La Rambla is probably the most famous street in Barcelona. It goes from Plaça Catalunya to the sea, separating the neighborhoods of El Gòtic and El Raval. For many years now, the locals abandoned this walk that was once the heart of the city and that is now full of horrible bars and shops. It was the target of the terrible attack of Aug 17, 2017.
The only thing worth of La Rambla is the Sant Josep Market, better known as La Boqueria (La Rambla 91). We’ll talk about it soon, but let’s do a little history first. Until the 19th century, La Rambla was full of convents. On July 25, 1835, a group of people who left a bullfight started to burn down all the churches they found on their way, most of them on La Rambla. One of them was the convent of Sant Josep, which was where there is now… the market of Sant Josep. Other emblematic places of La Rambla where churches before, such as Plaça Reial, El Liceu or Santa Mònica. The burning of churches was repeated on other occasions in Barcelona, especially in 1909 and 1936.
But let’s go back to the market. La Boqueria is still the best market in the city, and most of the best restaurants still buy here. We have bought here every week for the last 10 years. The problem is that at the same time it has become a tourist attraction, which greatly complicates the work of sellers and buyers. That is why it is very important to choose very well the moment to go; your best option is to go in the first hour (before 9am) on a weekday.
Here you have a map of the different shops (the main entrance is on the right of the map), we tell you where we always buy.
- The best fruit and vegetables at shop 501. Let Lina or Silvia advise you, and above all tell them that you come from us. The problem is that they usually close from July 15th to August 15th, and then life is much more difficult (you can try the fruit in 458 and the vegetables in 250 but it’s not the same)
- The fish in 851. They have only fish caught the night before, and at 8am they usually have everything sold. You have to get up early to get the freshest fish
- Cheeses and charcuterie on 424, say hello to Albert from us
- The best cod in 729, ask them how to prepare “esqueixada”
- Chicken and fresh eggs in the 152
- The best crustaceans from northern Spain in 740
- Huge variety of olives in 742
- Pork products in 461
- About the meat, we usually buy it in Santa Caterina Market (see here)
And above all, please please please do not buy fruit juices or prepared food, these stores are killing the market.
If you have listened to us and gone early in the morning, you can take advantage of it and make a good breakfast in the same market. Our favorite place is Pinotxo (465), a classic of Barcelona where many locals still go, Another good option is the Kiosko Universal (691).
If you went for lunch and you found everything full of people, we recommend the small Italian restaurant Baccaro (Jerusalem 6), just behind the market. Delicious and “authentic”, it is worth paying a visit. No tourists here. Direkte Boqueria (Cabres 13) is also very very good with a great atmosphere.