sources
ingredients locally whenever possible. With only 28 seats and a faithful
clientele, reservations are essential, at least a week in advance.
La Vid
Carrer Foc 44, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 289-6347;
Hours (daily): 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lunch menu: €15.30
The huge, practically brand-new La Vid restaurant sits right across
from the North Entrance of the convention center, making it a prime
target for corporate events. You'll pay a little more for the atmosphere
and location than you would at other similar restaurants in Barcelona,
but I was happy for the business-friendly ambiance and multilingual
menus. The traditional Galician menu is seafood-heavy, and I had a
melt-in-my-mouth whole sea bass with a very citrusy vegetable ragout on
the side, and chocolate crepes for dessert. A full bar, tapas and
sandwich menus are also available.
Acquit Ibèrics i Café
Avenida Granvia de L'Hospitalet 1, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 432-8483;
Hours (Monday through Friday): 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Lunch menu: €9.35 to €12.20
Right by the City of Justice complex, the brand-new Acquit bistro
clearly caters to health-conscious lawyers. (Also, with the name.)
Expect traditional tapas but also a lot of fresh salads and fish.
La Sal Del Port
Carrer Foc 84, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 007-5988
Hours (daily): 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lunch menu: €10.50
A new breakfast and tapas bar just off the Passeig de Zona Franca on
the way to or from the North Entrance, La Sal Del Port is friendly and
clean, although nobody there speaks English. Breakfast is
run-of-the-mill pastries, lunch a range of traditional specialties like
roast chicken or monkfish in romesco sauce. The usual tapas are also
available, along with a full bar. It's a good place to meet people on
the way to App Planet or the Theatre District.
Forn de Pa Praga
Corner of Energia and Foneria, Barcelona 08038
Hours (Monday through Friday): 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., (Saturday and Sunday): 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Pastries: €1 to €2; sandwich and juice: €3.40
Looking for coffee and a croissant on the way to the North Entrance?
This bright, sunny cafe on a nearby corner is a good bet. The pastries
are of decent quality, and they'll slap together a range of sandwiches,
too.
Dietary Restrictions
Vegetarians: The main tourist office on Plaça
Catalunya has a free booklet called "Guide to Vegetarian Restaurants in
Barcelona," with 63 vegetarian-friendly restaurants listed throughout
the city. Restaurants are tagged as vegetarian or vegan. In general,
it's not hard to get tasty meatless food in Barcelona, as items like
potatoes, piquillo peppers, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, and artichokes
are mainstays of any tapas menu. However, ask a waiter to make sure
animal oils aren't used in preparation.
Kosher: There's one Kosher restaurant and one Kosher
grocery store in Barcelona. They're both in the Sarrià neighborhood.
The restaurant is
Delicias (Santaló 125, 08021 Barcelona; (93) 201-0904;) and it will deliver to hotels. The supermarket is
Isamar Kosher (Avenir 29, 08021 Barcelona; (93) 200-3375;)
Halal: Halal diners shouldn't have a problem in a
city where fish rules many menus. For halal meat, Gràcia is honeycombed
with Turkish and Lebanese restaurants, and there's a large Pakistani
presence in the Raval neighborhood.
Gluten-Free: The Carrefour supermarket in the
Granvia 2 mall directly across from the convention center has a
gluten-free section. You can also get a list of gluten-free restaurants
from
SMAP Celiacs de Catalunya.
Source: http://www.pcmag.com by
Sascha Segan
If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion
or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the
picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.
