A Cozy Restaurant in Gràcia
The spot for a good meal in a quiet, authentic, off-the-beaten-path setting.
It happens all the time. You’re looking for a nice restaurant. Nothing fancy. You don’t need a Michelin star. And you definitely don’t want a chain. You just want that comfy spot, with a little authenticity, some style and, you know, maybe good pizza.
It can be a challenge in Barcelona, especially if you’re not familiar with the neighborhoods. Prices are high and authenticity scarce.
Il Giardinetto di Gràcia is what you’re looking for. It’s located on a quiet side street in Gràcia, in a building dating to 1880, with a small garden in the back. It’s been run by the same family for 30 years, offering “traditional food with the best from the local market.”
For the record, Il Giardinetto de Gràcia is unrelated to Il Giardinetto, a fancy, award-winning Italian restaurant in Sarria-Sant-Gervasi. One of the best known upscale Italian restaurants in the city, Il Giardinetto was established in 1974 by the famous Catalan photographer Leopoldo Pomés. (Il Giardinetto is “little garden” in Italian.)
Even though the sign says “Pizzeria,” Il Giardinetto di Gràcia is really more Catalan than Italian. The menu offers traditional local favorites, such as pigs feet with beans and mushrooms (peus de porc a la catalana amb mongetes i moixernons) and bacallà amb samfaina o gratinat amb all i oli (cod with samfaina or gratin with garlic and oil). Chef specials spotlight regional offerings like grilled squid, Andalucian gazpacho and grilled artichokes.
If you’re not in the mood for the Catalan dishes, the menu also includes a variety of pasta dishes and pizza, all served with fresh ingredients and some style.
“All our dishes are prepared by hand with fresh, quality products,” the restaurant says on its web site.
Il Giardinetto di Gràcia makes good on that promise in a quaint neighborhood-restaurant environment, far removed from the tourist throngs.
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"“All our dishes are prepared by hand with fresh, quality products. Many come from the Abaceria Central market, in Travessera de Gràcia,” the restaurant says on its web site."
But the Mercat Abaceria is NOT on Travessera de Gràcia, it's currently on Passeig de Sant Joan.