Barcelona Travel Guide: Chef José Andrés Eats All Day and Night

“I grew up in Barcelona, and it is very close to my heart,” says superstar chef José Andrés. Here, find out how many meals Andrés can eat in one day and watch him describe this epic itinerary on video below. José Andrés recommends his favorite Barcelona destinations, including La Boqueria market in Las Ramblas. Courtesy of JOHN KELLERMAN / Alamy

“You wake up at 7 a.m., and you go to the beautiful La Boqueria market in Las Ramblas, and there you’re going to find Juanito [at Pinotxo], this unbelievable man with the biggest smile and a beautiful bow tie, who makes the best coffee with milk—it’s like magic. You’re going to get the coffee; you’re going to order a Cava, the Catalan sparkling wine; and then you’re going to tell Juanito, ‘Whatever José likes is what I want to eat.’ You don’t have to think about anything else. You’re going to be eating tripe, fava beans sautéed with Romesco sauce, pigs feet, some tiny baby asparagus that they grill—dish after dish. This is only 7 a.m. people.”

“Then what do you do next? You start thinking about lunch. You’re going to go to Quimet y Quimet, a place that is so small only 30 people fit inside. There you’re going to find Quim, the owner, and his sister, and you’re going to tell him, ‘Quim, I want to eat what José eats,’ and he’s going to bring you [small toasts topped with spectacular canned ingredients like] clams and mussels, and to drink: red vermouth with some soda—that’s the ultimate tapas experience.”

“From there you’re going to say, ‘Still I’m hungry. What do I do next?’ You go to a Catalan restaurant, very close. Isidre is the owner, and his daughter Nuria is the chef. I grew up cooking with Nuria in the same culinary school. You’re going to tell them, ‘I want to eat what José eats.’ Simple! I don’t have to tell you anything else! Total, total, total tradition [seafood stew, roasted baby goat]. You’re going to finish there and say, ‘Oh, it’s 5 p.m. and I’m still hungry. Where am I going to go for my predinner?’”

"You’re going to go—also walking distance—to Rías de Galicia. It’s a restaurant that has only the best seafood in the world. You’re going to ask for oysters—the best, biggest, most unbelievable oysters in the history of mankind—and you’re going to order an Albariño from Galicia."

Barcelona Travel Guide: Tickets

“Then you say, ‘Uh, now I’m really hungry. Where do I go to dinner?’ Here we have a problem, because I would send you to Tickets. It’s the restaurant of Albert Adrià, the brother of Ferran Adrià, my best friend. It’s a very humble place, with the best of tradition, the best of ingredients and the best of modernity. You’re going to try to get in. If they won’t let you in, you tell them you’re a very good friend of José, but don’t tell them I told you. Maybe they’ll open the doors to this fascinating world. You’re going to order the entire menu.”

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