Neighborhooding: Sant Antoni, Barcelona

Having both been to Barcelona separately and together a decent amount, our most recent trip (in May 2019 – wow, we really need to get back there!) really embraced the concept of neighborhooding since we didn’t feel that pressure to run around the city, checking off all the typical boxes like La Sagrada Familia, La Boqueria, all the Gaudi buildings, Parc Guell, etc.


Check in

We actually stumbled upon the Sant Antoni neighborhood thanks to Bill finding the Airbnb first and then building our trip around that.

Our Sant Antoni Airbnb with a nice outdoor terrace overlooking Barcelona

 


Where to Eat

Pinxtos!
Displayed on top of the bar, pintxos are self-serve at the dozens of restaurants and bars on Carrer de Blai in Barcelona
Making a friend on Carrer de Blai

Carrer de Blai: If there is one recommendation I make to people visiting Barcelona, it’s to hit up this street at least twice. Famous for its dozens of tapas and pintxos bars packed into a few blocks, Blai is a non-negotiable for cheap snacks and sangria. Make a meal of it or just snack along the street, bopping from one bar to the next. Given that pintxos are usually only €1 or €2 per piece of bread topped with anything from quail eggs & sausage, to shishito peppers & cheese, it’s a low-stakes way to try a bunch of things and figure out your favorites. Pro tip: ask the bartender to heat up the pintxos before serving them. 

Grabbing a snack at the Sant Antoni Market; more on the market below in Where to Shop
A neighborhood bakery in Sant Antoni

Where to Drink

Giant kitty statues outside Madame Jasmine in Barcelona

Madame Jasmine: Packed to the gills, this bar was a vibe late-night. The highlight: the random guy wandering around giving strangers metallic face paintings.


Where to Shop

Oysters and accompaniments at Sant Antoni Market

Sant Antoni Market: Shopping in an indoor market like this will make you question why you don’t quit your life in America and move to Europe immediately. Beautifully displayed seafood, a whole seller dedicated to dozens of varieties of olives, the meats, the cheeses, the breads!

Yes Future: A sustainable and zero waste organic market, Yes Future is one of those beautifully designed stores that make you want to buy organic almonds in bulk to make your own almond milk at home and then store it in gorgeous glass containers in a pristine Khloe Kardashian-esque fridge.

I think it was in this moment, when Bill spontaneously decided to get a haircut next to our Airbnb in Sant Antoni that the concept of ‘neighborhooding’ was born. All communication was done via WhatsApp and Google Translate.

Stalk the Stylish Locals

 
 
 
 
 
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Content Creator Barcelona (@yuliiaryzhkova) • Instagram photos and videos

Fashion, food and some interiors.

 
 
 
 
 
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Katerina Shapovalova | stylist Barcelona (@katieshaa) • Instagram photos and videos

Mostly fashion but with some Barcelona recs.


Excursion-Worthy

Casa Batlló
Port de Barcelona
Parc Citadel

La Xampanyeria/Can Paixano: This crowded and crazy tapas bar in Barceloneta came as a recommendation from a friend who had spent a study abroad semester in Barcelona. Despite the context of what a 20-year old nearly 20 years ago liked, this place still slaps. Lean into the crowds and just go with it — order bottles of Cava and foie gras & bacon sandwiches without knowing where you’re going to stand because you sure as shit won’t find a place to sit. 

Bill bellying up to the bar at La Xampanyeria/Can Paixano

Paradiso: Consistently named one of the Top 50 Bars in the World, Paradiso was an experience. From entering through a butcher’s shop via a refrigerator door to the elaborately displayed cocktails (one came served in a toy-sized Trojan horse), this is definitely worth a visit.

The presentation at Paradiso is WILD; there’s a drink inside that balloon.
Dehydrated fruit and homegrown micro green garnishes at Paradiso
One of my fav photos of Bill in Barcelona

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