interior of Cafe Viena in Barcelona
When Jon and I arrived in Barcelona, we arrived hungry. Because it still was too early in the day for a real meal, when we read this April 2009 New York Times description of Cafe Viena as serving “a perfect snack,” we thought we’d give the place a try.
So we asked our B&B owner (a super-in-the-know Barcelona native) where we could find this place, and it was like we’d asked him where we could find a McDonald’s.
His answer (in a brief summary) was: It’s a chain. Go there only if you want to eat total junk. It’s on Las Ramblas. Enough said.
The thing is, after years of following Mark Bittman’s recipes and enjoying his European travel articles, we couldn’t believe the guy would be so wrong. And we eventually found ourselves on Las Ramblas anyway, passing by Cafe Viena. So we popped in.
First indicators were not good. The place is wedged in between a lot of busy high-street shops. And hanging next to the front door is this cheesy reproduction of Bittman’s original shout out in October 2006:
signs at Cafe Viena flog a 2006 Mark Bittman quote
But you know what, the jamon flauta (ham on a baguette) turned out to be pretty tasty. My crappy photo below doesn’t do it justice. There was a crispy baguette and slices of fatty, salty, melt-in-your-mouth jamon. Simple and good.
jamon flauta at Cafe Viena
For under 6 euros, the Cafe Viena sandwich was a *far* superior version than what we had a few days later at Fast Good, Ferran Adria‘s “fast food” venture.
I admire and support Adria’s idea that fast food doesn’t have to use cheap ingredients. (Allegedly, the ingredients in Fast Good come from the same purveyors Adria uses at El Bulli).
jamon panini at Ferran Adria's "Fast Good" restaurant
But food snobs beware: Cafe Viena did a much better job than Fast Good when it came to fast jamon sandwiches. The bread on the Fast Good version was burned. All I could taste was charcoal. And the thing cost almost 8 euros (i.e., it was more expensive than our Cafe Viena friend).
groovy interior at Fast Good in Barcelona
I’ll give style points to Fast Good. But for a fast, cheap meal, Cafe Viena works. It’s not the “best sandwich” of my life, but Jon and I enjoyed it immensely.
Café Viena, La Rambla del Estudis, 115; +34 93 317 14 92; northernmost bit of La Rambla; closest metro station: Catalunya
Fast Good, Carrer de Balmes, 127; +34 93 452 23 74; Eixample district; closest metro station: Diagonal
If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also enjoy reading:
- Back from (eating in) Barcelona (Posted 5 May 2009)
- Bar Mut, Barcelona (posted 11 May 2009)
- Gresca, Barcelona (posted 8 May 2009)
We’re going to L’Eixample later today…should I venture into Fast Good, even just for the heck of it? After all, I can’t afford El Bulli, and this might be the closest I’d get to it???
Well, the ready-made salads in the fridge at Fast Good looked alright, and the huevos fritos, while super oily (especially the accompanying fries) were satisfying. I think if you’ve only got a certain number of meals in Barca, I’d skip Fast Good bc it seems more suited to people working in the area popping in for lunch break.
Of course, it has the benefits of a fast food place (i.e., you’ll be in and out in 20 minutes and your meal will be under 15 euros a person). Fast Good is not intended to be *anything* like El Bulli.
Bar Mut would be a better choice for a quick meal in the Eixample (though of course Bar Mut neither fast nor especially cheap).
I also worship at the altar of Bittman!
Hi, My husband and I are planning a trip to Barcelona. Can you recommend your B&B? If so, please send us the details.Thanks!
Gourmet Chick – I’m sure MB would be pleased to hear he has so many fans this side of the pond. : )
Debora – We rented the “Chimney Room” from Barcelona BB (http://www.barcelonabb.com/). Basically, we had our own lovely flat for the weekend, which also had a room for the BB’s housekeeper and her daughter. Every morning when we woke up, there was breakfast laid out in a big, sunny kitchen and dining room. It was perfect for us.
I am grateful for the tip, so I thought I would leave one of my own. We had brunch at Home Cooking Barcelona (check out http://www.homecookingbarcelona.com), a Sunday Brunch event. It was great. Great American pancakes, and a blue cheese burger that is just right. They serve typical American and English breakfasts and brunches. Nice . . . after three days of dry baguette and cured ham.
I have a silly question regarding the Chimney Room at BarcelonaBB, as I will be staying there in October. Is there a hair dryer available in the bathroom? I am trying to pack light.
I have been to Barcelona a number of times, but have never tried this place. Normally, I would go with recommendations from locals, but based on your post, I may give the places you mention a try for a quick lunch. If you’re interested, a favorite place of mine for lunch in Barcelona is Con Conesa, in the city’s Gothic Quarter. The prices are low, and it’s quite popular with residents.
Dan
Dan, I agree that it’s enjoyable and fun to ask locals for restaurant recs, but given how often I see Brits eating at terrible places in London (or Americans eating at equally terrible places in America), I can’t say it’s a foolproof plan to “ask a local” for favorite restaurants. It’s just one source of information among many. I usually look at several sources and see if there’s overlap in the names that come up.
Thanks for the tip on Con Conesa. I’ll look for it the next time I’m in Barca (which will be soon, I hope).
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