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Known as an addictive dessert and aphrodisiac, the sweet taste of chocolate has been a satisfactory treat to the young and old alike for many centuries. The city of Barcelona may be renowned for its historical sites, amazing artworks and Gaudí inspired architecture, but it is also a chocoholic's dream vacation spot. Learn all about the history of chocolate with a tour through the famous Museo de la Xocolata, and with some of the most mouth-watering chocolate stores, cafés and restaurants around the corner, you are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth here in Barcelona.

Chocolate in Barcelona: A Sugary Tale

Chocolate first appeared in Europe over 500 years ago, after Hernan Cortés had conquered the Mayan and Aztec Empires of Central America. At first, when Cortés brought the cocoa bean back to Spain, it was used to make a drink known as “chocolatl”: a cold, chocolate-based beverage, made with chili peppers, vanilla and numerous other flavorings.

Over the years, chocolate has gone through many changes, including the process of sweetening it, and today, one can select from a wide variety of flavors, shapes and sizes of chocolate in Barcelona. The city is laced with world famous confectioneries including Xocoa, a store specializing in the art of chocolate. With a wide selection of flavors ranging from Jamaican pepper to Rosemary, you are sure to find something to make your tastebuds tingle. It also carries its own line of body products, and its very own line of beer, ‘Birracao’. Another noteworthy chocolate store in Barcelona is Cacao Sampaka. Renowned for its wide selection of chocolate ingredients for cooking, chocolate spreads and chocolate fondues and sauces, this store is truly one of a kind.

Barcelona Chocolate Museum: A Trip Back in Time

The Barcelona Chocolate Museum allows visitors an in-depth look at the long history of chocolate, and so much more. Home to Barcelona’s Confectionery Guild, the space offers an endless look at the cocoa bean and all of its uses over the centuries.

A giant white chocolate ape named Snowy welcomes guests upon arrival, and visitors are immediately given their own chocolate bar to chomp on as they make their way through the building. Surrounded by amazing sculptures ranging from Minnie Mouse to Louis Armstrong, and chocolate versions of famous Barcelona landmarks like the Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell, you will have to practice restraint to not bite into these unusual sights as you pass.

The museum highlights the impact that chocolate had on European nations after it was first introduced. While taking the tour, you can have a look at the traditional machinery formerly used to create chocolate, while learning about the entire production process from the first selection of the cocoa bean, until the minute you gulp down this sweet treat!

If you are visiting Barcelona with children, make time for an individual workshop called “Chocolate Artists”. This one-hour program is available everyday, is aimed at kids aged 4-12 years old, and is focused on the creation of chocolate figurines.

El Museu de la Xocolata is located at Carrer de Comerç, 36, right across from Parc de la Ciutadella. The museum is open from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm and on Sundays from 10am to 3pm, with an entrance fee of around 5€.

Still Desire a Chocolate Fix?

In the cold winter months, the people of Barcelona find sweet comfort in a traditional treat known as chocolate con churros. Best described as long, thin doughnuts, churros are dusted with sugar and are commonly found in a loop shape.

This delicious delicacy can be found in typical Spanish cafés known as granjas, or in any of the many chocolate restaurants to be found in Barcelona. It is customary for churros to be served with a hot chocolate that is so thick and creamy, one can only enjoy the treat with a spoon. Many choose to dip their churros into the drink, too.

Although there are plenty of granjas in Barcelona, many remain to be hidden treasures. Some of the most famous granjas can be found in the Gothic Quarter, on Carrer de Petritxol, a street famous for all things chocolate. One of these cafés, La Pallaresa, is always bustling with locals and tourists alike, and is best known for its churros and chocolate, as well as other 'dulces' such as crema Catalana and muffins.

Whether you choose to indulge in these addictive treats once in a while, or consider yourself a chocolate connoisseur, the city of Barcelona encapsulates the culture of chocolate and is the perfect destination for anyone with an active interest in the sweet stuff. From age-old traditional chocolate con churros, to unique confectioneries, to the amazing Chocolate Museum in Barcelona, one cannot miss the opportunity to experience all of the chocolate goodness to be found in the Catalan capital.

For more information about chocolate in Barcelona check out Apartment Barcelona’s video on Carrer de Petritxol!

