Three days in Barcelona is not enough time to visit all the beauties that this marvelous capital has to offer, but it is enough to sweeten both the soul and the stomach until the next trip.
When I first visited this city 18 years ago, there were no gluten-free apps or Facebook groups, and there weren’t as many gluten-free restaurants as there are today. I almost don’t even remember how we managed back then and how stressful it was to go anywhere outside the house. Today, things have changed a lot in the world and we can finally enjoy the sights and gastronomy of all major cities in Europe equally. What always helps me a lot when it comes to traveling is the application Find Me Gluten Free, which is free and offers a wide range of researched restaurants. I only visit those that are exclusively gluten-free, and celiac-dedicated. In Barcelona, all the restaurants we visited had this year’s certification from their association that they are safe for celiac.
What is important to me for every trip is to choose accommodation in the central part of the city, because there is also a much larger offer of gluten-free food than in the suburbs, and you will be close to most of the sights you want to visit, while for those further away it is much easier to “catch” transport because they all go through the city center. The hotel we stayed in is called Praktik Rambla. It is located in the very center of the city, from where you can easily visit the main sights such as Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter, the Picasso Museum and the Mozzo Museum, and even reach the beach on a walk. When we arrived at the hotel, the young receptionist Mario offered us gluten-free ice cream and told us that we would have coffee and a croissant in the morning. When asked if they also have a gluten-free croissant, he answered in the affirmative. When I asked him how safe that croissant is, he laughed and said not to worry, that it is 100% safe, because he is also celiac. Croissants are packaged, and they can heat them for you in the microwave, but they also use that microwave for other gluten-free foods, so we didn’t heat them. Mario immediately gave us some advice on where to find the best pizza in Barcelona and which bakery to visit for fresh gluten-free pastries.
First day, we decided to visit Park Guell, which is about an hour’s walk from our hotel. On the way there, we stopped at Jansana gluten free bakery, where we bought sandwiches and coffee with soy milk. I recommend that you walk to the bakery and then wait for some transport that will take you to the park because the park is huge and you will walk there for at least two hours.
The bakery opens at 9:00 a.m. When we arrived around 8:45 a.m., a line of people was already slowly forming waiting to enter. Since the selection is huge, we couldn’t resist taking something sweet to have for later.
The entrance fee to the park is 10€, I suggest that you buy tickets at least a week in advance online, because it often happens that there are no tickets when you arrive at the place. In souvenir shops at all major tourist attractions, you can also buy candies marked gluten-free. This can be a great souvenir for someone on a gluten-free diet.
That day, we stopped at the Pizza natura restaurant, which is also exclusively gluten-free. Very pleasant environment, 800 m away from our hotel. There we tried tacos, pizza with millet and quinoa dough and smoked chicken with caramelized onions, salad, avocado, and hummus. Everything was very tasty, so I recommend that if you go with a group, you combine dishes to try as much as possible. This restaurant also exists in Madrid, so if you decide to go there, this can be one of the options for lunch. This restaurant also has an association sticker from the current year on the front door, which guarantees safety.
The next day on the repertoire was the Sagrada Familia. This famous piece of architecture takes your breath away every time you see it live. Its grandiosity, the unusual style of the old part of the cathedral and the unreal play of light created by the stained glass windows inside the building will make you cry. Barcelona is famous for the buildings of one of the most famous and unusual architects of his time, Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí worked on the Sagrada Familia cathedral for 40 years. It was his biggest project to which he devoted himself completely in the last years of his life. After he died in 1926, the cathedral was continued to be built by other architects trying to follow Gaudi’s original idea, but as all the sketches and plans were burned in a fire during the Spanish Revolution, this project visibly took on the tastes of other artists who are finishing this project recent years.
The old part of the city exudes Gothic style, which can be seen at every corner. However, the most beautiful buildings are located in the Gothic quarter, where, in addition to the famous basilicas, facades and ornaments on them, you can visit and refresh with a more modern style, a complete experience. Thus, you can reach the Picasso Museum, the Moco Museum of Contemporary Art or the Banksy Museum in just a few minutes’ walk.
