Shop and eat local near CREC Eixample

CREC Eixample is located in the heart of the Eixample, between Plaza Cataluña, Plaza Tetuán and Plaza Urquinaona. In fact, it is the first area of the Eixample to be built in the application of the Cerdà plan, at the end of the 19th century. For this reason, we find modernist and neoclassical buildings that preserve the essence of the time.

In recent years, the neighborhood has undergone a transformation due to tourism and many business have been converted. However, there is still a wide range of local shops and restaurants less than 200 meters from CREC Eixample. Here you have a sample!

 

Coffee

 

Caffe’ MO No: A small piece of Italy

 

El Caffe ‘MO No, also known as Kimbo for the colorful poster of the Italian coffee brand, is a small piece of Italy at the crossroads of Gran Vía and Girona street. And when we say small, it is not to sweeten the language. The place has a capacity of about 10 people, all standing or on a stool.

Valerio, who has run the premises for nearly 15 years, is a coffee master with a wealth of resources and offers impeccable service. Years before, he had been a mixologist and takes care of all the details. At any time you will find a client of a chat with him on political, sports or social news, with the background sound of Rai, Italian public television.

The Caffe ‘MO is not a place of pilgrimage for many coworkers, local workers and delivery men. In addition to his exquisite coffee, his mortadella panini, cut to the spot by Valerio, are known throughout the neighborhood!

 

Restaurants

 

Bow: Healthy food for everyone

 

Bow It is undoubtedly the most frequented restaurant by the coworkers of CREC Eixample. Therefore, from this week, they have a 10% discount on all their dishes at noon!

Bow is a healthy food restaurant and cafeteria run by Anthony and David, who for almost four years have been offering a proposal of balanced and healthy menus with multiple celiac, vegan and vegetarian options.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they offered artisan dishes, salads, quiche and cakes that varied every day. Now they offer 10 different options of bowls to take away and to eat in the same place, which is less than 200 meters from CREC Eixample. They also make an exquisite specialty coffee, with varieties from the El Magnífico, from the Born quarter.

 

 

Eroica Caffè Barcelona: A cycling sanctuary

 

Eroica Caffè is one of the most unique places in the Eixample. Opened and renovated two years ago by Miguel, a cycling and gastronomy freak, Eroica Caffè is, first and foremost, a meeting point for cyclists of all ages. It is both a vintage and contemporary space in constant evolution. It not only welcomes cyclists, but also attracts and intrigues those who have not yet fallen in love with the sport. This is a space where taste and flavor, in addition to bicycles, memorabilia and books, invite you to discover another dimension, when the pace of life was more human and sociable. Eroica Caffè is synonymous with taste and quality, with simple ingredients and authentic local products, in accordance with the best Italian traditions.

In Miguel’s words, Eroica wants to be like an Italian Popolo House, where you can go to make a good coffee in the morning, eat fresh pasta, have a spritz in the afternoon, watch a live jazz concert and end up having dinner with a good wine. A true urban oasis two blocks from CREC Eixample!

 

Norte: The bistrot next to CREC

 

Three friends with degrees in philosophy, journalism and art history converted a corner bar (Diputació-Bruc) in Norte, a delicious miniature restaurant, where they rework and modernize Galician and Basque cuisine classics in a plate format. They are a powerhouse when it comes to breakfast and lunch: in the first section, their omelettes and scrambled eggs, or toasts with homemade jam, practically have a fan club.

To eat, they are the kings of the dish of the day and the careful tapa: try the Roman hake with lemon mayonnaise or the chickpeas with cod cocochas and green sauce. All seasonal vegetables are organic. It is undoubtedly a great option for a midday break in CREC Eixample!

 

Local shops

 

Chocolates Brescó: Chocolat fans’ heaven

 

Chocolates Brescó is a family chocolate company founded in 1875 in the Aragonese town of Benabarre, where they have a patisserie and a chocolate shop. In Barcelona, they have a store neither more nor less than in Casa Calvet, designed by Antoni Gaudí, just 100 meters from CREC Eixample.

In addition to being a shop in a spectacular setting, has a wide range of artisan chocolate and pastries ideal for a gift or simply to indulge yourself. All their products are homemade and can be tasted in the same place with a good coffee.

 

Casa Ruiz: A healthy bulk food store

 

Do you want to buy in bulk and don’t know where? Two blocks from CREC Eixample you have the solution! Casa Ruiz, on Bruc street, is a bulk store with hundreds of references of rice, legumes, pasta, nuts, chocolate, spices, flours, mushrooms and dried fruit, teas, infusions and aromatic herbs. Entering is an explosion of smells and color and the staff has a great knowledge about the product and its origin.

Buying in bulk is a very good option for a healthy diet and to consume more responsibly, since you only buy the amount you need. Now Casa Ruiz, through its website, allows you to order online at home.

 

 

Farmàcia Aguilar Pérez: probably the most beautiful pharmacy in town

 

Yes, I have included a pharmacy in a local business directory. But the Aguilar Pérez Pharmacy is a real museum. This establishment, which has been in operation since 1905, is housed in an eclectic modernist building at the intersection of carrer Girona and carrer Ausiàs March. The place preserves original furniture and period objects that transport you to the Barcelona of a hundred years ago. On the façade, we find a glass window, a luminous wrought iron sign and some wooden columns with original relief.

 

Oxfam shop: Fair trade at CREC’s door

 

Right in front of CREC Eixample, on the other side of Gran Vía, we find one of the two Oxfam Intermón shops in Barcelona. This store, managed by the NGO, sells products of all kinds with one common feature: they are all fair trade items. We find cosmetic, jewelry, long, fashion and organic food items. All its profits go to the NGO, which works in 41 countries against poverty.

 

 

Bonus track: Passatge Sert and Passatge de les Manufactures

 

Barcelona is infinite. It doesn’t matter how much time you have lived here, there are always corners to discover. On the border between the Eixample and the Born, in Trafalgar street, we find two of these corners that, when you see them for the first time, your jaw drops and you wonder why you hadn’t walked before. I’m talking about Sert Passage and Manufactures Passage, two private passages that are an oasis of tranquility in the heart of the city. For some years now, the Sert Passage has brought together painting and design studios and a reference specialty coffee shop: Nomad Coffee Lab & Shop. The fully covered Manufactures Passage houses a neighboring staircase, the Flexitarian Flax & Kale restaurant and a show-cooking and culinary events space.

Take advantage of the privileged location of CREC Eixample and enjoy these proximity shops and restaurants!