Where to Find an American Breakfast in Barcelona

If you really, absolutely need a pancake fix, there are options.

In Barcelona, nobody believes “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Breakfast is rarely a sit-down meal. It is a warm-up, something to keep you going until the afternoon, when you can do some real eating. In the neighborhoods, there are no diners or “breakfast spots,” with ham and eggs and hearty sausages. There’s no Denny’s or IHOP.

One of the best parts about Barcelona is its lack of interest in providing an American breakfast. Breakfast in Barcelona is built on the backbone of little bakeries and cafes, where locals can grab a croissant and sip a doble espresso. If you want to experience a Barcelona breakfast, wander into a neighborhood around 10 a.m. and find a cafe, order a strong cortada and a canya — a strudel-like pastry splattered in powdered sugar — and forget the silly concept of pancakes.

Frankly, if a plate of sunny-side-up eggs and crisp bacon is really important, you might as well go to the hotel coffee shop.

OK, I’ve shared my rant. That said, there are several restaurants in the old city that are working hard to bring some of Barcelona’s culinary class to the old fashioned American and English breakfast. With fresh ingredients and an outsider’s perspective, it can be fun to see how they interpret the idea of an American breakfast. The restaurants are often designed around “brunch,” which clearly makes more sense to the Barcelonan rhythm of life. (One chain is called “Billy Brunch.”)

Here are a few options:

Cremat 11

In the heart of the old city, not far from the Picasso museum, this place is always packed. Cremat promises a “creative brunch,” as well as “the best pancakes in Barcelona,” a claim that gets tossed around a lot. The “Full Monty” a four-pancake” tower with Nutella, ganache, pink ruby ​​chocolate, crunchy cereal balls, chocolate cookie, berries. They also offer a real-deal eggs benedict on thick fresh bread.

The Benedict

The Catalan vision of an American/English breakfast clearly lands on the exotic pancakes and eggs benedict. Benedicts, on the west edge of the Gothic Quarter, offers the full array of hollandaise-slathered classics, include a “Barcelona” with mozzarella and pesto. They also offer a full English breakfast, with eggs, bacon, sausage and beans.

La Desayuneria

This small, no frills spot across from the Sant Antoni market offers “authentic breakfasts from all corners of the United States.” It’s part of a small chain, with similar small restaurants in Madrid and Malaga, and feels more like an authentic effort to present the American breakfast to a local audience. The menu hits every base, from waffles and omelettes to smoothies and yogurt bowls, as well as a full array of pancake options. The web site also notes that it is a “dog-friendly and gluten-free environment.” You can also purchase pancake earrings from their shop.

So there you have it. Three delicious choices. Enjoy your bacon and eggs.

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