Barcelona - Shopping
January 30, 2020 9:48 PM Subscribe
I'm going to Barcelona in a few weeks and thanks to other Asks, have a good idea of where to eat and what to see. But I'd love to hear your recommendations on
where to shop in Barcelona and any fun souvenirs to bring home.
I'm looking for shops that have cool housewares/kitchen stuff, art, jewelry, food (can I bring in a ham into the States?), wine, women and kid's clothes, or something I can use and remember my trip.
And if you have any brand recommendations on wine, cava, food, olive oil, etc. for gifts to friends and for myself I'd appreciate it. Or else I fear I'll spend too long trying to compare bottles and then giving up in frustration and buying random goods at the airport.
I'm looking for shops that have cool housewares/kitchen stuff, art, jewelry, food (can I bring in a ham into the States?), wine, women and kid's clothes, or something I can use and remember my trip.
And if you have any brand recommendations on wine, cava, food, olive oil, etc. for gifts to friends and for myself I'd appreciate it. Or else I fear I'll spend too long trying to compare bottles and then giving up in frustration and buying random goods at the airport.
I still wear the Custo Barcelona frocks, tops and swimsuits I bought there over 20 years ago. I love that shop but YMMV (colourful, figure hugging but super comfortable)
posted by honey-barbara at 2:00 AM on January 31, 2020
posted by honey-barbara at 2:00 AM on January 31, 2020
Best answer: In the old town (Barri LlatÃ) there's tons of little design shops, clothes, with quirky kitchenware and art and food... You should go there and just walk around. I guarantee you'll find more than enough things to get for yourself and all your friends.
I got a silk fan at GuanterÃa y Complementos Alonso, one of many stores in that area that maintain their early-to-mid 20th-century setup and shelves (and sometimes inventory!). There was a perfume store, that I can't find right now, but Herboristeria del Rei (est. 1818) carries herbs and candy. Lafuente has alcohol.
posted by ipsative at 2:04 AM on January 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
I got a silk fan at GuanterÃa y Complementos Alonso, one of many stores in that area that maintain their early-to-mid 20th-century setup and shelves (and sometimes inventory!). There was a perfume store, that I can't find right now, but Herboristeria del Rei (est. 1818) carries herbs and candy. Lafuente has alcohol.
posted by ipsative at 2:04 AM on January 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Best answer: TESI has a great local wine selection, a great selection of gins and very helpful staff - tell them Con sent you.
OroLiquido is my go to place for high end olive oil - they'll give you shots of the good stuff so you can find out what you like.
posted by conifer at 2:32 AM on January 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
OroLiquido is my go to place for high end olive oil - they'll give you shots of the good stuff so you can find out what you like.
posted by conifer at 2:32 AM on January 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Go ahead and give up on the idea of bringing ham home - there's no legal way of bringing meat back to the states.
Spanish Pimenton, smoked paprika, is amazing. A really nice brand that we loaded up on is Las Hermanas, both for quality of the paprika but also attractive packaging that made for nice gifts on our return. You can also get pimenton in bulk from appropriate purveyors.
posted by Karaage at 4:13 AM on January 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Spanish Pimenton, smoked paprika, is amazing. A really nice brand that we loaded up on is Las Hermanas, both for quality of the paprika but also attractive packaging that made for nice gifts on our return. You can also get pimenton in bulk from appropriate purveyors.
posted by Karaage at 4:13 AM on January 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
If you happen to be there when dates coincide, I found some really cute clothes and jewelry at the Palo Alto market in Barcelona. You pay a small entrance fee, but the whole scene and vibe was really cool. They had music, food, vendors - super fun! https://www.palomarketfest.com/en
posted by something_witty at 7:09 AM on January 31, 2020
posted by something_witty at 7:09 AM on January 31, 2020
Best answer: i did really well at the El Corte Ingles department stores. Gourmet food markets with their own brand of food items. I had to buy some emergency underwear there and damn if they didn't turn out to be one of my favorite pairs of undies;) They were the house brand as well.
posted by rdnnyc at 7:56 AM on January 31, 2020
posted by rdnnyc at 7:56 AM on January 31, 2020
Best answer: If you're into one of a kind bags, check out Pinzat. If you're not into one of a kind bags, the area Pinzat is in is excellent for shopping. Lots of hand made/artists stores.
If you're into books, LA Central has multiple locations and is a great bookstore.
If you're into great cocktails, check out Elephanta. Anabella makes a mean gin martini. Best cocktail place I found in my travels in Spain.
posted by dobbs at 10:22 PM on January 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you're into books, LA Central has multiple locations and is a great bookstore.
If you're into great cocktails, check out Elephanta. Anabella makes a mean gin martini. Best cocktail place I found in my travels in Spain.
posted by dobbs at 10:22 PM on January 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you're into Vermouth or want to gift it, Atxa is excellent. I prefer the red.
posted by dobbs at 10:24 PM on January 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by dobbs at 10:24 PM on January 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
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As for olive oil, unless they are flavored, bottles tend to be 1 liter plastic ones. I'd recommend to look for oil with a denomination of origin. Here is a list of Catalan food DOPs.
posted by sukeban at 10:34 PM on January 30, 2020 [1 favorite]