Description: Be sure to visit La Boqueria if you are walking down the Ramblas. It is easy to spot and is just off the Ramblas. It is a large covered market and is a great place to visit, even if you don't intend buying any food.
It is colourful, vibrant and always really busy, with a great atmosphere. The market is filled with all kinds of local food - there is what seems like everything under the sun. From meat and poultry to freshly caught fish, from every kind of fruit and vegetable to the most unusual ingredients, including tripe, you will find it all here. We loved the stalls with the Spanish ham and those stacked with cheese and nuts were also impressive. Our 8 year old had to be dragged away from the many sweet stalls and those with delicious chocolate displays. Look out too for the dried fruit stalls - the colours were wonderful.
As you come into the market off the Ramblas, there is such a buzz in the air and the smell of fresh produce is lovely. The greengrocer's market was another favourite of ours.
Look out for Pinotxo - a little restaurant in the market which has won much acclaim. We did want to eat there, but it was so busy we had to abandon this idea. Apparently the food they serve here, sourced from the market, is amongst the best you will get in Barcelona. The delicous, garlicky smell coming from inside certainly didn't make us doubt that.
There are lots of other little restaurants in the market, serving excellent tapas. They are not cheap, but the ingredients are all sourced from the market, and all of them looked very good.
I bought a fruit juice from one of the many fruit juice stalls. It was coconut and strawberry, absolutely delicious and so refreshing. I paid 1 euro from a stall near the back, closer to the front they were charging 2 euros, so shop wisely.
There is also a wonderful crepe stall in the market. The crepes cost 4.50 euros and the man makes them while you wait. They are delicious and the stallholder is a little eccentric and theatrical, so that just adds to the experience. Our son loved it all so much, he insisted we return the next day for another one.
Even if you don't want to buy anything, the market is a great place to visit and really appeals to children. The strange little stalls and the eccentric characters you come across, really make it a fun place. If you did want to shop for ingredients for a picnic - this would definitely be the perfect place.
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