food & drink

Someone brings the butifarra, someone brings the wine and someone knows how to light a barbecue. Lunch at Font de les Planes is a group effort. This merendero (picnic ground with grills for hire) in Collserola preserves a Barcelona tradition that goes back more than a century: taking the train into the hills and making a day of eating together.

The railway reached Les Planes in 1916, opening up the woods to city families with a Sunday to spare. Picnic grounds flourished around the station; Font de les Planes is the last of the area’s old merenderos still in business. The FGC still does the job, dropping you a short walk from the grounds. It’s an easy outing to organize around friends, children and whoever else gets added to the group chat.

Rent a table and a barbecue, pick up charcoal or firewood on site and unpack lunch. Lamb chops, sausages and vegetables are all good candidates for the grill; bread, plates, cutlery and cooking utensils are yours to bring too. There’s a bar for drinks and plenty of room for a family gathering. We’d put somebody in charge of the packing list – a kilo of meat is less useful when the tongs are still at home.

The restaurant offers another way to spend the afternoon, with rice dishes and grilled meats for those happy to let the kitchen handle the fire. In season, a calçotada (a feast of grilled spring onions) makes a fitting excuse to get everyone around a table. Check access and barbecue restrictions before going, especially during periods of high fire risk. Once lunch is sorted, leave some time for the conversation.