I had booked my trip to Barcelona in December and spent months planning things I wanted to do when I got there. However, once I arrived I was so excited to finally be in the city that I did not know what to do first.
I started my journey from my hotel to La Rambla, the famous street where all the tourists head to. I just started walking around all the side streets, admiring the architecture of the buildings.
As I looked down these alleyways, they kept reminding me of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.
As I was walking along I started to get hungry. There were so many choices for food around. Not far from Rambla de Canaletes I came across Santa Anna.
The brightness coming from their interior caught my attention, along with their sign that said they had sangria.
It was amazing to me that this restaurant has been around for over 90 years. They clearly have updated the restaurant but to be in the same location for all that time is just impressive.
The restaurant was very bright and clean. There were great black and white murals on the wall that were of famous buildings around Barcelona.
They also had all their wine bottles displayed on really cool holders mounted to the walls.
The first thing I did when my waiter got to the table was order my sangria. I could not wait to try it. There was something magical to me about drinking sangria in Barcelona. They used a nice, sweet red wine and there was fresh fruit throughout. It was refreshing after all the walking around I had done.
I started off with three appetizers. The ham croquettes were a must try for me. In my research before arriving, I had read about different foods that are famous in Barcelona and croquettes were one of those foods.
These croquettes were a blend of mashed potatoes, chopped ham, and cheese. They were then breaded and deep fried. When I bit in I could taste the savory flavor. The ham had a smoky taste and the cheese added a little saltiness. Overall the croquette was extremely creamy.
I also ordered the spicy potatoes. These were sliced potato wedges that were lightly fried then drizzled with a spicy cream sauce. They also included a dollop of mascarpone cheese in the center.
The potatoes had a slight sweet taste. The sauce as not really spicy but it was amazing on the potatoes. There was a hint of tomato in the sauce. The cheese added a little tangy taste.
I got the grilled baby squid because I knew it would be really fresh. When it came out I realized that it was not grilled; it was lightly breaded and then fried. It was just like the calamari I get back home. The only difference was the squid was extremely tender. It melted in my mouth.
The last thing I ordered was the Pizza Prosciutto. The size of the pizza was perfect for sharing. The crust was crispy and thin. The prosciutto was thinly chopped into pieces and sprinkled all over the pizza. It had a wonderfully salty taste, especially with the cheese. It paired really well with my sangria.
So my first dining experience in Barcelona was delicious. I could not wait for what else lied ahead of me. You can check them out on their website at http://www.restaurantsantaanna.com/
Enjoy!
T
