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Para llevar
by El Staff
Call it global warming, call it the weirdest weather
patterns ever, but it’s the beginning of June and
last night there were people with goosebumps on
account of the fucking cold. Still, we remain optimistic,
fondly imagining those warm summer nights
when there’s nothing better than a roof-terrace dinner
or eating something tasty in the grass with a
freshly purchased 1 Euro Estrella. Life is no longer
about cosying up in the corner with someone you
wanna lay one on. Instead, get out and feel the sun
on your skin. These places, none of which require
commitment to a table, are here to help.
La Massa // Gòtic
C/ Montsió, 12
 An irenic black Labrador guards the door of this tiny shop
that’s just a few meters down the road from Els Quatre Gats
off Portal de l’Àngel. The breed’s pacific nature aside, it’s not
hard to keep it cool when you’re probably being fed scraps of
the delicious homemade Italian fare that makes this place
worth visiting. Yes, finally: a shop where you can buy fresh
green pesto, worth the money (3.10€), if you’ve gone sour on
the pathetic Knorr/Barilla choice at the supermarket. Basic
pesto may not be that hard to make, but don’t think that that
little bush of basil you’ve been nurturing for weeks is going
to yield more than a teaspoonful. And there must be some
reason Italians go out of their way to smuggle pesto di mamma
from Milano to Barcelona. Other treasures abound inside,
including spinach quiche containing so much Spinacia oleracea
that even Popeye might keel over, but mind the (retarded)
opening hours: 11:00 a 15:00 y 18:00 a 21:00.
Rekons // Sant Antoni
C/ Comte Urgell, 32
 Once upon a time (well, a year ago), there was an old-school
charcutería that had to shut its doors. Fearing it would turn
into a Subway, or worse, the townspeople cringed to think of
the probable inevitable. They hoped and prayed for something
good to happen, but still they were surprised when one
day it seemed that their wish had come true. A new shop did
open, but it wasn’t constructed of formica and plastic; there
were the old counters! And the same ambiance! But now there
were tables, inside and out, where you could sup on the most
delicious empanadas. Bacon and olives and queso de cabra,
or a rollo de butifarra...whether meat or veg, it was difficult to
decide between the dozen options. And for those craving sugar,
the other side of the store sold pastries: chocolate muffins,
croissants, all things fluffy and sweet for coffee accompaniment.
Sometimes there are happy endings.
Ming Ren // Arc de Triomf
C/ Nàpols, 97
 Just up the street from the Estació del Nord, there’s a place
that, while borrowing from the bus station aesthetic, nonetheless
turns out first-class chop. Better still, what it lacks in
décor it also lacks in price (that’s a good thing, for people
who have trouble with double negatives). You might be confused
by some items on the menu, but safe bets to begin
your exploration are the pasta de arroz salteada con verduras,
the chicken Gong Bao, and the pan chino. Ming Ren will
deliver, for orders of more than 30€, within a reasonable distance,
but it’s actually damn hard to get to 30€ unless you’re
ordering for four or more. Anyway they sometimes get kind
of lost or don’t understand you, so it’s probably better to just
go, wait the 15 minutes, and dream of the Ciutadella. If
there’s one thing Chinese is always good for, it’s reliably
packable to-go containers, picnic-blanket ready.
Bo de B // Correos
C/ Fustería, 12
 We’re aware that there’s a piadina glut in the city, but, sometimes,
like when you’ve had a particularly extensive Sundayafternoon
romp, you just need some fucking carbohydrates.
For that there is only Bo de B, where you won’t get just a bocadillo
but a heavyweight, crispily bread-bunned sandwich
that easily puts half a kilo on the scales. You can pick your
poison (within limits), but it’s all equally delicious: marinated
chicken or ternera or feta cheese, or a combination (chicken
is 3.50€; más feta is 4.80€). They all come accompanied by
fresh greens, reds, and olivas as “garnish”, and you have a
choice of five salsas. While there is seating inside and the
plates look attractive, on a warm summer evening it’s even
better to take your food monster to the steps of Correos, just
across the way, and watch the traffic pass by. Latas can be
purchased at the corner shop next door.
Felix // Paral·lel
Av. Paral·lel, 140
 It’s important to keep an open mind. Like, maybe you think
there’s no such thing as real food on Paral·lel, and that anything
ensconced in the bizarrely out-of-place arcade between
Manso and Parlament is to be avoided. But, if you should happen
to find yourself hungry and in the neighborhood around
lunch or dinner, don’t let your puss-puss of a nature stop you
from wandering into Felix, where you will find a result that
pleases. Delicatessen with massive selection of freshly cooked
meals a la catalana (fideuà, arroz negro, mandonguilles,
pollo a l’ast, merluza, or pasta corta) + locally brewed beers
like Rita that can be hard to find in Barna + homemade gaspaxto
in 1-liter glass bottles for 4€ + Japanese para llevar =
fucking good. None of this is cheap, and you must order the
Japanese to-go with 30 minutes antelación, but the para llevar
lunch menu of three courses for under 7€ is hard to beat,
even if you’re feeling a little strapped for cash.
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