Boadas and Marsella

These have been some of the most important bars that we wanted to show you. However, there were many more: el Torino, Cafè dels Guàrdies, el Lion d’Or, Cafè Set Portes… All of them have their own history.

If with all of these you cannot resist the temptation of going to a similar one, we recommend you two current bars in Barcelona: Boadas, in Tallers 1, and Marsella, in Sant Pau 65. Maybe are not exactly artists and intellectuals who you’ll find there but these bars reflect the essence of this blog. Who knows, perhaps there you will find the inspiration!

Boadas:

 Marsella:


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Bocaccio

With this last bar, we finish with our little route of bars/headquarter of distinct groups that configured the intellectual life of different periods in Barcelona. More recently that the previous ones, we found a consolidated group with a name that identifies it: Gauche Divine. This one in particular, unlike modernists or political groups, revolved around one bar in particular. In 1960s and 70s, club Bocaccio was the meeting point of this people. A priori contradictory words as cosmopolitism, left wing (even communism) and bourgeoisie characterized Gauche Divine. For this reason, the journalist and writer Joan de Sagarra baptise them with the satiric name of Gauche Divine (left wing divine as Gauche Caviar group of France).

The diversity of disciplines and professions of Gauche Divine’s members gave a particular essence to this group.  Writers, philosophers, photographers, architects… Different branches with a common point: progressivism and luxury.

When we noticed the existence of Gauche Divine our first idea was that it would be interesting looking for some photographs that could illustrate the nightlife of them. Their artistic production was very linked to photography and cinema (with Escola de Barcelona) and, for this reason, it could be even more important. Many of these photographs, had an advertising objective, publicizing the brand of Bocaccio’s.

 

Elsa Pereti in Bocaccio's bathroom

 

 

Drivers Graham Hill and Jim Clarck, 1967

 Teresa Gimpera, the muse of Bocaccio's and its brand

 Montse Riba advertising Bocaccio's

Hotel Orient, Hotel España and Hotel Casa Fuster (Cafè Vienès)

We have talked about bars, restaurants and the typical coffees that keep on them a lot of history about Barcelona and its population. Now we want to present another kind of meeting point that was also really popular in our city; the hotels and its bars. 

The first one is Hotel Orient because is the oldest hotel that was built in Barcelona. It was inaugurated in 1842 with the name Fonda d’Orient and it wasn’t Hotel Orient until 1882. This change was influenced by international tourism that didn’t understand the first name. During the late XX century this hotel had the best salons where took place fancy dress balls, popular parties celebrated with important people of Barcelona. A curious anecdote of this epoch was the strange present that Mawlay ‘Abd al Hafiz, sultan of Morocco, gave to the hotel thanking the good treatment; an elephant called Júlia. 

Another important hotel that we want to present here is Hotel España. It is today an important example of modernism architecture hidden in Sant Pau Street. It was decorated in 1903 by Lluís Domènech I Montaner and during all its history this hotel has welcome a lot of guests and costumers.  In its indoor area you can enjoy an excellent example of modernism art with works by Ramon Casas as this luxury diner under the sea. You can still visit it in Sant Pau Street.  

 

 The last one is Hotel Casa Fuster with its own coffee, Cafè Vienès. This bar was also made by the architect Lluís Domenech I Montaner in 1908. As the other places that we show in this brief itinerary, Cafè Vienès is a meeting point of intellectuals and artist of Barcelona that share this room with the sophisticated guests of the hotel.

 

Bar del Pi

Another local that it is still opened is Bar del Pi located in the Sant Josep Oriol Square, 1. Property of Martí Pujol’s family since 1927 we found this little bar in the core of Barri Gotic. It is situated in a typical modernist building as the fashionable architecture in Barcelona during late XIX century.

Although Bar del Pi doesn’t have the spectacular oriental decoration like most of the coffees that we present here it has an interesting story behind its walls. There is a plaque hanging on the wall reminding that in 1936 it place became the Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (PSUC) headquarter. This modest bar also has been a meeting place of artist. A lot of drawings, paintings and original posters preserve this artistic and bohemian atmosphere.   

