What to eat in Barcelona – Churros

Barcelona, Churros!

Churros are a deep fried dough most associated with a steaming cup of thick Spanish hot chocolate. However, it is more typically enjoyed as a breakfast here with a glass of café con leche. The hot chocolate comes later in the day when the churros are enjoyed as a merienda (a small snack in the late afternoon, typically after school finishes and before dinner time).

It’s a cheap snack, no more than a few euros in even the nicer places. The dough itself has salt but not sugar. The sugar, if that’s how you like it, comes later sprinkled liberally over the top and pooling into greasy clusters on the plate or at the bottom of the paper cone churros are often presented in.  

There are two main shapes that a churro can come in. The thin, ridged variety either piped out in long lengths and cut or shaped into tear drops the way they make them at Granja M. Viader. Traditional churrerías will offer porros as well, roughly the thickness of a leek. The porro is piped into the hot oil in a concentric spiral. Watching the churrero flip this monster concoction with hot oil frying through the air without so much as a flinch is pure theatre. Obviously both types are delicious but the porro will have more soft creamy centre to contrast the crispy crust. In reality, most will eat whatever has just come out of the oil as a just fried churro is one of life’s little pleasures.

Churros are one of the few foods you can buy out of a truck, they will set up at weekly markets or concerts. A beautiful antique shop is Granja M. Viader in the Raval. They serve tear drop shaped churro and hot chocolate in pretty cups, if you are a dairy lover, ask for extra cream on your hot chocolate and you will receive a pile bigger than the cup itself. For a crazy rendition of churro – there is Comaxurros. Here they come filled or even topped with strawberry and lemon glazes. For simple classic churros, try Churrería Laietana, you will have to eat them standing up but churros are best inhaled rather than nibbled anyhow.

Comaxurros – Muntaner 562 – Barcelona

Comaxurros

Churrería Laietana – Via Laietana 46 – Barcelona

Churrerìa Laietana

Granja M. Viader – Carrer d’En Xuclá – Barcelona

Granja Viader

Suzan Taher

I am the author and photographer of Foodie in Barcelona. A blog about restaurants and food in Barcelona. I moved to Barcelona 6 years ago from Berlin and before that I lived in London, Paris and Athens. I am a trained chef and have worked in the back and front of house, so not only do I love food, I know what it takes to make great food. I make it my mission to find the best this city has to offer and in so doing find out about the people that live here and the culture of this marvellous city.

Foodie in Barcellona

Foodie in Barcellona

Foodie in Barcellona

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