Five Favorite Markets of Barcelona

10.23.19

The 39 – yes, 39 – municipal food markets of Barcelona provide a wide variety of visual, auditory, and olfactory experiences. The most popular of these is La Boqueria, with more than 160 stalls and a prominent location on La Rambla de Catalunya. Although the locals do complain at times that the sheer number of visitors is changing its character, it still acts very much as a neighborhood serving market. Looking for a cut of meat? You'll have 37 butchers' stands to choose from (10 selling beef, lamb and veal; 23 selling pork products, and four specializing in offal). Fancy a piece of fish or salt cod for dinner? One of the 36 fishmongers will surely have something to your liking.

Officially named the Mercat de St Josep (the name of the convent that occupied the site before it was destroyed during one of the many riots that punctuated that City's turbulent history), La Boqueria owes its existence to the city's attempts in the late 18th century to control food supply and food pricing. In the days before fertilizers, pesticides, refrigeration and railways, cities were very much at the mercy of the vagaries of climate, with any kind of food shortage leading to price gouging and popular unrest. A significant grain famine in 1789 caused massive unrest throughout Europe, including a revolution in France with many lost heads. The authorities in Barcelona, however, kept theirs, and created the municipal markets, where prices could be controlled during times of food shortages.

Through an extensive (and expensive) program of renovations, Barcelona is ensuring the continued relevance of its markets. A typical renovation will entail erecting a temporary market on nearby land to accommodate vendors, shoring up the entire building structure to allow for the excavation of an underground parking garage below the market, and upgrading finishes and infrastructure – a process that can take two to three years.

Whilst La Boqueria is the best known and the largest of the markets, it is neither as attractive, dramatic or authentic as many of the other neighborhood markets. Listed below are some of my favorites; the best time to visit is usually around lunchtime, a perfect time to grab some tapas at one of the market stalls!

1. Most Gaudi-esque: Mercat de Santa Caterina

Santa Caterina is a marvel of architectural rehabilitation, the masterpiece of local architect Enric Miralles, who like Gaudi died before the completion of his best known work. Located just a three-minute walk from Barcelona's Gothic Cathedral, Santa Caterina underwent a substantial renovation in the 80's, getting new storefronts and an extraordinary new roof, a contemporary timber and tile reinterpretation of the Catalan vault. The bundled metal columns and soaring ceilings evoke the Gothic architecture of the nearby cathedral. Grab a table in front of the market and enjoy breakfast at La Torna, then check out the amazing selection of gourmet olive oil at the Olis Oliva store.

Market hours:

7:30 am to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

7:30 am to 3:30 pm, Wednesday, Saturday, Monday

Closed on Sundays

Getting there:

Santa Caterina is an easy walk from the Barrio Gotico district; alternatively, take the red line to the Urquinaona Metro stop and walk three blocks.

Lunch recommendation: For inexpensive bites try Bar Joan at the back of the market; for a splurge go to the Cuines Santa Caterina restaurant at the front.

2. Most authentic: Mercat de Sants

The Mercat de Sants is my favorite market, located in the old workingclass neighborhood of Sants, a village absorbed by Barcelona's huge expansion in the late 19th Century. Sants is a brick "modernista" masterpiece completed in 1914, and lovingly restored in 2014 to mark its centenary. Like many of the restored markets, Sants features an interesting mix of uses, designed to ensure its continued relevancy as shopping habits change: it now has an underground parking garage, a small supermarket, over 100 traditional food stalls in the main part of the market, and soft goods stalls along the outside facade of the building. Frequented mostly by locals rather than tourists, Sants feels like the "real" Barcelona.

Market hours:

8:00 am to 8:30 pm, Tuesday through Friday

8:00 am to 2:30 pm, Saturday and Monday

Closed on Sundays

Getting there: Sants is a two-minute walk from the Placa de Sants Metro station, on the blue and red lines.

Lunch recommendation: Stop by Menjars Casolans Montero and enjoy a "tortilla de patatas," the traditional Catalan potato omelet.

3. Most likely to save your relationship: Mercat de la Concepcio

Concepcio is a three-naved glass and cast iron market in the Guimard style completed in 1888 and renovated in 1998. Enter the market from the south side across the new pedestrian bridge that spans over a basement grocery store, walk past the usual assortment of meat, fish, and vegetables, and you'll get to what makes this market truly special: an extraordinary array of potted plants and cut flowers. The market is known amongst locals as the Mercat de les Flors or "Market of the Flowers," and if you need a last minute gift, or if you've had an argument with your significant other in the wee hours of the night, then luck would have it that this part of the market is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year... We have to wonder how many relationships this place has saved!

