Sant Antoni's market is one of the oldests in Barcelona. It's architecture has been shining since 1882. Disgned for Antoni Rovira Trias, was thought as an enormous ace structure with four arms; for the last year it has been quite forgotten, but thanks to the new cultural movement it is being reknown. The same as all the neighbourhood a place to discover little restaurants and cellars. Maybe a gastronomic route for a day?
1) From the market we first need to get started right. So we just have to follow the delicious smell through Comte Borrell street to Cafès Roure, a coffe shop and a café, where we can find coffe from all over the world, from Java to Colombia. Next to there is Joan Oliver Library, specialized in collecting. This modern space is located in the old factory Can Tardà; in where Boazoka gums where made and with and incredible gardens named Càndida Pérez, named in honour of a famous catalan composer.
2) Now, we have to options of having great breakfasts. If we choose going up Borrell street, we'll find Can Vilaró, with traditional cuisine. If we turn to Parlament street, we'll get to know Pa i Trago. This tabern, opened since 1965, is full of topics: squared tablecloth, typical tilings... This atmosphere strings along with a menu of pork feet, snails or cod among others.
3) Vermouth time!We may leave behind two of my favourite spaces (two vermouth classics), Casa Jacinta and Bar Ramon, between Tamarit and Urgell street. So we go to Bodega de'n Rafael. It's unusual decoration is worth to see: the walls are fully covered with tilings that tell Don Quijote story. And it's probably the only place where you can drink cava with a porró (typical catalan bottle, where you can drink without a glass, just from the bottle)
4)At the corner of Manso with Viladomat,Bohemic has become one of the most posted places in Barcelona. Looking like a bistroit inside, it has a beautiful and close terrace, perfect for a romantic moment. But don't worry broke-hearted and lovesucker, quite near we find Merquén, a restaurant with a fusion of catalan and chile cuisine (although it's closed during the day, is a great place to have dinner).
5)We drive our steps trough Manso sstreet, and after the cross with Calabria street, we find the headquarters of Goethe Institute, promoter of german culture in the city. The building was an antique cookies factory, and the oldest neighbourghs still remember the vanilla smeel that it used to spread. Now, with its' reformation, the Tres Tombs Garden has recovered its' beauty.
6) The cookies smell has reminded us about food again. So we go up Calabria street, were we stop at the third block, just to admire Maria Manonelles Gardens. We enter this magic garden through Waldorf, which was one of the neighbourghood cinemas. Later we arrive at Mistral avenue, one of the oldest streets of Sant Antoni. Now we're about to enter Bonastre, an icecream shop where we'll find one of the best "orchatas" in Barcelona.
7)If we'd liked a more English atmosphere, we would have stopped at Federal Café, the chocolate house created by two australians settled in Barcelona (this coupla was the same who imagined Pappabubble sweets factory). Anyway, as we're now in Mistral avenue, we search the soft taste of Belem cakes that every saturday are made by the portuguese owner of Bodega Avenida. After, we show off to the market again, to have dinner.
8)Again in the market, we have a large variety of extoic restaurant, like Bouzo (the first restaurant to serve japanese savories) or Pappa Sven (the only Swedish restaurant in Barcelona); but today we want some vietnameses food. Pho Bar seems a really strange restaurant betwwen all the traditional restaurants of catalan cuisine like Bodega Sepúlveda.