As we can see in this picture the work of many artist dress this austere bar. Names like Simó Busm, Josep Mascadó, Ramon Mascardó, Rafael Alberti, Serrat, Ocaña and Mariscal watch over Bar del Pi from their frames.

 

Josep Moscardó, Bar del Pi

Besides this historical note Bar del Pi is also famous for the typical food that it offers. A traditional variety of tapas: croquettes, bravas and Rusian salad far away of gourmet food. 




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Ateneu Barcelonès

To do an itinerary about paradigmatic bars and restaurants in Barcelona we are obliged to mention the famous Ateneu Barcelonès. It has been a referent cultural institution since 1906 where a lot of intellectuals left their mark. It is located in the Savassona palace and this building has been a lot of functions during its history. We want to focus on the room where these habitual costumers used to talk about politics, art, and literature. Figures as Valentí Almirall, Lluís Domènech I Muntaner, Josep Pla, Pompeu Fabra, Josep Mª de Sagarra used to go to the denominated Sala de Converses with bar service. 

In this picture we can see Fidenci Kirchner, Enric Jardí, Eduard Ragasol, el doctor Rafael Dalí, Antoni Colomer Quim Borralleras, J. Barberà, Estanislau Duran-Reynals, Frances Camps Margarit, Josep Mª de Sagarra, Antoni Homar, Pompeu Fabra i A. Vilanova.

Something curious to know about this intellectual meeting are the three rules that the attendees have to follow; has sense of humour, don’t talk about self-profession and try to don’t be boring.



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Restaurant Can Joanet

Our next destination is in Barceloneta. There we found Restaurant Can Joanet, a humble bar that born in one of the many shacks of the area. Initially, Can Joanet’s shack, as many others, became a tavern for lowly people. This kind of establishments were called puda, probably because the reek coming from them (in Catalan, puda sounds similar to pudor that is to say “bad smell”).

In late nineteenth century, Joan Pasqual i Senserric, a man who proceeded from a rural area near Barcelona, opened Can Joanet. Fishermen and sailors frequent the tavern. There they could found homemade liquors and toasted coffee by the Joan himself. Bit by bit, the clientele was changing: it became fashionable on leaving Liceu. Many wealthy gentlemen used to go after the spectacle. For this reason, the owner, worried about the new costumers, adapted the establishment: he bought new crockery and enclosed the cats that roamed freely by Can Joanet. As sailors, as cats and gentlemen went there to taste the fish, the speciality of the restaurant.

The place was gaining increasing fame and, with it, clients were different. With the expansion in the decades of 1920s and 30s, Can Joanet employed new waiters, more refined. It became the most category restaurant of Barceloneta. In there were usual political banquets, weddings and communions. Linked to the press sector, Can Joanet was the meeting point of very important people. For example, was famous the repast dedicated to Francesc Macià in 1933.

As many others in Barcelona, the Civil War changed all. Can Joanet was collectivized. It was usual that militiamen went to the restaurant with a coupon. They said “vale para dos comidas para un compañero y una compañera antifascistas” (voucher for two meals for a companion and a fellow antifascists).

Civil War was too hard for the restaurant. Fascists bombed a lot this part of the city because of its humble nature and rebelliousness to the coup. The shortage of food nearly finishes with Can Joanet. Nevertheless, 20 years of scarcities didn’t close it. Withstand the passing of time, Can Joanet could recover, but now with anonymous clients only.

Café de las Delicias

Café de las Delicias in Rambla 29, was inaugurated the 6^th of September of 1854 (o 1874). It was one of the most elegant and luxurious coffees in Barcelona. In the opening celebration people was fascinated with the sophisticated decoration; a lot of gold and bronze mirrors, spectaculars marble floors and the typical oriental motives really fashionable in this time in Barcelona. All of that was under the direction of the architect Lluis Rigalt that made one of the most expensive reconstructions in this epoch; two thousand and hundred rals paid for Gabriel Balart -the new owner. 

