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The city has often been criticized for its impenetrable barrier to entry for independent restaurants - especially those offering more international fare in a culture so deeply in love with its own cuisine. Better yet, recoup from a busy day of exploring with a private meal on that Airbnb rooftop patio you splurged for.īesides, supporting these small, sometimes one- or two-person businesses is supporting a new generation of brave, scrappy innovators within Barcelona’s food scene. That means you can plan a stellar picnic without worrying about schlepping a heavy pack of potentially squashed food across town, which is especially valuable in areas without a lot of great dining options (Park Güell, I’m looking at you). And while you should definitely not forgo the city’s incredible restaurants for the sake of an Instagram sandwich, there are some obvious benefits to these mobile businesses for travelers - starting with the fact that most offer sustainable delivery via bike almost anywhere in the city. While that mentality is far from gone, the Barcelona food scene has begun to make room for this other, more ephemeral way of eating.
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It’s not that other restaurants didn’t offer food choices to go (though requesting a doggie bag is still a faux pas), but rather that local customs tend to prioritize the social aspect of dining as much as - and oftentimes more than - the food itself. Takeaway culture has historically been all but nonexistent throughout Spain, with delivery and takeout choices falling into three main categories: pizza for big games, kebabs for late nights, and roast chicken for Sunday lunch. This COVID-era phenomenon isn’t unique to Barcelona, but it is particularly revolutionary here. These accounts usually offer one or just a handful of specialty dishes weekly, leaning heavily on fresh ingredients and eye-catching presentations in hopes of social media close-ups and prolific reshares. One such case? Instagram-propelled food businesses, most of them without a permanent space or even physical location, often operating out of so-called ghost kitchens.
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