Gracia was once a small village that became part of Barcelona after the “Eixample” (the extension) was build at the end of the 19^th century. Gracia is situated directly above Eixample and as an originally tiny village it has a noticeablely different layout. The streets are narrow and short. There are a few longer streets such as Calle Verdi, which starts at the top of Placa de la Revolución and goes all the way up to Barcelona’s most famous parc: “Parc Guell designed by Antonio Gaudi”. The street is named after the world famous opera music composer from Italy: Guiseppe Verdi who lived from 1813-1901.

Calle verdi is one of, if not THE most famous street in Gracia Barcelona. It is so famous because of the bars, restaurants, boutique shops, night life and the beautiful tall trees that line it. The bars and restaurants are not just a restaurant or just a bar but are normally both at the same time. Calle Verdi has a rich variety of gastronomic establishments, for instance the wide variety of Arab cuisine; Lebanese Al Waha (no.16) Syrian Ugurit (no.11) and Amarit (no.18) Palestinian Askadinya (no.28) and an Iraqi restaurant. You will find the best bakeries with freshly baked bread where the locals stand in line early in the morning.

Bakery “Macxi pa” (no. 4) “A casa” the Portuguese bakery (no. 58 – highly recommended) and “Forn de st Tirs” Bakery (no.66) Like any other street in Barcelona there is always a Tapas bar to be found, and on Calle Verdi you can find “La Vila” (no.19) with daily fresh tapas, and “Verdi Bo Tapas” (no.30) next to the cinema and a popular place that has a garden terrace in the back and a nice atmosphere.

Restaurants and Bars

There are some quite unique restaurants on Calle Verdi as well. For instance, one of the few if not the only Iraqí restaurant “Mesopotamia” (no.63) that serves food and hospitality and the decor of Iraqi culture. It is often filled with people that like to hang out there and have a drink before they go to the cinema. Across the street you can find “Kibuka” (no.64) where Brazilian Japanese cuisine serves quality sushi.

The Bars in Calle Verdi have the same diversity. From the fancy French bar called “le Brignoire” (no.6) to a total dive bar “Canigó” (highly recommended) at the corner with the square “la Revolución” it is a small and not so clean place with cheap beer, a pool table, no air conditioning and mostly full with people. The term dive bar originates from the 1850′s when bars were only accessible for rich people and underground clandestine bars arose for all walks of life. These bars were actually below ground level. Currently it refers to a bar that is not so tight on its hygiene or decor. Canigó is a great place to go with friends and is usually packed. It’s definitely worth the visit.

Cine Verdi is a well-known cinema that shows original version movies (V.O.). One of the best places in the city to see V.O. movies and most of the movies they show have won prizes at one film festival or another. It’s also a great place to catch a movie since you have so many dinner options to choose from for either before or after the show. To see movie times check out their website.

In and around Calle Verdi

At the very bottom of Calle Verdi, in the Placa de la Revolución, is one of the best Italian ice cream shops in Barcelona. The former owners were two Italian ladies who rose to local celebrity status because of their delicious gelatos. There is often an hour-long line in the summer (Tip: Grab a ticket with your number and go do errands and then come back. Yes, the line can actually get that long). The Italian ladies sold the business just last year along with their top secret recipes. The new owners are quite friendly and the ice cream is still one of the best around.

One of the must must must have experiences is the Fiesta Mayor in Gracia. Usually held in August from the 15^th to the 21^st, it’s is the neighbourhood’s yearly celebration. Each of the Gracia streets spends months preparing and then decorate their street to be as impressive as possible. This is a topic we’ll cover extensively in future posts, but we thought we’d mention it here because traditionally, Calle Verdi has by far the most impressive and intricate street decorations and they win the competition more often than not. Of course, that could largely be due to the higher amount of businesses on the street who generously give money each year. Either way, it’s simply awesome.

The small boutique shops in Calle Verdi like red market (no.20) is a great place for fashion, as well as Piano (no.15 menswear and bis20 woman’s wear). They sell trendy fashion items and have an outstanding reputation for their quality products. Another super fashion shop is Sueños Negros (no. 13) with shoes and lots of other cool stuff. Half way up you find another shoe shop on number 38 called “Terciopelo”. At number 12 there is a wonderful bookstore with second hand and new books, great for snooping around to find interesting food for your mind.

To sum it up Calle Verdi is the street you must take some time to experience while in the Gracia area of Barcelona. Not only because of the places to eat and shop but also more importantly because of the wonderful eclectic ambience that makes it just plain special.

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