Elegant, sophisticated, yet tirelessly rustic, Catalan cooking combines centuries of French and Spanish culinary traditions and gives them a unique twist. Whether you're interested in navigating your way through a tapas bar menu or wish to attempt this classic cuisine in your own kitchen, the best way to learn is through sampling.

Mediterranean Diet

Catalan cooking is comprised of a variety of fresh ingredients found along the Mediterranean coast and inland. These main ingredients are

combined artfully in numerous concoctions, ranging from sweet to savoury.

·        Vegetables – Garlic, artichokes, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and aubergines play a starring role in baked dishes and sauces.They are also frequently roasted or grilled, typically with a lashing offruity olive oil.

·        Meat – Pork is heavily featured in Catalan cuisine, with the region being well known for its decadent blood sausages and the famous butifarra pork sausage. Other types of meat commonly used include poultry and lamb.

·        Seafood - If you are entering the coastal region through cheap flights to Barcelona, you will find that seafood is an important component of many local dishes, particularly anchovies, tuna and cod. These are used to craft rich stews, and are also simply grilled and served with an array of condiments.

·        Cheese – Catalan cheese is typically served as part of salads or eaten for dessert. Fresh cheeses include the sweet, unsalted Mato which is eaten with honey, and the thick, creamy Recuit. Those in search of sharper flavours may choose Garrotxa, an aged goat's milk cheese.

The Heart of Catalunya

Although you may hop on cheap flights to Spain seeking the vibrant perfume of saffron, there are other types of flavourings which are used more frequently in the Catalan kitchen. These sauces are at the core of what makes a dish typically Catalan.

Salvitxada is a rich, zesty dipping sauce comprised of toasted almonds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, tomatoes, and chilli peppers. Allioli is an exceedingly simple yet addictive sauce used to flavour grilled meats or vegetables, and is made by pounding garlic with olive oil and salt in a mortar until a smooth paste is created.

Finally, no meal would be complete without picada, which is a rustic condiment traditionally composed of stale bread, olive oil, garlic, parsley, and hazelnuts. If you notice a pungent theme of garlic and olive oil running through all of these preparations, you are beginning to understand Catalan cooking.

Don't Forget Dessert

Sweets are also an integral part of Catalan cuisine. Many of the region's pastries are made specifically for festivals, such as the pine nut and

almond panellets made for Castanyada, or the chocolate egg encrusted Mona de Pasqua at Easter. The most famous dessert from this region is crema catalana, which is a rich, decadent yellow custard used to stuff pastries or eat alone garnished with fruit.

Spring-Summer in Barcelona : crowded city full of color and energy with open air Café-Terraces,chiringuitos (beach bars), flower filled parks, summer festivities and traditional cuisine is just the perfect season to be in the most amazing city of Spain, Barcelona!

Spring-Summer Flower Bloom  Barcelona is definitely a sea of color in spring-summer. There is many suggestions when it comes to this season. Collserola Natural Park located behind the hill of TIbidabo a place where you can do any kind of sports without venturing far from the city. This place offers walking trails, biking trails and lots of other things you can do to enjoy natural fresh air. Twice a month except on August this park offers “astronomy nights” with great information and hands-on telescope experience. Another iconic place to visit is Park Guell of Gaudí where you can enjoy amazing views from the terrace. If you are a rose lover Parc de Cervantes I Rosera is the park for you. With a collection of over 2,000 different species.

 Café Terraces  Roof top Bars in amazing hotels, Open Spaces, terraces over looking the Mediterranean Sea.This chill out terraces where you can go with friends and have a cocktail night with stunning city views.
From Ramblas to Raval, Passeig the Gracia to Barceloneta just to mention few of them. This season definitely marks the beginning of a great weather for you to enjoy this open spaces and roof top gatherings.

Beaches in Barcelona  A city known around the world for having the best beaches. When the weather is heating up, you definitely need to be ready for an awesome time. From La Nova Icaria Beach, Mar Bella Beach, San Sebastiá, Bogatell, Paseig Maritimo to Barceloneta and few more. The long coast line is just full of great beaches and people hanging out at the chiringuitos or “beach bars” listening to live music sitting and enjoying a cocktail and light meal with friends and family.

