The Anglo-Saxon tradition of brunch, originating in the United Kingdom and its light meals after Sunday mass, took time to land in Barcelona, so accustomed to breakfasting, lunching, and dining – as in all of Spain – much later than the rest of Europe. But the continuous increase in tourists over the last two decades and the more recent arrival of thousands of expats happily settled in the city has favored its local adoption.
In a stricter hourly sense, brunch is enjoyed in cosmopolitan settings of modern restaurants in Ciutat Vella and the Dreta del Eixample. But the most glamorous and copious version of this Sunday ritual has been created by the city's best hotels. Its success has been aided by a certain hourly perversion, by opening the clock to the diner's taste, and also a total or partially buffet format, which the diner associates with a culinary feast of whatever they like best.
Among the options that are currently succeeding due to their quality, we highlight three proposals where local product, Barcelona recipes, or proximity flavors also shine. These are three essential places to treat oneself on a Sunday, and where the atmosphere is more local than international.
The Brunch at Solc, in Majestic Hotel & Spa
The one at the Majestic can be considered the father of brunches with identity. They dared to implement it already a decade and, immediately, it was a huge success: quality food, elegant but slightly informal atmosphere, good service... Since then, much has happened and they have adapted the formula to itsmore complete proposalbetween the macro-buffet of the beginnings and the table service they implemented after the pandemic.
Currently, the first advice is to book in advance because its capacity of one hundred people sells out quickly and there can be weeks of waiting. It unfolds in its Solc restaurant, which adapts its size and staging to the occasion, with very comfortable and spacious tables. Its proposal costs 69 euros and is a grand feast, with a welcome drink to choose between Moet Chandon Imperial, Belvedere Bloody Mary or Aperol Spritz. It also includes coffees, so only the drink the client orders, by the glass or bottle, needs to be added to the bill.
What does this centenary hotel on Paseo de Gràcia offer? To avoid the hustle and bustle of diners going up and down, they alternate table service (without the possibility of repeating) and open buffet. To start, the waiters will offer various breads and oil, as well as the cold starters, which are served all at once on a three-tier tray. It combines on the top Choux with vegetables and creamy chickpeas; in the middle Duck, farm chicken, pork, foie gras and pistachio Terrine; and below Amélie Oysters, Delta razor clams and prawns (one unit per person).
After this first course, the client must get up to go to the live cooking area, where they can order soup (fish in winter and usually gazpacho when it gets warm), the essential Eggs Benedict with salmon that appear in every self-respecting brunch, senyoret rice (peeled and continuously prepared until the last moment) and the acclaimed farm chicken cannelloni, which is already part of the immortal classics of the cuisine commanded by Nandu Jubany as gastronomic advisor to the hotel and David Romero as executive chef. These dishes are to choose and in the quantity one desires.
Next, the fish dish is served at the table, currently consisting of sea bass in puff pastry crust with chorón sauce, delicious, freshly prepared and where the quality of the product stands out. The meat materializes shortly after as a tender Roast beef of beef sirloin with potato parmentier, if there is still appetite.
It's time again to get up and go to the spectacular self-service of artisan desserts, not suitable for those with a sweet tooth. From the healthy option of fruit salad to a repertoire of cakes including Jean Marie Hiblot's chocolate and hazelnut cake, a delicate vanilla and caramel mille-feuille, mini baba with rum and vanilla chantilly, assorted cookies, mochis, mousse, and other temptations galore.
In addition to the merit of the product, Solc's gastronomic festival also offers a pleasant atmosphere, 95% made up of Barcelona residents, quiet, with good live music playing in the background that doesn't interrupt conversations. They do not accept groups of more than 15 people, which is appreciated if one expects a relaxed and unhurried meal.
Arrel's XXL brunch, at InterContinental Barcelona
The quiet and elegant hotel InterContinental Barcelona is only a few years old but has managed to become known among Barcelona residents for all the activity it deploys beyond tourist accommodation. From its summer terrace173 Rooftop with views of Montjuïc untilGebre, the fantastic cocktail bar, or to its high cuisine inQuirat, which this year earned it its first Michelin star.
