Torrijos street: there is a lot here
Between greengrocers, music schools, esoteric places with skulls, bicycle shops and cinemas, it unfolds this typical street of the Gràcia neighbourhood, with its traditional establishments and its brand new ones already consolidated . Torrijos walks the path between one of the best markets in the city, that of the Grocery , and one of the most beautiful squares in Gràcia, that of Virreina. As you go up, you can better see the church of Sant Joan; a cheesy would say that the street leads from the stomach to the soul; we know that both are the same thing.
Our first stop is Cal Miquel , next to the market stalls, a shop selling dairy, artisan and organic products from all over Catalonia: “We get in touch with the producers and we also visit them. We have tested all the products we sell in order to be able to “defend” them better”, Miquel tells us. Each product is from farms with their own herd , for fans of local products and of supporting local producers.
A few steps up, the street has two small bookstores with a very different spirit: ninety It opened less than a year ago in a small place that the owners, residents of the neighborhood, fell in love with. The friendly Jordi explains: "Our intention is not only to offer the latest news but also the possibility of finding titles that, despite the time that has elapsed since their publication, still deserve a reading (or several...)". Novels from prestigious publishers and works to be discovered are distributed among their recommendations.
Almost opposite is I love you , a chiripitifláutico play on words that defines very well the spirit of this bookstore-tearoom specializing in works on personal growth, Eastern philosophies and alternative therapies, which get along so well with the tea world: “I have always been a great reader and when I went to a bookstore to buy books, I felt an irrepressible desire to find a nice place in the one to be able to release it accompanied by a good cup of tea” tells us its owner. “Something so simple at first turned out to be little less than an impossible mission and then the right question came to me. If that place doesn't "exist" why don't you make it happen? And that's when I started it." The result is a very nice site perfect to get absorbed between the pages of much more than works of Paulo Coelho.
Inside Mama's Cafe
Continuing down the street we find a short-lived establishment that already has a legion of followers; the Mama's Cafe meets the parameters of what a modern cafeteria should be today: ecological dishes, varied breakfasts, menu of salads and sandwiches, menu of the day at a good price also on weekends, uninterrupted cooking, coffee and cakes, light wood tables, Wi-Fi and a bonus in the form of a rear terrace that could be that of a friend's house. And, of course, children are welcome. That charm of simplicity comes true here.
From Greece comes the recently landed pastry Nana' Yoti . A neighbor of the same street, the owner chose this place with large windows to import the business that her mother has in Athens, maintaining the philosophy of handmade sweets with natural ingredients . Wooden displays and diaphanous light for very tempting cakes, cookies and jams.
The shadow of the ** Verdi Park cinemas ** (always in the original version and more attentive to the Palme d'Or than to the Oscars) is long, and as we approach them the atmosphere of the street changes a bit to become less diurnal and more festive, of bars and restaurants in which to comment on the penultimate film. the theater cafe , currently being reformed, is a classic with beers for 1 euro at the bar, unbeatable drinks, a festive, relaxed and open atmosphere. Just ahead is the Frenchified Châtelet , which hosts events and concerts among faux-shabby, cozy couches.
A cake from Nana Yoti pastry shop
The street has also unexpectedly become a hotspot for lovers of Mexican food. (we raise our hands) Up to three premises of the same team, Jaguar House , are spread throughout it: they are the already classic Cantina Machito and the not so newcomers Chido One Y Teicawey . They explain to us the origin of the Mexica colonization of the street: “The owner Javier Ruiz has always liked the Gracia neighborhood; Before arriving in Barcelona, the first Machito Cantina was opened in 1995 in L'Ampolla in Tarragona. In 1998, by chance, he learned that the premises where the Machito Cantina currently exists were being transferred, and that's where it all began”.
His intentions about food are clear: “We flee from the type of tex-mex food, we are faithful to simple recipes full of flavor , which can be found anywhere in the Mexican Republic, we seek to make things simple and well executed, without pretensions”. And how do you know which of the places to choose? “Machito is the most traditional, both in aesthetics and in the kitchen, so that it is easy to understand, in Machito you can find the typical food that is prepared in the kitchens of any of the the Mexican states; Chido One is market food, street food, something very, very typical of Mexico; Teicawey is the synthesis of both, it is Mexican cuisine ready to take home, as well as having an excellent selection of Mexican products for sale. The house specialty is burritos. We add that Machito's brunches are overwhelming and wonderful and Teicawey has perfect sweets to take as a dessert of the dishes to go.
Brunch at Cantina Machito
In the final stretch, the Salammbo , a classic of the literary world of the city . It is one of those cafés where just by entering and smelling the wood you are invited to take out a book or to the literary gathering with a pipe at the ready (when you could). Its large tables on the upper floor are highly sought after by students who spread out kilos of notes on it. They have a menu for twelve euros, but more than eating, we recommend it for a snack, a coffee or a drink. Separated from Salambó by a shop selling tasty Chilean empanadas and in front of the dance school lindy hop is he Shhh... Don't tell anyone , a bar expert in making a virtue of necessity, turning its dark premises with low ceilings and exposed brick arches into an intimate, quiet place full of corners in which to settle. Its terrace, like the rest of those at this height of the street, is highly disputed; there is always trying to find a place next door, in the Plaza de la Virreina, or going back down the street in search of the penultimate place to discover that we cannot avoid entering.
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Interior of the Frenchified Chatelet