3 Barcelona Cafés

The craft coffee culture in Barcelona is alive and well. One of the reasons we love Barcelona is that it reminds us of home. The coffee scene is just one more thing Barcelona and San Diego share well.

Here are two Gothic Quarter gems that are definitely worth using to fuel up, take a break, or have a bite to eat. 

Satan's Coffee Corner

Carrer de l'Arc de Sant Ramon del Call, 11, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

Satan's

An occult theme with a cult following. This cafe is tucked into a corner on one of Barcelona's winding alleyways in the gothic quarter. The street narrows to barely passable and takes a nearly impossible turn and you've arrived. While Satan's space has a clean, modern design sensibility to it, there's no shortage of attitude. The menu lays out the rules: "COME DRINK EAT AND FLIRT. NO DECAF. NO BULLSHIT. NO VANILLA. NO WIFI. NO FUN FOR CHILDREN. F--- YELP. F--- TRIPADVISOR." Fortunately, they back up the attitude with stellar coffee and delicious baked goods, omelets, and sandwiches. Aeropress is an art form here. 

Black Remedy

Carrer de la Ciutat, 5, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

We went head over heals for this spot. It's beautiful. The staff is super friendly. They have a full time chef. The chef is also a master baker. There are cold-pressed juices. You know it's cool from the moment the doors glide open.

If you're not sure what you're in the mood for, but you know it has to be good. Just punch this place into your GPS and get moving (though, its location in the Gothic Quarter makes it super easy to find). This was the last spot we hit in Barcelona so we went all out. The espresso was on point. The bbq pulled pork sandwich and avocado toast hit the spot. What's the real creme de la creme here at Black Remedy you ask? The too-moist-to-be-real red velvet cake baked in house and served in a giant portion (seriously share with 2-3 people). 

Finally, here's a spot that's not in the Gothic. We found this café by accident after visiting Antoní Gaudi's Casa Battló:

Dora

Carrer de Provença, 275, 08037 Barcelona, Spain

This is our honorable mention and standout argument for exploring on your own and not obsessing too much over reviews, Yelp, Tripadvisor, etc. (Satan's Coffee Corner, anyone?). We were hot and tired and still wanted to visit Mt. Tibidabo. We both had to pee. Liz needed coffee. I wanted something stronger and colder. As we took off down a beautiful side street, the gilded 1920's lettering and glimpse into the dark, verdant interior of Dora was too much to resist. This was a perfect place to take a break, enjoy some tapas, and recharge our batteries.