El Nacional - A Garage Turned Food Temple
We have teamed up with Sant Aniol in a series discovering fun and unique gastronomic offers in Barcelona and surroundings. I find Sant Aniol the perfect partner for this journey, I am so fascinated by their unique water! It comes from the volcanic zone in beautiful La Garrotxa, a region in Girona, from a depth of 115 meters. A slope located in an area of sedimented lava and volcanic rock makes Sant Aniol a water of great purity and excellent qualities, and it is the only water on the peninsula that has been filtered through volcanic rock! I find it really cool.
El Nacional, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.
We begin our journey together in El Nacional, located right by the emblematic heart of the city Passeig de Gràcia. I always recommend guests and visitors to stop by here, even if it’s just for a drink and a snack. It is the first restaurant in the city that offers different areas where you can try food from around the peninsula, all made with the best ingredients.
El Nacional, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.
The ingredients and the products used are very well thought of. On their website you can see some of the products and in which areas you can find them. They have picked out the best ingredients from Spain, Portugal and the south of France, such as red prawns from Palamós, cheeses from the Basque country, Navarra, and Catalonia, truffle; and even the water from Sant Aniol is very unique.
El Nacional, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.
The restaurant itself is a sight for sore eyes. It is a true modernistic masterpiece, where the interior design has been wonderfully executed by famed Lázaro Rosa-Violán. The building has a lot of history: before it turned into a food temple it used to be a garage! All the different spaces have their own special touch and look. A visit to the bathroom is a must: they are absolutely gorgeous and are the perfect spot for photos..!
El Nacional, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.
The space is divided into four larger areas: La Braseria where the charcoal grill is the star, La Llotja that specializes in fish in all its forms, La Taperia with its tapas and rice dishes, and La Parada that serves as a quick stop and a little bite. There is also an exclusive space called El Magatzem, for groups up to 42 people.
El Nacional, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.
El Nacional, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.
On our last visit we made a stop in La Taperia, where you can choose between numerous different tapas, and where the staff also does rounds between the tables auctioning out tapas off the menu. If you are visiting it is a perfect way to try lots of different things, get to know local flavors and find out what you like best. Pair it all with a drink, a glass of wine, or Sant Aniol, like we did.
In addition to the areas mentioned above, there are also four different bars: one for beer and preserves, one for cocktails, one dedicated to oysters, and one for the local star pairing: wine and ham.
El Nacional is a wonderful place to get a feeling for all the tasty local food, and perfect when you can’t decide on exactly what you want to eat… Because here you can get it all!
El Nacional, Passeig de Gràcia, 24 Bis, 08007 Barcelona (Eixample).
