Xiringuito Escribà
By Michael Mueller
The Escribà family has been baking cakes in Barcelona since 1906. In 1992, Joan Escribà opened a restaurant on Bogatell beach to sell savory food alongside the sweet – the rice and seafood turned out as good as the torrija – and Xiringuito Escribà has been there ever since, on the boardwalk between Poblenou and Vila Olímpica, a few steps from the water.
The house paella is paella de l’Escribà, a seafood pan built on a short-grain rice base and cooked over wood fires in an open kitchen – a detail worth noting in a city where most kitchens have gone to gas. The lineup also runs to arròs negre (black rice), a Catalan classic done straight; an Asian paella, the house fusion variant; fideuà with seafood; a Valencian paella with rabbit, chicken and flat green beans; a mixed meat-and-fish pan; and a fish-only one. These are not small plates. Plan on sharing.
On the non-rice side, the starters lean toward the sea: tuna tataki, grilled sardines, gambas al ajillo and patatas bravas in a hazelnut-tomato sauce with aioli. Desserts come from the family bakery, where the crema catalana alone is worth saving room for. The room is semi-open to the beach, with earth-toned walls, an open kitchen in full view, tables spaced to breathe and fairy lights strung up at night. Panoramic windows put most seats in direct view of the water. Paellas run around €20 to €30 per person; a full meal, around €35 and up.
Open every day of the year, including holidays. Reservations are essential; walk-ins are regularly turned away, especially on warm weekends. “Rice with attitude and the sea in our faces” is the house motto. They mean both parts.