Walking Food Tour in Barcelona

The fourth and last walking food tour of my trip was on my second night in Barcelona. It was the Devour Barcelona Tapas, Taverns & History tour. The tour centered on the Gothic quarter.

The group met our guide and were given a little history of the area as we walked to our first stop.

At the first stop, a charcuteria, we had first course style foods. Cheeses, cured meats, bread rubbed with tomato and tortilla. Tortilla in Barcelona is a potato and egg dish. All delicious. We also got to taste the iconic drink of Barcelona, not sangria, but vermouth. Vermouth culture is a big thing in Barcelona.

Following this we headed further into the Gothic quarter to a lovely little square, Plaça de Sant Felip Neri. The square is home to a church and a school, with the school kids using it as their play area during the day. The square was bombed by Franco during the Spanish civil war, killing mostly children. The damage to the church a visible reminder of darker days.

Our tour continued past the back of the Cathedral where we could see the older, original part of it, dating back to the 11th century. The modern facade was added in the early 20th century. We then made our way to one of the best tapas bars in Barcelona.

La Plata is a tiny restaurant that serves only a handful of different tapas and cheap wine, but is incredibly popular because of the quality of the food. We had a tomato salad, fried fish and sausage, all which were delicious. Our guide explained that tapas in Barcelona are a bit different to Madrid where you more stand at a bar to eat. In Barcelona there are still small servings but you generally sit and order them like at a regular restaurant. We also got to try drinking water from a porron, and wore a little of it! Good thing it wasn’t wine.

We moved from there to our final stop where we ate our largest meal. Bravas, croquettes, pigs cheek and dessert of crema catalana. All typical dishes of the region, and served with good regional wine.