La Cholita (Felip II, 244), one of the best places we’ve been to eat tapas in Barcelona, was a very pleasant surprise. A hidden jewel in the Nou Barris area, the quality of the food and the friendliness of the owners, Andrés and Oscar, have catapulted it rapidly into fame as one of the best restaurants in the area. It’s been open since January 2015.
La Cholita is fairly small, with a couple of tables and an outdoor terrace in the street. The decoration and attention to detail is obvious right from the moment you walk in, giving the impression of a place that appreciates things well done.
We found ourselves in a restaurant with quality, attention to minor details, careful presentation and a mix of exquisite flavours on the menu. One of the secrets of their success is a highly skilled cook who displays his passion for good food in every one of the dishes. You can see the dedication each dish receives, as if it were a tiny work of art, making La Cholita is an obligatory pilgramage for any serious local sybarite (or even ones just visiting Barcelona).
La Cholita offers a reduced menu, but the dishes within it are very varied, meaning you’ll want to try them all. Fresh produce and originality are their hallmarks.
We tried the patatas bravas, aubergine with orange and miso glaze with Monte Enebro cheese and corn-fed chicken pepper tacos with Spanish onion and coriander. All of it was, quite frankly, spectacular.
The patatas bravas are seared beforehand in a sauce similar to the Argentine chimichurri, which gives them an incredible flavour, then dressed with authentically homemade tomato and garlic sauce. Without a doubt, they are some of the best patatas bravas that you can taste in Barcelona.
The aubergine was also incredible. The mix of flavours of the savoury vegetable with the tangy cheese and sweet touches of orange glaze made it an authentic delicacy.
Finally, the chicken tacos were impeccably presented, and offered an extraordinary mix of textures.
In terms of drinks, there’s an excellent wine menu on offer.
La Cholita is a restaurant where the price-quality ratio can’t be bettered. It’s somewhere you should NOT visit if you’re looking for traditional tapas, fried food, huge portion sizes and a quickly served meal. Here, all the dishes take their time due to the painstaking dedication they require, which is obvious from the results and means that the wait is well worth it.
The service is great. The owners are two young lads, very friendly and always ready to make you feel at home.
La Cholita is a great restaurant to go to eat with your significant other or a small group of friends, given that it’s a little on the small side. Along with TocaTeca, this is one of the best places you can eat in this area of Barcelona.
Far from the centre and from the tourist crowds (although you’ll find more and more here with the passing of time), La Cholita is a sensory experience that, given the quality of the food it serves, is definitely worth a visit. This was a real discovery for us, and definitely one we’ll be putting on our list of top restaurants in Barcelona. As a friend of mine says: it’s somewhere you go to enjoy food, rather than to eat. Bon profit!
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