Vegan Barcelona: Cactus, Truffle and To-Fish
When I say truffles, cactus burgers, fish & chips and plantain crisps your mind doesn’t go to Barcelona, it doesn’t even go to veganism. However, Barcelona is an absolute hotspot for vegan food right now and even some of the most established roasteries are getting in on it. Veganism is absolutely on the rise and, despite a fall in vegan restaurants, its never been easier to go abroad and eat plant-based. That is why I am again highlighting some of my favourite places to eat in Barcelona.
Vegan Cat Bar! This was an absolute treat to find in Barcelona! I am a simple man, who loves simple food done well and fish & chips is one of them, so when I saw Vegan Cat Bar serving up to-fish and chips I knew I had to try it out. Marinated tofu wrapped in nori seaweed topped with gluten-free breadcrumbs served with tartar sauce and English chips. It was incredible, it felt like a little home away from home. The to-fish was perfectly cooked and full of flavour. This would be a perfect meal for your vegan friend who is also gluten-free! We also ordered the cactus cat sandwich because who doesn’t want to try a cactus burger? Grilled cactus, avocado, jalapenos, grilled tomato & onions, lettuce and ketchup. I had zero idea of what to expect when I ordered cactus but as soon as I saw it on the menu I knew it was a bucket list ingredient to tick off. It almost reminded me of a roasted pepper but slightly smokey, and it worked amazingly well with all the other ingredients, especially the avocado.
Blu Bar advertises itself as “the only bar in Barcelona where summer never ends” and I could not agree more! Situated right by the beach in Sant Martí they boast a 100% plant-based menu, produced daily in-house using the freshest ingredients available. Just from taking one look at the menu, you can see why they boast such a thing. Funky tapas, gourmet sandwiches, healthy bowls, signature pizzas, desserts, and that’s before even starting on the drinks menu. There are endless choices at Blu Bar that you could visit every day of your holiday and still not have tried it all! We went for the scrambled “eggs” focaccia which consisted of Tuscan-style focaccia covered with tofu “scrambled eggs”, vegan mayo, pickled onions, rocket, pumpkin and miso sauce. As you can tell in the picture it was absolutely delicious so full of flavour and colour that you couldn’t help but eat first with your eyes and then your mouth. We also tried the “Pulled Pork Goes Happy” gourmet sandwich! Black pizza bread baked with pulled mushrooms, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, pickled onion, vegan mayo and coriander, served with baked potatoes and more vegan mayo. I had no idea what I was ordering when I ordered ‘black pizza bread’ but I couldn’t have been any more excited when I saw it. The pulled mushroom sandwich was so unbelievably meaty and BBQ-y and was the perfect meal to eat besides the beach looking out at the sea.
Rooster & Bubbles represents the new generation of the rotisserie chicken and cava concept that became popular in the city of Barcelona in the mid-60s. Now I know what you’re thinking rotisserie chicken on a vegan Barcelona post? Hear me out! We stumbled upon Rooster & Bubble when wandering around the city of Barcelona having no idea the kind of establishment it was. So we got a drink, asked for a menu and saw a few tapas options we wanted to try. The staff could not have been any more accommodating to us, they let us know what we could order that was vegan or what they could even make vegan in the kitchen for us. I was so happy with how accommodating they were that I even tried to add Rosster & Bubbles to Happycow! In the end, we ordered the patatas bravas, seasoned avocado with plantain chips and houmous with pittas, olives and sesame seeds. It was delicious, I couldn’t fault any part of it. If you’re with a group of meat-eaters in Barcelona and want to go somewhere that can make sure you have a vegan option, I can’t recommend Rooster & Bubbles enough.
La Perra Verde is a vegan tapas bar not far from the Sagrada Familia. Serving up food like nachos, a cheese-tasting board, meatballs, cauliflower popcorn and even kimchi fries. They also serve a series of sandwiches such as an Italian aubergine sandwich and a ‘no’ chicken brioche burger. However, the dish that sold me on La Perra Verde was the truffled potato omelette served with tomato bread! I am a sucker for truffle so anything truffled-themed is guaranteed to draw me in! Along with this, we ordered the house croquettes made with aubergine and tomato as well as the tapa hummus served with fresh bread. If you’re like me and you’re a sucker for truffle make sure you drop into La Perra Verde after visiting the Sagrada Familia and you will not regret it!