There is an area of Barcelona called Sant Antoni. This is an area where locals hang out and is filled with bars and tapas restaurants. I decided I needed to check this area out. Based on what I was told this area does not get hopping until at least 9:00pm.
As I walked up and down the main road, I noticed that every place was packed. These are not big restaurants inside so they fill up quickly. After walking up and down a few times, a small table for two opened up at La Tiza. I knew this was a sign that this was where I needed to try.
I started off by ordering a classic mojito. I had read that mojitos are another beverage that are famous in Spain.
This mojito was the best one I have ever had. It tasted so fresh. It was not overly sweet with that syrupy texture like the ones in the states. This was smooth. They used rum, lime, mint, soda, brown sugar, and angostura (an aromatic bitter bark).
This place was really popular. At times there was hardly any room to move around or get up to the tapas bar.
This was the first place I got to experience true tapas. It took some getting used to. All the tapas are on platters with toothpicks in them. There were two different kinds of toothpicks that determined the price.
These serving platters lined a tiny bar (there were people actually sitting there too). You just grab a plate and help yourself.
I simply had to put the used toothpicks in the shot glass that was on the table. Then when I was ready to tab out, the server just counted up the sticks to know what to charge me. To me it was a true honors system and it was amazing.
I tried several different tapas:
- Spring roll – This was a classic veggie spring roll like you would get at a Chinese restaurant. There was a great sweet and sour sauce drizzled on top.
- Ham & Cheese Roll – This was great. It was like a ham and cheese sandwich rolled up, breaded, and deep fried.
- Asparagus Wrap – This asparagus was wrapped with cucumber and drizzled with a creamy tomato sauce. This had great flavor. It was also nice to have a tapas that was not fried.
- Empanada – This one was filled with tuna. This was just ok. The tuna was what you get out of a can, not fresh tuna. It had that classic can tuna taste. I would have preferred a beef filling.
- Meringue Tart – I assumed this was a dessert when I picked it up. Turns out I was correct, this was a mini lemon meringue pie. The lemon filling had a great tartness to it. I ended up getting up for a few more. They were the perfect bite size dessert.
This was a fun place that had a great vibe. I really got to experience Barcelona night life here. Everyone should check this area out.
Enjoy!
T