Café de las Delicias was directly connected with the theatre Santa Creu that was called Teatre Principal after the reconstruction in 1847. The costumers were the representation of a high class of Barcelona and were responsible for the image of that social live in the Catalan city. It was a really big local with different spaces and multiplies of atmospheres.  One of the most popular rooms was Salón Circular because its decoration was the crown jewel of Café de las Delicias. As we can read in a description of the coffee that was published in El Fomento journal -7^th of September of 1847- the decoration of Salón Circular was compared with the Alhambra of Granada. In the basement there where two billiard tables that were a really popular entertainment for the fans of this game.

One curious anecdote of Café de las Delicias is related with the famous writer Moratín. During a lot of time and despite numerous reconstructions there were two special marble tables that were conserved in one of the small rooms. These tables were well-known as the Moratin’s tables because around them the Madrilenian writer leaded social gatherings every day. 

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Café-Restaurante Suizo

This is one of the most curious bars of Barcelona. Café-Restaurante Suizo opened in the 50s of nineteenth century. With a sober and inartistic style, this bar comes with a great history. For nearly 100 years, the bar had different owners and customers. However, there was something that never changed in all those years: the deserved reputation as a good place to eat abundantly and well. In fact, it used to have the longer menu in all Barcelona and for this reason it didn’t have a speciality. In any case, meat was its strong point, in addition to arròs Parellada, a boneless meat and shelled seafood paella. The name of this dish comes from doctor Juli Parellada, a habitual costumer of the restaurant.

 

Situated in Plaça Reial 17, Suizo connected with Rambla. Its localization was unbeatable. The other excellent quality of the establishment was its service. The waiters and waitresses are still remembered: Josep Cornella alias “Pepe”, the Italian Humberto, Palomeras, Jaume Carabellido (the author of arròs Parellada)… Waitresses, meanwhile, contributed with a risqué touch that made an even larger fame to Suizo.

One of the highlights of the restaurant was its private rooms. Working-class customers frequented the ground floor (although bullfighters and prostitutes were not well regarded). In the first floor, on the other hand, the clients had other status. Despite private rooms usually were rented for christenings, communions or weddings, in that floor met very influential people of the first half of twentieth century.  This privacy was one of the most attractive for politicians, artists and intellectuals, which gave a greater prestige to the restaurant. Some of the most renowned people that went to Suizo were, for example, Primo de Rivera (where he planned some loose ends about coup d'état of 1923), Francesc Cambó, Joan March or Rothschild. One of the most popular politician of Barcelona at that time, Alejandro Lerroux, used to go to Suizo. As it seems, this workerist, importer of demagoguery and populism in Spain, used to taste the most exquisite and expensive cuisine of the restaurant and then usually used to request take-out sardine sandwiches in order to eat in public. By this way, he used to go to working-class’ suburbs impersonating a humble person. The satirical poem of Josep Maria de Sagarra, Al gran sapastre de la gana ibèrica, remembers this personage visiting habitually this place:

Fa trenta anys i un mes i un dia,

            que estripat d’americana

amb un ‘jipi’ de tres peles

            i unes calces de poc gruix,

rodejat de quatre pintes

            i de quatre morts de gana,

arribava a Barcelona

            la corpenta d’en Lerroux.

Escrivia paraulotes amb la punta

            del seu llapis,

prometia als cirabotes, al camàlic

            i al manyà,

botifarres d’arquebisbes i salsitxes

            d’escolapis

i altres coses deshonestes i difícils

            d’empassar.

S’agitava, remugava, renegava,

            flestomava,

remenava, estossegava, tavernari

            i marranís;

tots els llonzes l’aplaudien i

            després Lerroux plegava,

i endrapava, i endrapava,

            i endrapava en el Suís.

