Coffee Culture
Coffee is an important part of the local culture in Barcelona and you'll find that enjoying a coffee like the locals can be a great way to relax while observing the city life around you.
Useful vocab
ENGLISH
Can you get me a coffee with milk, please?
Can you give me an espresso with a little milk, please?
Can you bring me a decaf coffee with soy milk?
ESPAÑOL
Me pones un café con leche, por favor?
Me puedes poner un cortado, por favor?
Me traes un café descafeinado con leche de soja?
CATALÀ
1. Em poses un cafè amb llet, si-us-plau?
2. Em pots posar un tallat, si-us-plau?
3. Em portes un cafè descafeïnat amb llet de soja?
PRO TIP: Avoid using English equivalents of "can I have" (translated directly to "puedo tener") in Spanish. The locals use poner (to put) and traer (to bring) instead.
What's what?
Café con Leche (In Catalan: Café amb llet) A shot of espresso with steamed milk. This is a breakfast favorite.
Cortado (In Catalan: Un tallat) A shot of espresso with just a touch of milk. This is the typical after lunch choice, as it isn't too filling.
Café Solo (In Catalan: Cafè Sol) A shot of espresso. Order a "café doble" and you'll get two shots if you need an extra kick.
Café Americano (In Catalan: Cafè llarg) Shot of espresso with water
Café con Hielo (In Catalan: Cafè amb gel) A summer favorite, this is coffee served over ice. The barista will give you two cups, one with the coffee and one with ice cubes, so just pour your coffee over the ice.
Café Descafeinado (In Catalan: Un Cafè descafeïnat) Decaf. This is normally either "de maquina" (through the espresso machine) or "de sobre" which is instant coffee and you stir into your water or milk.
Leche de Soja/Almendra (In Catalan: Llet de soja/d'ametlla) Soy/Almond Milk. You'll find milk alternatives in most cafés!
Leche Desnatada (In Catalan: Un Cafè amb la llet desnatada) Low fat (or skim) milk. Semi-desnatada is 1%.
Templado o Caliente (In Catalan: Tebi o Calent) Sometimes the barista will ask if you want your milk templado (room temp) or caliente (heated).
Café con leche
Cortado
Café con hielo
Coffee culture
You'll soon notice some cultural differences surrounding coffee culture:
To Go (para llevar) isn't very traditional in Spain. Most locals make time to enjoy their coffee at the bar or with coworkers during a break, rather than on the run. This has been changing in recent years and you can now find "to go" around the city, but even then the expectation is that you are taking it somewhere to sit and enjoy. You will almost never see a local with a to go coffee on the metro or driving. Isn't it nice to take a moment to relax?
Frequent stops. In the morning most locals have a coffee before work, one during a break mid-morning, one after lunch (never a café con leche after a big lunch), one on the way home from work during the merienda and maybe one in the evening after dinner. There is always time for a coffee!
Starbucks and other chains are growing in popularity, but locals don't go very often. Why? Every small corner bar in Spain has amazing coffee from an espresso machine! Why break the bank paying 6€ for a coffee when your corner shop has one for 2,50€?
Did you know? 4 Gats is a small café located near the Barcelona Cathedral. Picasso used to hang out here, so go get some inspiration and check off an item in your Barcelona Bucket List at the same time!
Specialty coffee in barcelona
In the last few years, people have started to appreciate good coffee. As a result, there are many possibilities in the city to enjoy a cup of high-quality specialty coffee. Most of these places also sell coffee beans and grind them for you, so you can prepare coffee at home the way you prefer it.
A few recommendations:
Nomad Coffee Lab & Shop Passatge Sert, 12 // C/ Joaquín Costa, 26
Departure Coffee Co. C/ de la Verge, 1
Dalston Coffee C/ de les Ramelleres, 16
Syra Coffee You can find it in different spots throughout the city
Morrow Coffee Av Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 403
Three Marks Coffee C/ Ausiàs March, 151
SKYE Coffee Co. C/ de Pamplona, 88
Satan's Coffee Corner C/ de l´Arc de Sant Ramon del Call
Espai Joliu C/ de Badajoz, 95 (half coffee store-half plants store)
Little Fern C/ de Pere IV, 168
SlowMow C/ de Luis Antúñez, 18
Café Cometa C/ del Parlament, 20