 Catalan Cuisine  Spring-Summer season is definitely the most enjoyable. As the beaches of Barcelona comes to life you may enjoy a tasty paella, a traditional seafood noodle broth at sea side. Or just a great shrimp salad with seasonal vegetables. Spring-Summer is a good excuse to be inventive in the kitchen and this cuisine experts are definitely great on being creative.

While the city warms up and starts leaving some winter clothing behind and submerse themselves into a great weather, this up coming season is definitely ready to give you an amazing time in Barcelona!

Check out an easy to book apartment in Barcelona: early booking or last minute offers. If you are coming to Barcelona you can stay in the city centre or at a beach apartment in Barceloneta. You will have a more private and relaxing time with your loved ones when you stay in a Barcelona apartment. It is becoming really popular to stay in an apartment rather than a hotel. This way you are able to discover the city freely in a whole new perspective. You will have a sense of independence that you will not find in a single hotel room. If you are traveling for holidays or business trip, you can take advantage of a comfortable living room and a fully equipped kitchen that is definitely a big plus for your trip. Rent an apartment in Barcelona and enjoy your stay in perfect accommodation!

 Join on  Facebook fan page now! and you will be instantly participating to win a weekend accommodation in a luxurious apartment in Barcelona Spain! Also for great city insights to help plan your trip ahead in Barcelona!

It won’t be enough to call the Bullí « a good restaurant ». A better term to rename it would be “the best restaurant of the world”. The expression wouldn’t be hyperbolic because the address has been elected as the best of the planet for 4 consecutive years. His Chief is one, or the best of the world: Ferrán Adrià. According to some experts, he is “The best genius of ever”.

To find his restaurant “El Bullí », you will have to go through a little path whose sea views are really appreciable. This restaurant could have been a cold and modern decorated place as many restaurants, but the Bulli is another type of address. It welcomes you in a large Spanish house situated near of Rosas. Its traditional ambience is absolutely contrasting with the modern aspect of its dishes.

Ferrán Adrià and the Bullí represent a gastronomic revolution in the entire world, thanks to his capacity to create and reinvent the cooking. The master chief has created an international gastronomic school of excellence.  The chief is each year more innovative by changing the culinary art techniques and principles.

Through his excellence dishes you will be able to try the melon caviar, olives, honey/flower/pistachio, in the seafood: the seaweed salad, tonic soup with rose y zucchini, Pork brain in its juice…  More and more tasty plates which certificates that Adría’s cooking has never been such imaginative.

Here are some examples of the chief dishes for the year 2007 : Mango leaves and zucchini flowers, meringue and profiteroles beet with yogurt, citrus LYO, jellyfish tuna mousse on a bed of caviar, sweetbreads and yellow eggs mackerel, caviar of sesame oil, the dacquoise green pineapple and sprockets, and so much more!

Finally, while proliferating fruits, flowers abound, as dried fruits are brimming, Adría also pays tribute to the algae and the sea, between acidity and sweetness. You will find in his dishes air dry, freeze-dried, the fresh air, crust filled with creams or liquids, sculptural forms ... work very surprising that calls all the senses.

Bulli Ferran and lambasted the basics of cooking and have provided new dimensions to this art. Taste, smell, sight, touch and even hearing, are involved in each creation that becomes a tribute dinner clean.

Caution if you had the idea to go these without reserving! You have to make an appointment sometimes 4 or 6 month before the date as long is the queue to try Adría’s dishes. 

We give you here all the information to find this unbelievable place.

Ferrán Adrià

Town: Adresse: 17480 Roses (Girone - Espagne)

Address: street Montjoi, 7 kmfrom the center of the city.

Phone: (+34) 972150457
Web site : bulli@elbulli.com

Opening: Opened between the 1st of april and the 1st of october only for diner. During april, may and june, closed on the Monday and Tuesday.

Price: 200/300 €

Price for the tasting menu: 180 €

With the weather warming up in Barcelona and along the coast of Spain, it´s the perfect time to take a day trip and see the fantasy Dali-land in Figueres, a small town about two-hours from Barcelona. The museu Dali is filled with some of Dali´s most famous works of art, and the renovated theatre is personally decorated and designed by Salvador Dali himself.  The museum is a surrealistic portrayal of Dali´s life, everything with no logical order and without any sort of audio guide, a request by Dali himself. You´ll be able to look closely into Dali´s personal life, specifically the boat hanging above the tire tower representing his soul mate Gala and the tears representing her death. Look next at the homage Dali paid to Mae West, a room where her face can be seen in the furniture only from a certain vantage point. You can spend hours in the surrealistic museum, looking at how Dali portrayed famous works of art in the most peculiar ways. 

