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| La Pallerasa - Xocolateria |
![[ click to enlarge ]](images/restaurants/63_thumb.jpg)
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Though Barcelona isn’t famed for its chocolate con churros, the sweet Spanish temptation should certainly not be overlooked in the city and there few better places to indulge than the Xocolateria, La Pallaresa, just off the Rambla on Petritxol. By far the most popular and also, significantly, the cleanest, dulceria in town, at peak times you will find happy queues of friends and families, faces pressed to the windows, admiring the sugary treats available inside and awaiting the chance to sample the merchandise.
Established in 19 La Pallaresa is a fully traditional café. It is a large, bright and welcoming space with attractive photography on the walls of Catalonian beauty spots and various interpretations of the cafe itself. The platoon of super-fast and spotless waiters, dressed in white smocks with black bowties, zip about the café with huge steaming trays of hot chocolate and cakes as you sit sipping. But they aren’t the only thing that’s fast about the place. The diners themselves seem to be able to down their thick, syrupy cup-fulls quicker than you can order and churros are churned out by the truck load. Though the café is extremely popular and never without bustle during the busier business hours, you never feel pressured to get a move on or, on the other hand ever have to wait long for a table.
And what of the sweets themselves? Hmm, where to begin… (mouth fills with saliva in anticipation) The Ensamada (spongey, sugared cakes) are soft, airy and delicious. The hot chocolate (with or without the gigantic piles of cream) is fairly dark and rich but at the same time adequately sweet. The flavour is neither too sickly nor watery and is a fantastic accompaniment to the contrasting salt and sugariness of the churros.
Gotico seems to be the centre in Barcelona for all things desert based, the streets around Placa Del Pi are filled with treats. Of the ones I have tried, La Pallaresa remains the best.
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Carrer de Petritxol,11, 08002
Gotico
Liceu
Chocolate con churros: €4pp
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