Article 2: My favourite healthy & vegan spots in Barcelona
GROCERY and Health & Beauty
OBBIO – Natural supermarket www.obbio.es
These two stores are relative newcomers starting out in 2013, but they stock excellent well established brands. The compact stores are well edited and allow for efiicient shopping. Grocery section is very strong, as well refrigerated products, they have their own fermented drink and plenty of vegan options. . I loved their inspiring books section. There’s a nutritionist to answers customers questions a few times a week.
You can tell that the leadership is female as there’s such a good representation of natural beauty products and supplements. You’ll find lovely natural skincare brands so you can get natural sunscreen lotion here (using titanium dioxane, zinc oxide) as they can be hard to find in Barcelona. They have plenty of vegan options and run educational workshops – but Spanish only
https://obbio.es/es/nuestras-tiendas
Store locations are Muntaner 177, and Calle Ronda Sant Pere 47
Veritas – natural supermarket www.veritas.es
I have a lot of affection for this of health food stalwart as I used to shop at their store in Mandri Street a long time ago. Their quality standards are excellent for every category and their strong ethos seeps through everything they do. I was happy to find out that they became a B Corp! the first supermarket chain in Europe to be a B Corp apparently.
Their Grocery section is excellent and they stock a lot of organic products
They have an educational arm called Terraveritas https://www.terraveritas.es . They run workshops and post wonderful recipes
Amatller https://ametllerorigen.cat/es/
A bounty of fresh fruit and veg - and their own fresh products like dips, gazpacho, horchata - make this an exciting place to shop. The beauty of this business model is that is vertically integrated. Amatller started as a farmer family and owns the fields where vegetables and fruit are grown.
No need to go to Boqueria and get stuck in that touristy area. Here you will find true Catalan fruit and veg . They have over 30 stores in Barcelona so you’re bound to find one close to where you are. There is no health & beauty section however , and grocery ambient products are limited to essential categories.
Ferment9 - https://ferment9.com Vegan Cultured food and drinks
A true destination for lovers of fermented food, and anyone interested in the process of fermenting food. You can learn everything to do with fermentation as they run workshops on a mezzanine floor above the shop. It’s an educational centre where you can purchase everything you need to get started – you will be inspired! The founder has been fermenting foods for 30 years and that expertise shows everywhere you look.
This is an extraordinary shop that has good representation of innovative kombucha drinks, lots of kimchi variations and the most delicious kefir I’ve ever tried!
The Living Food – Bio Vegan store - http://www.thelivingfood.com
The innovation here comes from their beautiful artisanal fermented cheeses. I had been following them on Insta for a while @thelivingfood.barcelona and wanted to see what they were about . Luckily for me the founders were there on my visit and we had a chat about vegan and health food options in Barcelona. I left with the impression of passionate founders who have put a lot of care into the cheeses they make and the product selection in their ambient section, it’s small but well edited, and they are a fountain of knowledge to help you choose the right thing.
- NANA https://www.bio-nana.com
Small eco grocery store with good selection of staples and a decent section of health & beauty, so you can stock up on tahini (not that easy to find in Barcelona) and Weleda products. Their shopping baskets are made of straw, it’s a nice eco detail. Handy if you’re downtown as it is in the St Antoni neighbourhood right next to the St Antoni market
EATING OUT
It was a joy eating outside with great weather! Terraces are open and it feels like the experience of eating out before Covid except for a few changes. You will find that paper menus have been replaced by QR codes on tables. When you point your camera to them they direct you to a webpage with a the menu. You will be asked to use the sanitising gel when you go inside in most places. Aside from that, it’s just as lovely
Flax & Kale – Restaurants and products - flaxandkale.com
There’s so much passion and care that has been put into the food at this place you will feel like your body is taken good care of. The menu is a love song to delicious nourishing ingredients. From Poke and Taco dishes to amazing salads that have been designed to pack flavour and nutrients. Their desserts are stunning, the best plant based cheesecake I tried. Their terrace in the Tallers location has gorgeous spot across from a church . Been there five or six times and food and service were always excellent. The interiors on the ground floor are warm and lovely and invite you to lounge.
Honest Greens – https://honestgreens.com
You have to try this spot if you’re looking for incredibly tasty and healthy meals
They have tons of wonderful vegan options. During lockdown I learned how to make some of heir recipes as their chef Ben run some great IG live cooking sessions. You’ll find Middle East cuisine influences here as well as Mediterranean mouth watering classic ingredients . Their falafels and garden bowls are delicious as well as all side dishes. The roasted watermelon with plant-based mascarpone, balsamic maple dressing and caramelized walnuts was to die for. Their lovely baked cauliflower with tahini-Harissa was spicy and creamy. They also do nice smoothies and kombucha.
There’s no booking and no waiting on tables, you order at a counter and service is fairly quick
Odacova Café www.odacova.cafe
I loved this café so much for different reasons. The founder defines it as “The perfect combination between nutrition and celebration” I agree. You will find dishes where the stars are vegetables, top quality seasonal ingredients, zero processed and transformed into meals full of color and emotion.
The kitchen is open all day, with amazing healthy breakfast options all day. Unusual in Barcelona where lunch is typically a 2 to 4pm only. The interior has so much light and is super comfortable to sit there for a meal or work on a laptop.