La Boqueria, also known as Mercat de Sant Josep, is reputed to be the oldest market of its kind in Europe. While that may or may not be true, it certainly ranks as one of the most impressive. In my experience only Florence, Italy’s Mercato Centrale even comes close. It's a terrific place to people watch, browse through the elaborately displayed stalls, and gawk at an array of items we can only dream of finding at one of our local supermarkets here in the United States. All sorts of fresh produce, meats, seafood, cheese, wine, bread, olive oil, and more are available.
Vendors here want to serve you, so don't pick up any fruit, vegetables, nuts, or other items yourself. You can, however, point out your specific selections to the vendor.
The crown jewel of La Boqueria has to be the huge seafood section. A circular arrangement located in the center of the market, this is probably the most seafood I’ve ever seen under one roof. Everything you can imagine from the sea: from tuna to cuttlefish to shrimp, to species you’ve never seen or heard of before.
We manufactured a couple of great lunches at bargain prices at La Boqueria. We bought bread, a couple of slices of chorizo and Serrano ham, manchego cheese and fresh fruit. An ample stash of great food for two, total spent: less than 5 €.
We came here every morning for our café con leche at the Bar Pinoxto, located just inside the main entrance and to the right. Juanito, the proprietor there, is a real character, always smiling and joking with his customers. In fact, indications are that he is becoming quite the local celebrity. Whenever one of his regular customers sat down, he’d reach behind the counter and pull out a magazine, then flip it open to a dog-eared page. On the page was a photograph of Juanito himself, dapperly dressed in a classic tuxedo, smiling for the camera with two other celebrities. He'd let his customer read the accompanying article then playfully boast of his newly found status. "Now all the women will want me," he’d laugh. Ready to pay the tab on our last morning in Barcelona my better half said, "Dos euros?" His reply in Spanish: "And a smile!"
The market is open 8am-8pm Monday through Saturday.
Additional information:
District: Old Town
Metro stop: Liceu (L3)