For me at least, every trip to Barcelona must include a visit to a granja, a milk bar. No, I’m not drinking milk there – I’m there for the xocolata! I’ve always been taken to one of two granges on C/Petritxol in the Barri Gòtic – Granja La Pallaresa and Granja Dulcinea. While I still hold a soft spot for the latter, being the first granja I ever encountered, we’ve been frequenting the former lately. Don’t get me wrong – both are good!
From what I understand, granja means farm in Catalan. The original granges in Barcelona were shops selling dairy products and Blai mentioned that he’d heard of one shop that had a cow in the back! Sadly, there are no granges with cows today and the name now refers to these cafes.
We always order xurros. Always. Other snacks are available but I can’t imagine myself dipping anything else into my xocolata. As for the xocolates, we tend to order Suïssos – xocolates topped with large caps of freshly whipped cream, like Swiss mountains! Reflecting their dairy beginnings, plates of whipped cream can also be ordered at a granja – I once watch a young boy finish his plate himself, using xurros to wipe it all up! Flans, also surrounded by whipped cream, can also be had, though I’ve not tried them. In the summer months, cold slushy drinks are available – llet merengada and lemon granissat were swirling around in large dispensers, their iciness a nice respite from the hot, humid weather. Bottled drinks such as mineral water and chocolate milk are also available.
The best part is that everything is very affordable – a Suís is around €2.50. The two of us easily walk out of there after teatime spending less than €10 – such a relief from London prices! Be prepared to see a queue around teatime…and if I were you, I’d wait for a table to try their goodies!
Granja La Pallaresa
Petritxol, 11
Barcelona
Sun, 16 Sep, 2007 at 14:14
[...] Granja La Pallaresa For me at least, every trip to Barcelona must include a visit to a granja, a milk bar. No, I’m not drinking milk […] [...]
Thu, 10 Jul, 2008 at 04:40
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Sun, 22 Nov, 2009 at 05:21
Dessert is my favorite part of a meal
)
Thanks for sharing!
Sat, 16 Jan, 2010 at 13:51
[...] a granja that Blai had remembered passing. He normally brings me to the ones on c/Petritxol (like Granja La Pallaresa) but he’d seen another with a long queue and we went off in search of it in El Raval, a now [...]
Sat, 8 Jan, 2011 at 16:58
[...] thick hot chocolate here was slightly sweeter than that at Granja La Pallaresa on the same street (C/Petritxol). I think I still prefer the chocolate at the latter but both [...]