If you haven´t had enough of Salvador Dali yet, take a trip from Figueres to Cadaques, about a 45 minute drive, to see the Dali House, his home where he created most of his bizarre artwork. His home, which he shared with Gala, proves how a person´s creativity can be expressed through all types of medium. His front door, a work of abstract art, was created when he asked the local fishermen to wipe their brushes on it when they finished painting their boats. The house is left almost exactly as it was when Dali moved out in 1982, after the death of Gala.

Dali´s house and museum are both reflections of Dali´s personality, fun and a little bit provocative. Before you leave Barcelona make sure a trip to Figueres or Cadaques is on your list of things to do, and don´t forget to book your Barcelona apartment today!

ComeToBarcelona awards every reservation made on its site with a Connect Club Discount Card.  This card enables you to save tons of cash throughout the city with killer discounts!  We want to help you take advantage of this great opportunity by starting you off with a place to use your card, The Chocolate Museum of Barcelona! 

The city´s pastry-makers guild opened the museum in 2000 in order to give the public a view into the history of chocolate.  In addition to the history of this sweet product, the museum also displays incredible sculptures made completely of chocolate.  Examples of some of the featured sculptures include a replica of Michelangelo’s La Pieta and a large figure of Homer Simpson! 

In addition to the normal exhibitions of chocolate, the museum also is currently showing an exhibit called, "The Bishop Celestial - 400 years of discovery of solar system.¨ The exhibition will last one year and gives the public a basic idea of our universe through both plastic and chocolate re-creations.  

We will keep you posted on various spots that are discounted by the Connect Club Discount Card, so come to Barcelona and let us find you an apartment!

Hungry for some Catalan Cuisine? Well, we have the tour for you!

In Spain dinner is often served quite late in the evening, usually between 9pm-11pm.  In order to pass the time between work and dinner time many Spaniards go to tapas bars.  ´What is a tapas bar?´ you may ask.  Tapas bars offer a variety of beers and wines as well as ¨tapas¨, the Spanish word for appetizers or snacks.  The tapas come in different forms, cold or warm, meat-filled or vegetarian.  What a better way to engage in Spanish culture than to eat when the Spaniards eat and eat what the Spaniards eat?

On the Tapas Evening Walking Tour of Barcelona you will be introduced to Catalan Gastronomy and culture.  The tour takes place in well-known places within Barcelona with stops on La rambla at La Boqueria and in the Gothic Quarter at a Basque Bar.  A English-speaking guide will lead you to the best cusine throughout the city, while adding information about the history of Catalan culture and architecture.  Book your tour today and allow us to help you find a beautiful apartment close to La Rambla and Barcelona´s most well-known tourist sites!

If you’re looking for great seafood at an even better price, we recommend you check out La Paradeta, a local chain of self-service seafood restaurants that features several lively locations- all of which offer high quality seafood at an extremely reasonable price.  

What makes this restaurant special is its unique system of ordering your food. When you enter the restaurant you see what appears to be a stall in a fish market., with the day’s catch laid out on ice and price tags indicating the cost per kilogram of each item. Orders are placed in the same manner that purchases are made in a market (i.e. by weight), but with a twist. In addition to ordering by weight (Half a kilo of prawns, please), you also choose the manner in which you’d like your food cooked (Grilled, steamed, fried, etc- the options vary based on the type of seafood cosen). Next you pay, take a seat, and wait to hear your number called on a loudspeaker. When you do- go collect your delicious platter of seafood and enjoy.

While La Paradeta is great for families, groups, and casual dinners out; it is not ideal for quiet romantic evenings. The restaurant is, due to the quantity and quality of the seafood offered for the price, always busy and this is reflected in the boistorous atmosphere to be found in the dining room.

Because of the nature of it’s product offering (freshly caught seafood), La Paradeta is closed on Mondays. (What, you didn’t know that fishermen took days off?)

