The Gràcia neighborhood tastes like vermouth
The morning, properly speaking, begins in Gràcia with the second breakfast of the day at Can Tosca , in the purest Catalan style: a good ** sausage sandwich ** and, if possible, a glass of cava... Even if it's 10:30 in the morning.
Modest and unassuming, the Can Tosca, in Carrer del Torrent de l'Olla , is one of the bastions of the neighborhood, an institution unknown to tourists and revered by residents for three generations: Conchita Tosca, matriarch and founder, opened the doors in 1961.
Today, the faces that greet you from the other side of the bar may be others (specifically those of Inma, Rosa and David, second and third generation), but the smiles and the sausage are still as authentic as the first day.
The center of Vila de Gracia
And so, once the day has begun as is customary in Gràcia, we are welcomed by L'Abaceria Central , the market where residents have been shopping since before Barcelona claimed Gràcia as a neighbourhood. Do not wait for another Boquería: in L'Abaceria, camera flashes are still an isolated event , which will cause more than one neighbor to stop mid-order and turn their heads. In this corner of the city, it is not yet contemplated to put a brake on large groups, mainly due to the episodic nature of their visits.
L'Abaceria, in its role as the neighborhood market, acts as ingredient supplier and meeting center : in each corner you will see the neighbors stop to say hello in a stall, and take the opportunity to have a little cap. What Josep's banderillas , marinated by himself; or one Iberian ham sample from Montse , standard-bearer of Fabregas Charcuteries.
In the easy market you can spend the whole morning, and as soon as you realize it, the golden hour of the morning has arrived in Gràcia: the vermouth . In Barcelona, a day without vermouth is a lost day, and the winery Lime Pep welcomes us with open arms, ready to remedy.
** Cal Pep has been on duty for more than 80 years** in one of the most emblematic streets of the neighbourhood, Carrer de Verdi, now proudly led by Rafa and Griselda, father and daughter. Crossing its threshold is seeing the history of Gràcia embodied on its walls (from which a poster is never removed or a photo changed – they are only added), and it is savoring the spirit of the neighborhood in a glass of homemade vermouth with the superpower of take you back in time.
But for a trip to the past, the one that José prepares every day in the ** Botigueta del Bo Menjar **, in Santa Agata street. His kitchen may be the smallest in Gràcia, but the flavors that come out of it would rival the most impressive dishes in anyone's life: his grandmother's. José specializes in real homemade food, the one you remember from your younger years: roasted chicken with chickpeas, meatballs in sauce with peas, fideuá.
The pots of the Botigueta
places like those of José, Rafa, Montse, Josep or the Toscas , they tell us about a Vila de Gràcia of yesteryear quieter but never forgotten. This Gràcia of local products, homemade dishes, and bars with their own name is still very much alive, fighting against franchises and mass cuisine that, much to their regret, has eroded other neighborhoods in Barcelona.
"These sites, like the neighborhood, are places with history, a history intimately linked to Gràcia and Barcelona" , explains Renée Christensen, a Barcelona lover who has allowed herself to be adopted by the city, and who now hopes to show it as it is (and was) since Devour Barcelona .
Christensen, who has witnessed the closure of many traditional venues due to the advance of mass tourism, is determined to prevent others from going down the same path. “We don't want to lose any more piece of the history of Gràcia”.
View of Gracia
The appetizer is religion
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