A Vegetarian Eats Through Barcelona, from Romesco to Cremat

Before I went to Spain, my knowledge of Spanish food amounted to tortilla, the potato omelette, and a lot of talk about paella. That was it. As a vegetarian and a foodie, I wanted to know what locals actually ate and what would be on my plate. The answer, over one week in Barcelona, turned out to be more varied and more generous than I expected. Barcelona eats late and talks about food with real seriousness; for a vegetarian the difficulty is not finding a meal but finding the local one.

The first night: a stranger’s table

On my first day I couchsurfed with a lovely couple who waited for me before starting dinner, which is about as warm a welcome as a city can offer. Starting in a home rather than a restaurant taught me what people actually cook on an ordinary evening. Everything on the table was delicious, but the Romesco sauce is what I remember. It tasted so good that I planned to buy a few jars before flying home. I never managed it. The only sauce I found at the airport was a Spanish Salsa Brava, which is not half as good. If you go to Spain, try Romesco, and bring one back for me.

Conference food and a first paella

The next day I saw some of the city’s cultural sights on the pre-TBEX tours, then went to the TBEX event in Costa Brava. The sessions and the networking were good; the food was better. The guacamole served with tortilla chips was unlike any I had tasted and had me going back all evening.

I had planned three days in Barcelona after the event, which gave me time to explore properly. Paella was the thing I most wanted to try, and it was also the hardest. Restaurant after restaurant offered seafood paella, the popular version, and nothing vegetarian. Eventually I found a reasonably priced vegetarian paella at Restaurant Siempreviva, near Barceloneta Beach, and ordered sangria again. The portion was so large that I could not finish it, hungry as I was.

The staff deserve a paragraph of their own. My debit card refused to work, both in their card reader and at the nearest cash machine. I had lost my wallet and was down to one card and some cash, and the cash was not enough for the bill. They knew about the pickpocketing in the city and were kind about it rather than suspicious. My card worked the next morning and I came back to pay the difference. I have never been happier to settle a debt.

One more meal belongs here. Near the Sagrada Familia, a small café made burgers to order from a form where you chose the fillings, and the woman prepared mine fresh. It was the first time I had guacamole in a burger, and it was superb.

The food tour that made the trip

On my last day I joined the Devour Barcelona Food Tour with Renee as our guide. It was one of the best decisions I made about the whole stay. The streets of Gràcia are narrow and its squares small, so the morning feels like a series of visits to neighbours rather than a formal tasting. The tour goes through Gràcia, a less touristic neighbourhood that was once an independent village. Many restaurants and cafés are family-owned, and the sense of community is still strong.

We met at 10 am at Passeig de Gràcia 108, a popular shopping street, and walked towards Gràcia. I was excited: twelve dishes at nine places, and I had told them in advance that I was vegetarian. When Renee asked which Spanish dish came to mind when we thought of Spanish cuisine, I could not help saying olives and Romesco sauce.

Nine stops, twelve dishes

Our first stop was Can Tosca, where we had a grilled botifarra sandwich, with a vegetarian equivalent for me, and a glass of Cava, Spain’s champagne-like sparkling wine. What a way to start a day. The interior is covered with old black-and-white photographs of the family who own the place, and Renee told us about the sisters who run it now. They value their history, and it shows.

Next came Mercat de l’Abaceria Central, the local market, where we made two stops: one for an olive and salt cod skewer, and one to sample Spanish and Catalan cheeses. Walking through a working market was a pleasure, and I would never have found it without the tour.

Then we tasted organic Spanish extra virgin olive oils at Oli Sal. Three oils, with Renee explaining how they are made and why an oil labelled extra virgin is not automatically a good one.

By now I was full and wondering how I would manage five more stops. We walked to l’Anxoveta, where Carlos, the jovial owner, showed us how to make pa amb tomaquet, the bread with tomato and olive oil. We were also served Bomba, which the non-vegetarians at the table loved. I had patata bravas with salsa romesco, and we all had a glass of beer with the food. I love potatoes and I love romesco, yet for the first time I had to leave food I adore on the plate.

With a heavy heart and a full stomach, I moved on to handmade Syrian pastry. A Syrian shop on a Spanish food tour sounds odd, but Renee had already explained the community in Gràcia. The owner of Pastisseria Principe has run the shop for around three decades. A holiday to Barcelona became a life change: he fell in love, married and stayed. His team makes thousands of these desserts every day, and choosing among the flavours is genuinely hard. They are all his children, he says, and he loves them equally.

Gràcia itself was fascinating, and I later wrote about the masks and giants we saw in my post on myths, legends and folklore from Spain.

At 1 pm, for many locals, it was time for vermouth. We went to Bodega Ca’l Pep for local Perruchi red vermouth with pickled anchovies. It was our third alcoholic drink of the day and it tasted good: sweet and smooth. The bar used to be the owner’s living space before he converted it, which explains the homely, relaxed feel.

That covered seven of the nine places. Next was La Botigueta del Bon Menjar, a small shop where we had escalivada and romesco pintxo, and meatballs in bean and pea gravy, with a vegetarian version for me. If you want a small place serving homemade traditional Catalan food, this is it. They had many more dishes than we could try.

Finally, Pastisseria Ideal, where we sat down for coffee and a mini cremat. This was my favourite. The cremat seemed to melt in my mouth, and I would happily go back for another.

Four hours after we started, we had eaten our way through Gràcia. I would recommend the tour to anyone who wants to understand Catalan food and get suggestions for the rest of their trip. Renee gave us handouts listing recommended cafés and dishes across Barcelona, plus a basic guide to ordering food and drinks in Catalan.

If you book the tour

Two practical points. First, take the tour early in your trip, so you can use what you learn for the rest of your stay. Second, do not eat breakfast. After four hours and twelve dishes you will regret it.

Devour Barcelona Food Tour runs from Tuesday to Saturday at 10 am. It costs €65 per adult and €45 per child aged 12 and under. Devour Spain also runs tours in Madrid, Malaga and Seville. You can find them on Facebook too. I was a guest on the tour and am grateful to Lauren and Renee for the experience.

For more ideas, see these 16 day trips from Barcelona and these budget tapas options in Barcelona. Barcelona taught me that vegetarian eating in Spain is less about substitutes than about noticing what is already vegetable: tomatoes, peppers, aubergine, beans, good olive oil, and a sauce that does most of the work.