That day for lunch we decided to visit the famous Italian pizzeria that has the best pizzas in town. It’s the Grosso Napoletano Senza glutine! This restaurant also has a sticker at the entrance that is approved by their association, so there is no fear of contamination! The place is modern, filled with the smell of freshly baked pizzas! In addition to the great food, I recommend trying the Limoncello spritz for an extra experience of Naples in the heart of Barcelona!
The pizzas are baked in bread ovens and are ready in 10 minutes! The dough is just perfect! Thick soft, toasted crust, three types of tomatoes, basil sauce and fresh burrata in the middle! That was my choice, and I’m sure you will find something for your taste buds! Next time I would definitely try the Diavola with real Neapolitan sausage, but this time I choose the Pomo D’Oro!
When you are in an Italian restaurant, you must not leave out dessert, because as the Italians say: “there is always room for dessert”! A cold tiramisu is always a good treat after lunch, and this time we were not wrong!
Near the Sagrada Familia, the gluten-free map marked some ice cream shops that have gluten-free ice cream, as well as gluten-free cones. One of them was located on the same street as the cathedral. When I went there, the first thing I noticed was that all the ice creams were together, in the same freezer, and they were all taken out with the same spoon. Among them was ice cream with Oreo cookies, and I was immediately suspicious of that. The girl who sold the ice cream assured me that all the flavors were gluten-free, but when I explained to her that it was impossible because they also offer ice cream with biscuits, then she started looking through the menu and got completely confused. They did have individual cones (each wrapped in cellophane) that were gluten-free, but I didn’t want to risk it. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a single ice cream shop with ice creams and gluten-free cones that seemed safe to me, so we skipped ice cream in this form this time.
However, there are gluten-free ice creams in almost every market, so if you can’t find one that is safe for a scoop, don’t worry because there are plenty of declared ones, as well as pure fruit ice cream. You can also look for refreshments in freshly squeezed juices, which you can find at every step. Especially if you decide to visit the biggest market in Barcelona – Mercat de la Boqueria. There you can buy fruits and vegetables from all over the world, the most diverse seafood, and spices… but make sure that for foods like dried, candied, and caramelized fruits, always check first if they can guarantee that they are gluten-free.
We left the last day for a leisurely walk and the beach! It would be a shame to stay in Barcelona during the summer and not go swimming at least once. I was worried if we would find a safe place to have lunch there because all the better restaurants were mostly located in the center. To my great surprise, we found a small restaurant right near the main beach – Manioca! Everything here is made with tapioca and they also have a sticker at the entrance that everything is celiac-safe! The pleasant atmosphere, very friendly staff and excellent food recharged our batteries for the very end of this short trip!
The appetizer we tried there – Daditos de Tapioca, is so delicious that I had to look for the recipe! The food served is mainly Brazilian, so we tried Manioca Brasilena and Pollo a la Parmegianna. We couldn’t refrain from sweets this time either, because the tapioca pancakes with Nutella and fresh strawberries looked incredibly tempting. We also tried the carrot and chocolate cake, which, compared to the pancakes that left us breathless, was just ok. The overall impression of this cute restaurant near the sea was unexpectedly excellent!
Travels are like bonuses in some games that extend your life and make you more powerful. Celiac disease is not always simple, sometimes I get even more disappointed when I see how people live in other countries and how easy it is to be a celiac, but in the end happiness still overcomes these other feelings. The possibility to go somewhere and enjoy the gastronomic delights in addition to art, historical and architectural beauty is priceless.
Barcelona is beautiful in every sense of the word. The road brought me to this city again for a completely different reason, namely the Pearl Jam concert, which I went to with my sister, who, like me, is on a gluten-free diet. One of my favorite bands, in one of my favorite cities with my two best companions – my mom and my sister, promised a good time at the start, but I couldn’t even dream that what I took home would fill my heart so much.
