We can know what the latest opening in the Eixample is and never have gone to lunch in Les Roquetes. Or know by heart the restaurants of four streets in the center and have a pending walk through La Guineueta. Barcelonians also find that we get used to one part of the city and forget about the rest, even when it comes to sitting down to eat. The first Tasta Nou Barris, which will be held on Saturday, September 26, offers an opportunity to change routes.
From twelve noon to twelve at night, the courtyard of the district headquarters, in Plaça Major de Nou Barris, 1, will host a total of 10 tapas and small dishes from 5 Hermanos, La Esquinica, Casa Angelita, 23 Gastrobar and L'Hostalet. The small dishes will be priced from six euros and the proposal will be completed with a Mahou beer bar and a selection of Catalan wines by Wine Festivals, with references specially chosen for the occasion. Music will accompany the whole day with sessions by Verbena Mutant Show, DJ Winefucker, Courts, Kitty Bronx, Elektra Selektah and DJ Kongo.
The origin, at the table
The idea began, precisely, with some restaurateurs sitting at a table. Sharing a lunch, they began to think about what they could do together to promote their businesses and encourage more people to visit them. The project began to take shape approximately a year ago and, with the support of the district, has consolidated as a shared initiative under the motto "Nou Barris, a thousand flavors". This relationship between colleagues in the trade also defines its character, with restaurants of very different trajectories but closely linked to their environment.
Jordi Gerpe, manager of 5 Hermanos and spokesperson for Tasta Nou Barris, summarized the spirit of the initiative as follows: "It will be a great gastronomic day that will put Nou Barris at the center of Barcelona". Gerpe also highlighted that one of the great values of the district's restaurants is direct contact with customers and personalized service, a proximity that is built over the years and that makes regular diners end up knowing the families and people behind each establishment.
Francesc Xavier Marcé Carol, councilor of the Nou Barris district, emphasized the same idea. Restaurants, he defended, "go beyond eating and drinking." "They are also the people who serve you, invite you to stay, and make this space friendly." Marcé pointed out the difference between establishments primarily oriented towards tourism and those that provide daily service to the neighborhood, and highlighted that the initiative was born from the restaurateurs themselves. "By their own initiative, the restaurants have decided to move forward with this project," he noted.
The participating restaurants
Neighborhood cuisine takes many forms, and the five restaurants of Tasta Nou Barris are a good example of this. Among them are family businesses that have passed from generation to generation, tapas that are already part of the district's memory, and kitchens open to Asian influences. A sufficiently broad selection to approach different ways of understanding catering in the district.
5 Hermanos, in Canyelles, represents one of the most long-standing family stories. Its origins date back to the eating house that Juana Buixó, known as "la Janet," opened in the 1940s. Today, the fourth generation remains linked to a market recipe book where dishes such as meatballs with cuttlefish, cod a la llauna, or capipota coexist. At Tasta Nou Barris, it will participate with one of the house classics, its trio of croquettes, which include shrimp and porcini mushroom croquettes.
In Les Roquetes, Erika Romero combines a Mediterranean base with Asian techniques and flavors at 23 Gastrobar, and for the event, she will prepare two proposals, the bomba and the bun tai. Fish and seafood, on the other hand, define the identity of Casa Angelita, opened in 2014 based on the experience of a family linked to fishmongers since 1953. At the event, it will serve a cone with battered calamari rings, fried fish, shrimp, and green peppers.
In Turó de la Peira we find one of the houses with the longest trajectory among the participants. La Esquinica opened in 1972 and, with its marked Aragonese accent, has consolidated over the decades as a classic of tapas in Barcelona. For the occasion, it will serve one of the most repeated orders at its tables, patatas bravas.
In Prosperitat, L'Hostalet opts for homemade and seasonal cuisine. Among the most popular dishes of the house are the pulled pork burger and the puff pastry bags filled with shredded meat.
A venue with a lot of personality
The setting of the event also deserves attention. The district headquarters occupies part of the old Mental Institute of Santa Creu, the large hospital complex built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of that enclosure, three pavilions are preserved, which today house the headquarters and the Nou Barris library, in addition to the church. The plan can be completed with a walk through the Parc Central de Nou Barris, the second largest green space in Barcelona, with 17 hectares.
And here is also one of the graces of the event: to give an excuse to approach a part of Barcelona that often remains outside the usual routes. On September 26, gastronomy will be the starting point; afterwards, there will be the possibility of noting down a restaurant and returning another day, this time with a reserved table.