The Federal: the origin of all this
One cannot properly speak of gentrification, because this is not exactly a degraded neighbourhood, but there is a project from above to give the area a new look, with the Sant Antoni market in the process of being restored and the attempt to bring life back to a somewhat forgotten street in Barcelona that had once been a center of leisure, sin and cabaret: Avinguda del Paral·lel. Precisely Parlament street runs between Paral lel and the Raval neighborhood, in the Sant Antoni neighborhood , belonging in turn to the great grid that is Barcelona's Eixample. And this is where cafes, wineries and galleries are opening with a different spirit that -among the glass shops, fishmongers or classic restaurants- are turning the street into an unusual meeting point and getting many people to move their place of leisure here.
**It all started when the Federal opened ** : its owners frequented the street attracted by the horchata of ** Sirvent ** (one of the historic ones on the street, a place where people line up in summer to get horchata and in winter to get hold of their handmade nougat) and they fell in love with a place with enough light and two levels with a terrace that allowed them to create different environments, also in a street with the perfect location.
In the case of Barcelona, the somewhat schizophrenic love/hate relationship that the city experiences with tourism cannot be ignored : “with so much tourism in Barcelona I think local people were looking for a neighborhood more neighborhood , something a little quieter where you can feel that you are living in a part of the city that is not attacked by commercial tourism” tell us those from the Federal. Years later, his proposal is an absolute success capable of attracting -of course- tourists, hipsters and regulars , because no one can object to its declaration of intent: "We are fans of natural light, good energy, fresh food and good coffee."
La Federal: tourists, hipsters and regulars
“It is great that this street is a meeting point since it has always been the natural path from Paral·lel/Poble Sec to Las Ramblas and the centre. Our idea was to recover and modernize in our own way the concept of the classic Catalan bar and if we also participate in the recovery of an urban space, the better”, they tell us from **el Calders, which is probably very close to the winery of your dreams* * : a place to eat, to have tapas, to have a vermouth, with a large terrace that is just as appetizing in winter as in summer and where everyone is welcome: “We wanted to make a 21st century neighborhood bar, open to the people and the culture, familiar and a bit rogue at the same time and that would connect with that most adventurous and innovative Catalan gene”. It is already the favorite of more people every day.
Not everything is related to hospitality: ** Fire escape is the gallery, workshop and exhibition space ** of Ana and Alex, two girls who after studying Fine Arts found the perfect place on the ground floor of the building where they live . Ana explains that in addition to the exhibitions, they also organize workshops from Polaroid treatment to the construction of electronic music instruments. You have to keep track of them.
Some places lead to others: “We were looking for a place in this area, which is becoming so fashionable, and one day when we were going to the Fire Stairs gallery for the opening of an expo, we stumbled across the transfer sign,” María del cafe comet , brother of the already established Cosmo from Calle Enric Granados. “The initial idea was to transfer basically all the essence of Cosmo to the Sant Antoni neighbourhood, but this time in a smaller bottle”. Its customers enjoy a cozy place with natural juices, sandwiches or canes of Estrella Galicia (lately ubiquitous), and also serves a delicious chai latte.
Cometa coffee: natural juices, sandwiches or beers from Estrella Galicia
Across the street we find the beautiful taranna , with its shared tables, exposed brick walls, large windows and green details. Josechu, the owner, explains that he himself, with the help of two decorator friends, restored and arranged the cafe to his liking, achieving that atmosphere of an intimate, honest and welcoming place where it is a pleasure to be. Also flee from the outdated, modern and too expensive concept, always taking care of the right price to be able to offer organic coffee, fresh and local food. Its terrace with plants shares a chamfer with the zuckerhouse. The "Hairdresser" sign should not deceive us: we are in a shop of artisan cakes and pastries Beautifully decorated by her owner, who found the place by chance and opened almost at the same time as her neighboring café. Sweets are eye-popping and it's almost impossible to resist taking a slice.
Taranna restaurant
The penultimate of the newcomers is at the end of the street, Els Sortidors del Parlament . The owner found the large premises by chance and from the beginning the success of his proposal -and of the area- has surprised them. His sommelier Sebastian Sury tells us that they organize tastings avoiding a bit of technicalities, seeking to be didactic and make known wines that are not so well known, such as those from the north of Catalonia. A large space with the right balance between a classic winery and a place for tasting, with tempting tapas to “make a mattress” , wine barrels and, for the summer, bulk beer (eye, another upward trend) . In the end, it is true that a bit snobbish that cities are organic entities that change and transform, or, put more plainly, that no matter how much you know a place there are always new corners to discover. Parlament, one more street in a quiet area, has become an exciting place where things do not stop happening.
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