Ask a Local: The Coolest Places in Barcelona According to Nuria Val

For another culture hit, Val recommends Terranova Books, “a very cool bookstore in the Sant Antoni neighborhood. They have an amazing selection of books, and the store is so beautiful. When I want to give presents I come here for photography and art books. It used to be a shoe shop. They collaborate with Barcelona shoe brands, and in their smaller left hand window they run a display devoted to a different artist every month”.

For some good shopping, Nuria heads to the Born neighborhood, and a store called Après Ski, which makes jewelry with hand-glazed artisanal techniques. “If you need to buy presents for the family this is a cool store. It’s run by a friend of mine, Lucía Vergara. She started selling hand-crafted jewelry and accessories, but now she’s now doing clothing pieces. She finds shirts in markets and embroiders them. Each one is unique”.

Tiberi BarEduard Sanchez Ribot

Restaurants and bars

Come dinner time, Nuria recommends newcomer Tiberi Bar. “A group of creative people (Tiberi Club) have been organizing food experiences and events since they opened this restaurant in May 2023. It’s super cool. They have natural wines and very good sharing plates. I like to share when I go to dinner with friends, and this is the perfect place to do that. It’s a nice walk here after visiting Fundacio Miró as they’re in the same neighborhood.”

Another good eatery is The Green Spot. “They call themselves a ‘vegetarian restaurant for non-vegetarians’,” says Nuria. “They do pizzas too, such as a cauliflower dough pizza with padrón peppers, spinach, leek, organic feta cheese, and pine nuts. It’s close to Barceloneta beach, so a very nice weekend plan is to walk around the beach, then have lunch at the Green Spot. The El Born neighborhood is nearby and great for shopping.” It includes shops like La Manual Alpargatera, which has been selling handcrafted espadrilles for more than 190 years, making it the oldest espadrille shop in Spain.