Market hours (food market):

8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday

8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Saturday and Monday

Closed on Sundays

Market hours (flower market):

Open 24/7

Getting there: La Concepcio is in the Eixample neighborhood, a short three-block walk from Gaudi's Casa Battlo – or, walk one block from the Girona Metro on the yellow line.

Lunch recommendation: Rather than eating in the market, try Sopa de Pedres, a small local restaurant tucked in the alleyway just to the east of the market.

4. Most church-like: Mercat de Sant Antoni

Sant Antoni is what you end up with when you combine a church with a market with a shopping mall. Resembling a 19th century iron and glass reinterpretation of a centrally planned Renaissance church, Sant Antoni rises regally above its surroundings, set back from the street edge, its diagonal orientation giving it even more of a civic grandeur than is customary with municipal markets. A three-year, $70 million effort restored the building's beautiful iron and ceramic tile facade to its original splendor and added an underground garage. Inside, there are two markets wrapped around each other: a perimeter market of soft goods, with more than 80 vendors vendors selling clothing toys, accessories, and kitchenware; and a central market with the usual assortment of fish, meat, charcuterie, fruits, and vegetables.

Market hours:

8:00 am to 8:30 pm, Monday through Saturday

Closed on Sundays

Getting there: Located on the edge of the Raval neighborhood, Sant Antoni is a 12-minute walk from La Boqueria, and adjacent to the Sant Antoni stop on the purple line.

Lunch recommendation: Enjoy a couple of empanadas from the wonderful selection at Rekons.

5. Most cathedral-like: Mercat de Galvany

If Sant Antoni is a church of shopping, then Galvany deserves the title of Cathedral of Commerce: four naves lead you to an altar of fishmongers in the center of the market, crowned by a large, octagonal dome resting on four soaring arches. Like many other markets, the fishmongers in Galvany are located in the center of the covered markets for both symbolic and practical reasons: to remind the citizens of Barcelona of their city’s maritime roots, and to take advantage of the movement of air in the naturally ventilated buildings, with fresh air coming in through the perimeter doors then rising as it reaches the middle of the space. One of the few markets that has not been renovated, Galvany does show a little wear and tear that adds to its charm, although one hopes that any remodel will get rid of the awful fluorescent lighting that distracts from the awe-inspiring ceiling.

Market hours:

7:00 am to 2:00 pm, Monday through Saturday

Closed on Sundays

Getting there: Galvany is a little more out of the way, but can be easily reached by taking the light rail from the Placa de Catalunya terminus to the Muntaner station.

Lunch recommendation: El Café de Galvany is a classic market bar. Enjoy your tapas there while staring at the soaring ceiling vaults.

Other markets

The list of municipal markets in Barcelona is long. Depending on which neighborhoods your wanderings take you to, the following markets are also worth checking out:

Barceloneta neighborhood: Mercat de la Barceloneta (the best sardines I've ever tasted)
Vila de Gracia neighborhood: Mercat de La Llibertat (a neighborhood jewel in the Guimard style)
Eixample neighborhood: Mercat Del Ninot (a plethora of lunch choices)

Yann Taylor

Yann has been designing retail and mixed-use projects for more than 25 years. After working in the UK and the US on a number of different building types (residential buildings, civic buildings, healthcare), he landed at Field Paoli and has never looked back. His focus is on how the public realm is experienced: how can the buildings we design create lively and energetic environments that allow for positive social interactions between friends as well as strangers? Some of the may groundbreaking projects he is proud to have designed include the master plan for Victoria Gardens in Southern California; the redevelopment of Broadway Plaza in the San Francisco Bay Area; the first Whole Foods store to include a full brewery; and the conversion of an old garment factory into the open-air Forum Cuernavaca, located just south of Mexico City.

Beyond the office, you’ll find Yann enjoying his daily bicycle commute to and from work; doing research on the great public markets and food halls of London, Paris and Barcelona; and reflecting on the subtleties of experiential urban design. Yann is a frequent speaker and panelist; most recently he moderated a panel for the Urban Land Institute's Fall meeting on the challenges faced by restaurants and retailers in San Francisco and shared his thoughts on the joys of an urban walk with James Cook on his "Where We Buy" podcast

Although he is energized by the richness and vitality of urban retail environments, some of Yann's favorite buildings tend to be located at the end of long dirt roads: it's nice to get away sometimes.