In Suizo, in addition, until 1949 was presented the literary prize Premio Nadal. It is still remember the night when Carmen Laforet won with Nada. The place was practically empty. Nevertheless, the café was a usual meeting place of artists and writers. The group formed by Valentí Almirall, Albert de Sicília Llanas i Castells (Albert Llanas), Conrad Roure and others Renaixença’s members formed in this bar “la penya de les es” opposed to “la penya de les as” situated in Cafè Espanyol, in Plaça Reial. The two groups were confronted because they disagreed on how it should be written the words in the plural in Catalan. For this reason both went habitually to different bars: if not, they would have finished fighting.

A few decades later, Suizo was one of the most popular sites of modernist artists. Rusiñol, Casas and Narcís Oller went frequently to eating and drinking.

 

Ultimately, in 1949 Café-Restaurante Suizo closed its doors. Miquel Matas, its last owner that had bought the property after working there for years as maître, was the last customer. A great client of the restaurant invited him to a private room in order to people did not see Matas crying. Despite the early closure of Suizo, it is remembered as one of the greatest bars of the history of Barcelona.

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Can Culleretes

 

We want to start this brief itinerary around Barcelona’s bars and Restaurants with a historical place in Ciudad Condal; Restaurante Can Culleretes. As Lluis Permanyer says there isn’t a lot of information about its history or about the people who spent their time eating their speciality: mató de monja –a kind of special Catalan dessert. However, it is the oldest restaurant of Barcelona and the second one of Spain. That is the reason why we want to inaugurate this blog with some of curious information about Can Culleretes and its history. Furthermore is one of the few establishments that is still open today.

There are two anecdotes related with the name of the restaurant. One of them tells that Can Culleretes was the first place that used dessert spoon because all its special dishes were eaten with it. Tells the story that there are few spoons in the restaurant and waiters were all the time shouting to the counter asking for more; “Nois, culleretes!” Another version of the origin of the name explains that Can Culleretes has this name because was the first restaurant that used metal spoons instead of wood ones.

Can Culleretes become a restaurant in 1900 when made popular the famous menus sopars de duro and offered, since today, traditional and quality food. It always been a place frequented for famous people like artist –like the painter Muntaner–, politicians, musicians since 1970. The style of the restaurant was popular but with distinguishes costumers that are part of the story of Can Culleretes. If you where to the restaurant to enjoy typical Catalan food you can travel one century ago with the multitude of pictures and painters that still decorate the walls of Restaurant Can Culleretes.     

Today the typical dish is pica-pica de peix i marisc –tapas of fish and shellfish– but maybe it is not a suitable food to be eaten with dessertspoon.

 

Can Culleretes inside

Our Blog

There are a lot of bars and restaurants in Barcelona that had been the headquarters of many influential groups of the intellectual life in Barcelona. Artists, thinkers and politicians have had always some favourite establishments where they always met. Behind these walls, many of them currently disappeared, they have discussed all manner of issues influencing in the present of each time.

Not only Quatre Gats was the reference site of these social events. Social gatherings, art expressions and debates took place in different bars, restaurants and clubs of Barcelona. Liven up with caffeine and alcohol, a lot of representative voices of the Catalan avant-garde took place in the following sites that we will show.

Els Quatre Gats

This blog doesn’t pretend to be a historical research. We just want to present an approach to another look of the social life of an old Barcelona. Therefore, this blog has an anecdotic character, focusing on curious aspects that not usually appear in a history manual. 

Our bibliography:

Balasch, Enric; Ruiz, Yolanda, 11 Recorridos por la Barcelona desconocida, Madrid: Ediciones Santillana, 2011.

Copons, Elisenda; Permanyer, Lluís; Bancells, Consol, Bars i Restaurants Modernistes de Barcelona, Barcelona: Edicions 62, 2010.

Miserachs i Colita, Xavier (coor.); Bohigas, Oriol; Gimpera, Teresa; Ma Mox, Anna, de Moura, Beatriz, Memòries de Barcelona, Barcelona: Lupita Books, 2008.

Permanyer, Lluís, Establiments i negocis que han fet historia, Barcelona: Edicions La Campana, 1990.

Villar, Paco, La ciutat dels cafés, Barcelona 1750-1880, Barcelona: Edicions La Campana, 2008.