But for many, the real draw is the brunch served at Arrel restaurant on the first and third Sunday of each month, for which reservations must be made in advance. Its atmosphere is popular and informal, from neighbors even from the area to family celebration groups or foodie couples.
The repertoire is not always the same because it is very much marked by seasonal produce. This March, its enormous cold buffet (all in selection and quantity to the diner's taste) included Iberian ham, oil coca with tomato; local aged cheeses and Casa Cispert nuts; Mediterranean smoked meats and pickles, cream cheese; selection of seasonal small glasses; Amélie oysters; beef tagliata; assorted garden crudités; assorted salads; savory croissant rolls; breads, Eco Km0 jams and butter; and Bircher muesli and vegan Bircher, to whet the appetite.
Then different options of eggs are offered, from Benedict to broken eggs with lobster (very tasty and made to order) or shakshuka eggs with tomato. The most strategic part is the showcooking because the diner will have to focus their appetite and decide what they prefer to try, given the impossibility of covering everything or getting carried away by gluttony.
The hot preparations are many and well executed: roasted cannelloni with truffled béchamel, pork and Chinese cabbage gyozas, cochinita pibil bao, Goan-style corvina, creamy beef curry massaman (a perfect bite for those who enjoy flavors without borders), very fresh salt-baked sea bream with aniseed, Wellington sirloin with Perigord sauce (unfailing) and vegetable, cuttlefish and octopus paella, which we recommend when it has just come out.
On other occasions, it is possible that the rice dish is a Maresme pea risotto with black truffle; or that the star meat opts for glazed low-temperature beef Gigot, as examples. The changes never disappoint and build customer loyalty with gastronomic curiosity and a desire for surprises.
The sweet moment is photo-worthy and requires a certain prior pause… The table looks especially good first thing in the morning, with its selection of L'Atelier cakes, mini pastries, macarons, caramelized torrijas, plum cakes, puddings, pancakes, waffles, red fruits, crema catalana, impressive cream and truffle cannoli, varied fruit and more.
Arrel's brunch includes drinks, orange juice, wines and sparkling wines, which waiters serve on demand. As well as coffee and infusions, for a fixed price of 75 euros, which for children (from 7 to 12 years old) is 49 euros.
This year, the next open calls so far are Sundays April 21; May 5 and 19; June 9; and July 7 and 21. From 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Yummy Sundays, at Monument Hotel
Nothing can go wrong in the glamorous Yummy Sundays that the luxurious Monument Hotel on Paseo de Gràcia reissues this spring of 2024 with a duo of the caliber of chef Martín Berasategui and theParadiso cocktail bar.The multi-starred chef (4 Michelin between Lasarte and Oria, in Barcelona) has been signing for six seasons a brunch as informal as it is exquisite, on the first and third Sundays of the month. There is product and high-level cuisine twice over, as it takes place in the glass-enclosed restaurant Glasss, next to the Verbena terrace for fresh air, and which crown the grand hotel with views of the best of the Eixample.
It is a proposal based on Mediterranean flavors combined with classics of Basque cuisine, carried out by executive chef Gabriele Milani. To raise its bar even higher, they have incorporated the talent of the cocktail bar chosen best in the world in 2022, Barcelona's Paradiso. Giacomo Giannotti signs the Monument Mary, a personal version of the Bloody Mary for the hotel, with which to whet the appetite as appropriate.
The charming brunch, with impeccable presentation with small dishes and tapas that facilitate self-service, begins with a selection of cold items on a buffet that includes an assortment of salads, meat and fish carpaccios, savory tarts, daily montaditos, tartars, cured meats, an assortment of cheeses, savory shot glasses, and even gildas.
The hot part of the feast served at the table includes Basque classics made to order, such as tuna taco with marmitako foam, squid rice with light aioli, cod fritters with kimchi mayonnaise, and beef chop with Padrón peppers, among others.
The party ends with another sweet buffet, where the sliced Basque cake, the selection of Magnum, individual pastries, cookies, fresh fruit, and more shine. The great plan includes, as alternatives to the Monument Mary, a Mimosa or Martini Fiero Tonic at its cocktail bar, as well as waters, coffees, and infusions, for a total of 75 euros. It does not include wines or other beverages.
The next dates of the season will be April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2, and June 17. From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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