A meal as abundant, satisfying, and comforting as brunch can only have a pleasure-seeking origin, and although there are various versions that place its origin between the late 19th century and the 1930s in England, all agree that brunch, as it is known, is a purely North American creation, or to be more precise, New Yorker.
As Fartha Ternikar recounts in her book Brunch: a story, the first mention of brunch, a word coined by the contraction of breakfast and lunch, appears according to the Oxford English Dictionary and Punch magazine in an article by writer Guy Beringer, published in 1895, in Hunter's Weekly magazine. In it, Beringer fervently defends the suitability of affluent English society adopting the so-called Hunter's breakfast, the breakfast of hunters, a fashionable sport restricted to the elites. But with a more prosaic interest: since on Sundays carousers (what we would call revelers here) wake up late and with their spirits and judgment somewhat off-center, what better than to provide a hearty meal to regain strength in the mid-morning.
Curiously, interest in New York arrived a year later due to the timid adoption by high society ladies of making the most in thing from the motherland England their own: in the column News and notes for Women, of the New Oxford newspaper, it is recommended to implement this new fashion ---in the format of invitations among female social gatherings--- starting at 11 in the morning. A few decades later, brunch would be served in hotels in a luxurious format. Oscar Tschirky, at the Waldorf Astoria, is known as the inventor of eggs benedict, and this milestone marked the starting gun for a gastronomic experience that would monopolize the social life of the beautiful and wealthy people in New York, in the 1920s and a good part of the 1930s. In a decade of frenzy, fun, and uncontrolled behavior, brunch allowed them to continue on Sunday with that idle and somewhat decadent life they had been enjoying almost all week.
And since then, the Sunday service hours from 11 am to 1 pm, the inclusion of hearty, fatty, and restorative meals on the menu, and the necessary accompaniment of cocktails and sparkling drinks have persisted. An event that above all has a social focus. This is the brunch that landed in Barcelona a mere 15 years ago, and currently the custom is so widespread that, although it is difficult for local customers to start eating so heartily at 11 in the morning, they gladly accept doing so when lunchtime approaches.
The brunch map in the city of Barcelona is extensive and diverse. It can be enjoyed any day of the week in the numerous quality monographic restaurants spread throughout the city or on Sunday, as tradition dictates, in restaurants and hotels that offer a more festive experience for Sundays.
Have 'brunch' every day, if desired
Brunch is a delicious option for daily, if desired. In this case, the safe choice is to go to specialized restaurants, which serve it all week to enjoy a hearty breakfast or a meal.
With the argumentative thread of the egg, the brunch menu of The Egg Lab, in the Sant Antoni neighborhood, proposes to the diner a journey through the recognizable flavor of gastronomic cultures such as those of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, or France. In a fun way, the aim is for the palate to travel with hidden flavors it already knows from the first bite. A good example is the Pastrami Western Toast (artisan toast, homemade pastrami, caramelized onion, smoked old mustard mayonnaise, arugula dressed with apple vinaigrette, and fried eggs) of North American influence, or the typically British Smokey York Benedict (toasted brioche bread, smoked pulled pork, bacon, coleslaw, pickles, two poached eggs, and crispy leek accompanied by flamed cheddar hollandaise with French fries). These delights can be accompanied by cocktails, natural juices, or specialty coffee from Tornado Coffee Roasters.
On the other hand, at the recently opened Zenith, eggs are present but to a lesser extent, giving visibility to the most international version of brunch: perfectly recognizable sweet and savory dishes. Pancakes, bagels, toasts, or tapioca-based sandwiches with a Brazilian accent are served at the table in combination with fruit mixes and more tropical ingredients, such as açaí or bowls incorporating superfoods. The wide selection of cocktails and mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) is very versatile and designed to accompany any dish. The winning option is the avocado and egg tapioca, with mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese, with a refreshing Gin&Mint, based on gin, lemon juice, and spearmint.
At Dumbo Café the experience is purely American, with three versions of eggs benedict (bacon, salmon, or vegetarian) that are the ultimate expression of a brunch in the US capital. The proposal includes bowls that can be customized by adding ingredients and dishes whose common denominator is the characteristic flavor of wok cooking. Especially noteworthy are the chaufa rice (Japanese and black rice, zucchini, carrot, tomato, poached egg, katsobushi, and special sauce) or the classic Pad Thai (rice noodles, spring onion, mushrooms, ginger, bean sprouts, tamarind, fish sauce, peanuts, and egg).
