If we take a tour of their different restaurants, we see that they all share a stamp of austerity and elegance. Each project begins when they find a space that captivates them. The venue is the driving force. In collaboration with Lekuonastudio and architect Antonio Spalletta, they have revolutionized the formula of traditional restaurants.
Marcos Armenteras has a very clear philosophy for his "parkings": "The pure and simple restaurant is no longer what it used to be. We like concepts. We open every day and you can't make reservations. Take away and delivery work very well for us. Nowadays, people have become savvy and have no problem ordering food for home delivery." They know what they're doing. Berta Bernat studied hospitality in Sitges and Marcos has thirty years in restoration: "We met in the sector."
All premises are rented. Their first venture was in November 2015 on Calle Londres: "We spent two years gathering ideas and then launched into a very small space. We wanted to get away from the restaurant concept and opened a pizza bar. We saw there was a void in the pizzeria market. We opened a friendly place with a reduced menu."
Five years later, they believe the offering is in full transformation: "Since we opened Londres, the restaurant scene in Barcelona has changed a lot. Now there are more people doing things like this." The next step was on Passeig Sant Joan, where they converted a private car parking into the coolest spot on the promenade. "When we entered, there were twenty cars, but we realized it had a lot of potential."
Parking sounds one hundred percent like a car. Why did they decide to name it that? "When we entered the premises on Calle Londres, it looked like a garage, and we called it parking because we didn't like the word garage."
Investments have been increasing. "In Londres, we invested 250,000 euros; in Passeig Sant Joan, 750,000 euros, and in Passatge Marimon, 800,000 euros." The pandemic has been a blow to the entire sector, but they believe they are surviving "better than others."
Target audience
"For example, the audience at Passeig Sant Joan is mostly young people, but it varies depending on the day of the week. During the pandemic, many older people got tired of cooking at home and ordered food from us," adds Marcos, who knows the taste of Barcelonians very well.
They started with pizzas because they saw there was a gap. "Most pizzerias were very unappetizing, and we decided to open a friendly pizza bar with a reduced menu. A person who knew a lot about pizzas helped us; we knew what we wanted. We offer quality. The first thing was to choose good dough and ingredients." Any pizza that triumphs? "The 'butifarra' with broccoli and cheese, the truffle, and the margarita…" The ovens they have in their parking lots are spectacular and always occupy a privileged place. They are not in favor of bars, but they are in favor of long tables for sharing.
The pizzas that triumph at Parking Pizza are the 'butifarra' with broccoli and cheese, the truffle, and the margarita.The entrecote is one more step in their business model that opens the opportunity to eat quality meat at a good price. "We have chosen a formula of sharing a cut piece served with different well-prepared accompaniments: fried onion, French fries, creamed spinach, roasted carrot, salad, or eggs with parmentier and truffle." We go down to the basement to see how the grilled meats are cooked: "The meat is always perfectly cooked; the head chef Gloria Márquez ensures that this low loin meat from Germany arrives at the table with all its flavor."
They opened Sótano Parking a few months ago and still cannot make an assessment. They design the menus, the recipes are theirs, and they do not overlook a single detail of their single-concept venues. If we want to discover their carefully curated decoration and menu before visiting one of their dining rooms, we can spy on their daily life thanks to their impeccable Instagram. Watch out! They have just posted a photo of a delicious Sticky Toffee.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
