Although here we don't have a typically Italian neighborhood like New York's Little Italy, which immediately makes you feel transported to Italy without leaving Manhattan, Italians are currently the largest community of foreigners in Barcelona, with almost sixty thousand people. Perhaps for this reason, throughout the city there are dozens of restaurants specializing in Italian cuisine and even several stores where both Barcelona residents of Italian origin and lovers of this country's gastronomy can buy products that are difficult to find in traditional shops and markets.
Italian cuisine is enormously popular worldwide. Although, for many people, going to an Italian restaurant is synonymous with going to eat a pizza or at most a pasta dish. Even the most uninitiated in the subject has tried Lambrusco and Chianti. Everyone likes to share a tiramisu or a panna cotta and, with a bit of luck, have a shot of limoncello "cortesia della casa".
Barcelona is full of pizzerias for all tastes and budgets. Modest and popular establishments ideal for group dinners, because pizza usually pleases everyone and is not expensive. Also charming small restaurants where you can take a first date because Italian cuisine, rich in intense flavors, cheerful aromas, and vibrant colors, is an invitation to enjoyment.
For gourmets, Barcelona also has a handful of top-tier Italian restaurants, with a lavish menu and a devoted and unconditional clientele for years. I'm thinking, for example, of Giorgio, Il mercante di Venezia, Da Greco, La bella Napoli or Xemei. Establishments that transport you through the senses to elegant Venice or explosive Naples, making it clear that Italy is a country with a vast and diverse gastronomic culture.
Everyone likes to share a tiramisu or a panna cotta and, with a bit of luck, have a shot of limoncello "cortesia della casa"Some time ago, next to the Sagrada Familia, a small Italian cafe run by a logically Italian family opened its doors and quickly became very popular among locals and tourists. Shortly before the pandemic, they decided to take the leap and open a restaurant in an adjoining space. It is called Paisano Bistró (Lepant, 277) and it is simply a marvel. I usually eat there once a week and it never fails. They make delicious homemade fresh pasta. I'm sure your mouth is watering:ravioli homemade stuffed withradicchio and sausage with butter and sage sauce orrigatoniwith eggplant, mozzarellasmoked and basil, to name just two.
I have also discovered the Roman pinsa, a type of pizza with a lot of tradition in the Eternal City, lighter and more digestible than the one we all know because it is made with a mixture of wheat, rice flour and soy with a 72-hour fermentation. On top of the dough, a collection of top-quality typically Italian ingredients: fresh burrata, buffalo mozzarella, salsiccia, mortadella, pecorino, friarielli...
I'm sure your mouth is watering: homemade ravioli stuffed with radicchio and botifarra with butter and sage sauce or rigatoni with eggplant, smoked mozzarella and basil, to name just twoWhenever I sit at El Paisano's table, I make a firm promise not to have desserts, but I'm easily convinced and always end up sharing a Sicilian cannolo accompanied by limoncello. As if that weren't enough, they also have a fantastic selection of Italian wines. Salvatore, the patriarch of the family that runs the establishment, always recommends interesting wines to us. Be it a Tuscan Sauvignon or a Falanghina from Campania.
Among the ways we have to travel without leaving Barcelona, I think this is one of the most pleasant.
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