La Paradeta does not accept reservations and is incredibly popular. Because of this, we highly recommend you arrive at an early hour to eat without waiting- whether during the week or on weekends. If you arrive too late, do not be surprised to see a line of hungry people winding its way onto the street in front of the restaurant. Don’t despair, however, the lines usually move at a fairly decent rate.

La Paradeta currently has 5 locations in and around Barcelona. One of these is in the picturesque neighboring beach town of Sitges, and two more of them are located in some of the most emblematic areas of Barcelona: the neighborhood of the Born and next to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. These locations provide you with the perfect opportunity to enjoy a good seafood meal at an incredible price while you are visiting and enjoying all that Barcelona has to offer.

Stay in an apartment in Barcelona in the Born or next to the Sagrada Familia and spend a night enjoying the delicacies of the Mediterranean prepared fresh at La Paradeta!

A meal at ‘Els 4Gats’ in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona will transport you to the beginning of Modernistic art and leads you to imagine a young Picasso enjoying evenings with his many contemporaries, discussing matters that transformed into some of the most famous works of art in the 20^th Century.

The history is rich with importance and intrigue, starting with its name. ‘Els Quatre Gats’, is Catalan for ‘The Four Cats’, and is a slang term meaning just a few people. It was chosen by Pere Romeu, the creator, in a self-deprecating play on words, as in: “Nobody was at the restaurant but four cats.”

Romeu was a successful performer in the famous cabaret bar ‘Le Chat Noir’ in Paris and he wished to establish a meeting place for him and his conversationalist companions in Barcelona that would resemble this restaurant.  ‘Els 4Gats’ was born in June of 1897 and it quickly became a favorite spot for poets, painters, musicians, and architects, the most famous being Picasso, who held his first public exhibition in the café. However, Romeu was overcome by his idealistic dream of owning the restaurant as a birthplace for artistic ideas rather than as a profitable business, and soon his generosity with bills and tabs forced him to shut it down in 1903, to the dismay of the people of Barcelona.

It was later reopened by another artistic circle and thrived until the Spanish Civil War changed the entire city until the 1970´s where it was once again brought back to life by three businessmen. Now it is a beautifully renovated restaurant with art hung on all the walls and even a menu depicting an original drawing by Picasso for that very purpose. The atmosphere is different than the numerous other cafes in the Gothic Quarter and the food is also of high quality and taste.

‘Els 4Gats’ is tucked away in the Gothic Quarter at Carrer de Montsió 3, just a couple short blocks away from Las Ramblas. The menu features a diverse mix of Catalan cuisine and an extensive wine list, and if you are interested in dining during for lunch, the Menu del Día offers a surprisingly diverse list of two courses and a dessert for a relatively inexpensive price of 12,50€.

Learn more about the history and menu of El 4Gats and also check out Las Ramblas apartments  near the restaurant.

Although the origins of la Boquería are not clear, it is sure that is a great walk in market located in the center of La Rambla.

Throughout the years, la Boquería has become one of the most symbolic structures in the city of Barcelona. The structure, the situation, and the salespeople are all reasons that attract many tourists today. Many of the people that work in la Boquería have had family members that have been doing it for many generations. This market is the perfect fusion between past and present along with a nice blend of culture.

In addition, visitors can check the rich cuisine which encompasses Barcelona and Catalonia as a whole. And there is no better way to give a short tour of its galleries and its more than 300 booths to enjoy a feast of colors, flavors and aromas.

The specialization of the booths is so vast that we can find shops that are dedicated exclusively to a single types of food: the case of bananas, eggs and cod. The greengrocers, fishmongers, delicatessen, butchers, etc. have  great expertise because this is their life.
El Mercado de la Boqueria (Boqueria Market) is located on La Rambla, 89 its doors open at 8 A.M. and closes at 8:30 P.M. from Monday to Saturday.

Address: La Rambla, 89 bis - Plaça de la Boqueria
Telephone: 933 182 584 / 933 182 017
How To Get There: Metro L3, parada Liceu. | Bus 14, 59 y 91.
Web: www.boqueria.info
E-mail: mercatboqueria@mercatsbcn.cat

If you desire an apartment in La Rambla area, you should check out our apartment Barcelona listings. This area is a great place to stay if you are looking to experience the city life to its fullest.