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Specialty Groceries: The world in your kitchen

Food+Drink· Local Living

9 Mar
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It inevitably happens just when you’ve finally adapted to the traditional Catalan life of tapas and late dinners — the yearning for a quiet night in and your favorite comfort dish from home hits hard. The recipe though calls for an ingredient not readily found at Mercadona or any of the local mercats. An online search also fails, leading you to briefly think (hope?) that maybe Google doesn’t know everything. Fortunately, specialty groceries in Barcelona may be found at these stores to help you recreate your favorite comfort food so well that even your mom would approve.

 

Asian

Dong Fang

If I was going to have the Pope visit, I’d make my crowd-pleasing Thai shrimp soup. The recipe calls for fresh lemongrass though, a rarity in Barcelona, until Dong Fang started to carry it. Hard to miss on Carrer de Balmes thanks to its big red doors and signs with bright lettering, Dong Fang has fresh and frozen lemongrass and so much more. A section of fresh vegetables, including chayote squash and bitter gourd, a huge frozen food section, Vietnamese pho ingredients, tom kha paste, specialty beverages, and many other foods in mysterious packages that surely contain the most delicious ingredients of the stew pot of cuisines across the vast Asian continent and Indian subcontinent.

Carrer de Balmes, 6, 8

 

JK Asian Food Store – Carrer de Sant Pau, 25

It’s easy to walk past this corner store down a Raval alleyway. (Hint: it’s just across from the Wok to Walk.) JK Asian packs a lot into their little space, and not always in an organized way, so be prepared to wander. Although the name implies “Asian” groceries, most items are related to dishes from the Indian subcontinent — masala powders, spices, frozen food, dried legumes, flour (wheat, rice, chickpea, lentil), sauces, pickles, and chutneys, plus a small section of fresh vegetables, including, green chilies. The freezer, inevitably blocked by a pile of boxes, contains many types of stuffed parathas, naans, and rotis good enough to make the effort to shove aside everything on top to open the freezer case. The store also offers some Indian cosmetics and beauty products, including coconut oil.

Yueng Tong – Carrer de Napols, 177 bajos

What Yueng Tong offers in ingredients, it matches in kitchen appliances, and it offers quite a bit. If you’re looking for a large wok for stir fries or you’re up to the challenge of making your own dumplings in traditional bamboo steamers, Yueng Tong is your one stop shop. The store also carries typical Asian pantry staples of rice, noodles, and sauces, but also…could it be…yes it is…Skippy peanut butter (creamy AND crunchy!). A colorful section of ramen soups in more varieties than could be counted will ensure that you will never, ever eat plain Yatekomo ever again.

 

Yang Kuang – Passeig de Sant Joan, 12, 14

A stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomf, Yang Kuang sprawls across two store fronts. In the first area, there is fresh meat, a large produce section, and the pantry staples of rice and sauces. When you pass through to their other section, Yang Kuang has a massive section of Asian snacks both savory and sweet, yogurt drinks and frozen foods, including gyozas and empanadillas.

 

Latin

AfroLatino – Via Laietana, 9

While Barcelona has some up-to-snuff Mexican restaurants, making your own authentic (or as authentic as this Texan knows) Mexican food comes down to where to find quality, real ingredients. One thing I have been searching high and low for is sour cream – the Spanish version just simply doesn’t cut it, but AfroLatino has it! Looking for queso fresco for your enchiladas or you can’t be bothered to make mole from scratch? They’ve got it! They also carry a large variety of pre-made tortillas, including hard taco shells, refried beans, and they have a panaderia at their storefront filled with fresh baked goods.

Abarrotes Dona Cuna – Passatge de Font, 4

Abarrotes Dona Cuna is easy to miss given its unassuming location off of a side street in Eixample. Of note, the small store has a tub filled to the brim with dried chili peppers. While the store is smaller than others and offers fewer ingredients, they do carry masa and corn husks for making tamales – and did I mention a TUB full of dried chilis? Abarrotes also carries a wide range of Mexican candies and fresh tortillas.

Pacifico Latin Food Market – Carrer de Valencia, 462

Also in the field of Latin specialty groceries in Barcelona, the petite Pacifico Latin Food Market packs a punch with their offerings of the best of the best. If you’re a kitchen rockstar who likes to make your own tortillas or arepas, Pacifico has all the ingredients, including the traditional pans and flours. The tiny store also carries a large selection of the alcohol needed for your favorite Latin adult beverage.

 

Finding specialty groceries in Barcelona is no longer the barrier it used to be. So go. It’s a delicious world out there. Spice up your culinary repertoire and cook up something new.

About Meagan Bellovin

Meagan arrived in Barcelona in 2019, having left behind a full life of family, friends, and career in Austin, Texas. Originally educated as a journalist, Meagan taught children in her local public school system for nearly ten years before moving to Barcelona with her husband and dog. Since her arrival, she has embraced local living, taking Spanish classes, making new friends, and rediscovering her journalism past by writing for The Barcelona Edit.

View all posts by Meagan Bellovin


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If you’re wondering if the Japanese Pancakes @ku If you’re wondering if the Japanese Pancakes @kumo.pancakes are worth it… they are. 🤩 if you haven’t seen or heard, now you know!
I feel like someone’s overcompensating for somet I feel like someone’s overcompensating for something…see next photo. But I like it! 🌱🪴
The best time (and only time in the summer) to be The best time (and only time in the summer) to be down in Barceloneta is between 7-10am before the hoards of people. Morning is for all the runners, cyclists, fitness and yoga classes and locals taking their morning swim!
Happy Barcelona Dogs! So there’s a new adorable, Happy Barcelona Dogs! So there’s a new adorable, and pretty posh dog store @petspirit.bcn that opened around the corner from me, and well, they love my pups and invited us to an ice cream social with @pupukis.food and the dogs went crazy for these helados!🍦🐶🐕
I have walked passed this lady several times now. I have walked passed this lady several times now. She’s quite impressive as you get closer and depending on where you stand changes everything! The exhibition of Juame Plensa “Poetry of Silence” at La Pedrera is over but this beauty is still sitting there, quietly.
If you like fancy hotel bars, fashion and vintage If you like fancy hotel bars, fashion and vintage posters stop in @elpalacebarcelona where they are celebrating 180 years of fashion with Santa Eulalia @santaeulalia1843 - the stunning family owned historic department store known for its selection of luxury designers and brands, as well as a world renowned men’s tailoring boutique and chic bistro. These two together make for one exceptionally stylish afternoon!
Visual representation of what Barcleona feels like Visual representation of what Barcleona feels like right now, a hot and humid jungle! This is truly a lovely spot, even to just sit and sweat. Do you know it?
Rule number one for walking around Barcelona, when Rule number one for walking around Barcelona, when the doors are open, that means you are welcome to step inside!  Free architecture, design and style are all around. Keep your 👀 open.
We eat Açaí on Sunday @acaiandme_ Play my Pistac We eat Açaí on Sunday @acaiandme_ Play my Pistachio 👏🏼
Vive la France 🇫🇷 Chateau Capitoul - only a Vive la France 🇫🇷 Chateau Capitoul - only a two hour train ride from Barcelona. @chateaucapitoul
Follow on Instagram
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