Montjuïc mountain is closer to recovering one of its most emblematic and unique corners. Barcelona residents ---and visitors--- will be able to once again contemplate the city from the terrace of La Font del Gat restaurant, closed in 2020 due to Covid-19. The City Council has put out to tender the concession of use for the operation of the establishment, which is expected to reopen during 2024.
The tender comes after the public company Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM), responsible for the management of this space, promoted the rehabilitation of the building that houses the restaurant, which will have almost 100 square meters of interior space and 240 of terrace. The building is the work of Josep Puig i Cadafalch and is integrated, almost hidden, in the Laribal gardens. Restoration work began in September, and is expected to finish at the end of this year.
When the adaptation of the building and the subsequent interior renovation are completed, the restaurant will be able to reopen, bringing back to life one of the city's most striking gastronomic viewpoints. And all under the attentive and imperturbable gaze of the feline that gives the place its name. This fountain in the shape of a cat's head, from which water has been flowing for a century, will not be modified with the restoration.
Once the exterior rehabilitation is finished, the interior of the building must be adapted, in works that will depend on the operator who finally wins the restaurant tender.The exterior renovation of the building focuses on the repair of the facade of the property and its main garden, and has a budget of about 470,900 euros. The Feu Godoy Arquitectes studio is in charge of the external rehabilitation of the property, built in 1918. The works are being finalized,and have included the replacement of the pavement, the repair of a roof that had collapsed, the restoration of the facade, and the installation of an elevator, among other improvements.
These works will restore a modernist building that, located in the Laribal gardens, represents an emblem of Noucentisme. Its green space connects the mountain with the asphalt of the Santa Madrona promenade since it was designed by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier and Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí with a view to the 1929 International Exhibition.
Once the exterior rehabilitation is finished, the interior of the building must be adapted, in works that will depend on the operator who finally wins the restaurant bid. The estimated duration of these interior works will be about four months, as indicated by the tender published by B:SM. The contract has an estimated value of 22,800 euros, and establishes that the space will be leased for a decade ---which raises the total tender amount to 228,000 euros without taxes---, with the possibility of extending it for two more years. The deadline for submitting offers ends on December 5.
Thus, the exact date on which the establishment can reopen is not yet closed, and will depend on the award and the works. It is also unknown what gastronomic offer the new operator will propose, which will be revealed with the resolution of the tender. It remains to be seen if the new restaurant maintains the commitment to traditional yet modern Catalan cuisine that the establishment offered until its closure due to Covid-19.
Whatever appears on the menu, the restaurant will keep its star dish: filling one's stomach with city views. And doing so while humming Marieta de l'ull viu and wondering if the fountain in the song is the same Font del Gat. But changes in the gastronomic offer are a variable element in an immutable scenario. With the city at its feet, the restaurant prepares for its second life, shortening distances with respect to the seven of the sculpted feline.