From Australia (with a previous stop in Paris), the restaurant Hardware Société has just landed in the Eixample, known for popularizing brunch in its native Melbourne. All dishes incorporate a poached egg but, far from monopolizing all the attention, they are incorporated into the dish in a choral way with other ingredients to show that brunch can be a gastronomic experience. Dishes like the Salmon Grebiche exemplify this: smoked salmon, grebiche, herb potato cake, and two eggs at 64°C, in a beautiful and succulent plating.
Sundays, special day in restaurants
For a little over a month now, at L'Atelier by Eric Ortuño and Ximena Pastor, brunch has been available from Saturday to Sunday, from 9 am to 2 pm. For 16 euros, you can enjoy their artisanal sweet and savory creations, in connivance with top-tier suppliers like Vila Viniteca and the unmissable items from their catalog: Favola Bologna mortadella, Joselito Coppa, or Cal Rovira fuet. Especially delicious is the brioche filled with sobrasada, gorgonzola, and a low-temperature egg. This formula includes a savory dish and a pastry, in addition to coffees or infusions, and a Mimosa cocktail (or lemonade, for those seeking non-alcoholic options).
At La Textil, the space that combines the restaurant proposal led by chef Pablo Lagrange and Brian Blazek's brewery, brunch takes center stage on Sundays. In these two worlds that converge in a high-quality, solid, and accurately conceptual proposal, there is room for a brunch menu that follows the premises of circular and sustainable cuisine, led by Lagrange. This is visible in his version of the most iconic brunch dishes, such as Mac & cheese, and in creations that, while simple, are not simplistic, like the Waffle Kimchee, with ham, cheese, and truffled hollandaise. The brunch menu offers various dishes, so diners can create their own experience by ordering the dishes they most fancy.
However, for those looking for brunch proposals that go beyond the usual, Piñata is the place, although as good Mexicans they don't call it brunch but breakfast. A 16-euro menu includes a jugo (fruit juice), a coffee (de la olla, espresso, or chocolate), and a dish to choose (an arduous task) from these hits of the most authentic Mexican street gastronomy: chilaquiles, enchiladas, tamales, or huevos divorciados. The essence of this cantina is the selection of traditional (and in some cases, pre-Columbian) recipes and the best mixed drinks with tequila or mezcal. Sipping a Retox can be a declaration of principles because, as they announce, this cocktail "is the end of the cruda (hangover) and the beginning of the peda (drunkenness)."
Hotels on Sunday: A party!
Hotel breakfasts are by definition copious and with an abundance of options: savory dishes, hot à la carte dishes, sweets, and a varied selection of fruit. One of the great attractions of a hotel, which adds to the experience of the stay just as much, or even more, if the breakfast is up to par.
Under this premise, the Intercontinental Hotel brings the magic of those breakfasts ---which seem like an endless feast--- to Sunday brunch, at the Arrel restaurant, during lunch hours. Every first Sunday of the month, and for a price of 59 euros per person, diners can enjoy live musical performances while savoring succulent dishes such as broken eggs with lobster and Vall d'Aran caviar (which we could be having in Formentera) or chicken and waffles with maple syrup, in New Orleans. This format includes eggs to taste, a main course to choose from, and for dessert, a "torrija" (French toast) with hazelnut ice cream.
Without being strictly a brunch format, one can enjoy a lavish and special Sunday menu, with proposals not found daily on their menus. Paco Pérez, at Enoteca (the two-Michelin-starred restaurant housed in the reopened Hotel Arts), invites guests to taste a menu where rice, a national star dish when looking to enjoy and share, is the main theme. In El arroz de Paco, a menu of three starters and a rice dish according to the seasonal product available, with dessert and petit fours, is offered for 95 euros per person. In March, that rice is a creamy sea urchin and winter truffle rice.
At the Mr. Porter restaurant, nestled in the central Hotel Sir Victor, they propose an international and cosmopolitan Sundays with Mr. Porter: a menu with dishes focused on sharing and celebrating at a slow pace, such as creamy rice with lobster, a fresh pasta dish with braised beef, or the always reliable fresh Gillardeau oysters with a Bloody Mary shot. There is also an extensive wine cellar with interesting vintages and cocktails, and even more so, a DJ set with music that cheers the body just as food cheers the stomach.