Barcelona / La Boquería: a market in a nutshell

If someone would put a sign: Attention, the following scene may be harmful to those suffering from colour sensitivity, it wouldn’t prevent anyone from entering El Mercado de San José de La Boquería.

The first impression we got once discovering this food temple was like finding ourselves in the pulp of the juiciest and most colorful fruit. A funny contrast definitely lies in the name of this market, which when literally translated stands for a place where goat meat is sold.

Trust us on this, La Boquería offers way more than just goat meat.

From the exterior the robust looking construction doesn’t provoke any thrill, however once the doors open the show begins. Rows and rows of local and more exotic products laid down on endless but quite produce-specialised stands with no particular category order which makes you wonder in a maze of various products.

Starting from all kinds of cheeses, hams, sausages, fresh meet, fish and seafood, to fruits, veggies, juices, soups, spices, winter stores, pre-made dishes and specialties from Spain and way beyond… you name it and La Boquería has it.

However, despite being it very amusing we did find a few faults: neither did we encounter a specific food place which we would wholeheartedly recommend to our readers, nor we managed to find an unoccupied seat by a few indoor bars that were serving local specialties “a la carte”.

However, despite everything, being located in between La Rambla and the Opera house, this biggest market in the city of Barcelona has not only a place in Spanish history dating from centuries ago, but it also tells a significant piece of history, stores quite incredible contrasts and all kinds of Mediterranean foods your mind can imagine, and emits a vibrant energy where colours start making a jolly rainbow more than 12h, 6 days a week.