Barcelona / La Xampanyeria: best of Barceloneta

There are a few cities around the world that can thrill you to bits once you encounter an authentic yet witty place like La Xampanyeria in the harbour area of Barcelona is.

The concept looks very simple at the first glance.

It is an oldish cava bar, and in this case it means no chairs are spread around the room.

On contrary, everything is happening around the long, massive, L-shaped counter.

Big olives, meat cuts, cheeses, sandwiches made on the spot... all the tapas elements are there with some special pork treats on demand such a variety of sausages, from traditional ones, spice ones, over to some bloody delicious ones (morcilla).

The variety of food is not abundant but what is, is the star of this bar: cava, a sparkling wine that comes in white and rosé version, and is served in glass bottles with a price tag of a bit more than 5 euros.

Dating from the early 70’s the concept of La Xampanyeria still brings many people over to experience rather decent sparkling wine and Spanish champagne and quite typical, homey bites on the side, that get to be served in an old-fashioned way which brings up the spirit of the past.

Another beautiful aspect of this place is its communication with guests: starting from the bar which stands for an epicentre and where everyone interacts with each other, to a big wooden table hanging from the wall and listing different sorts of bubbles, to an open vitrine that holds all the yummy goodies.

Advice is to go there before dinner as it is more likely you will find a standing spot inside of La Xampanyeria, while in case you are a late-night bird get ready to pave your way through the crowd, make your order and finally have your treats outside on the street.