Barely three blocks away from Barcelona's tourist-infested main thoroughfare, on a quiet side street in another world entirely is Caravelle—with fantastic coffee and a menu that faithfully follows the arc of artichoke season. And I'm still thinking about the Moroccan egg breakfast, two weeks later.
I wandered into Caravelle on a recent Saturday morning while walking around in the Raval neighborhood. The sunny year-old restaurant belongs to chef Zim Sutton. Sutton moved to Barcelona with his wife and daughter in 2011 after selling his restaurant in London with a plan to open a new one within six months. This turned out to be overly optimistic. A year later many potential deals had gone sour, and the Australian expat was documenting his increasingly frustrated search on his blog The Unemployable Chef. "And then we found it," he wrote. "It was small, there were robots on the walls for decoration, it was painted dark purple, but it was in a good area. It had potential."
Yes, it did. And speaking as someone who recently ate breakfast there, I think Caravelle was worth the wait.
Above: If you walk just a few blocks west of the tourist carnival that overwhelms the center of Barcelona, the bustle of La Rambla suddenly feels a world away. El Raval is a quieter neighborhood, where the sidewalks still belong to residents riding bikes or walking dogs. Photograph via Caravelle.
Above: Typical menu selections include risotto with artichokes, tomato, and parmesan; bruschetta with ricotta, endive, and bacon; and a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. "One of the main reasons that I wanted to come to Barcelona was for the artichokes," Sutton wrote on his blog. Good call.
Photograph via Moonraker Morsels; see this site for a full review of the restaurant and its eclectic Mediterranean-influenced menu.
Above: The walls are no longer painted dark purple. And the robots are gone. Photograph by Brobb565 via Trip Advisor.
Above: Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner—and cocktail hour. Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
Above: Sunday night is taco night. Or at least, most Sunday nights. Posted yesterday on Caravelle's Facebook page: "Tonight is the last Taco Sunday until September. Come on down for Micheladas, Palomas, and homemade tacos. Our new BBQ pulpo taco is killer!" Translation: Galician octopus tacos will be served. Photograph via Caravelle.
Above: Photograph via Caravelle.
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Above: Caravelle is at Carrer Pintor Fortuny, 31 in El Raval, a short walk from La Rambla, the city's most popular thoroughfare.
Planning a trip? Check out our new Travels with an Editor series; this week we'll be posting stories about our favorite Gardens, Shops, Lodging, and Restaurants in Barcelona.