Carrer dels Tallers (street of the workshops) is the first street in our Street Smart BCN series. We started this series to break down our big city into small pieces that help you get an accurate feel for what Barcelona has to offer.
Carrer dels Tallers (Tie-YAIRS) is a narrow street that sneaks its way off the top of Las Ramblas and takes a leisurely, cultured stroll to Plaza Universitat.
This street is easy to miss. Tourists usually pass by as they walk starry-eyed amid the action-packed walkway that is Las Ramblas. Luckily, you’ll now know exactly why Carrer dels Tallers is worth a visit.
Food
There are no less than 15 restaurants nestled in the cozy storefronts of Carrer dels Tallers, a culinary adventure that ranges from bakeries to pizza places to Irish pubs to cupcakes.
If you’re looking for a little snack for your exploration of this fine street, we suggest stopping off at Forn de Pa, a bakery located on the right side of the street just after you leave Las Ramblas. Their olive ciabatta (xapata oliva) is light and tasty.
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| The menu board at Forn de Pa |
Once you’ve filled up on a few bites of bread, peruse the cornucopia of quirky shops that makes Carrer Tallers such an interesting stretch of Barcelona culture.
When you’re ready for a drink, stop for a spell at La Llibertaria, a bar well-liked among locals and college students. The bar features an affordable list of local drinks that will whet your whistle and loosen you up for good conversation.
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| A local abuelo puffs a cigar in front of La Llibertaria |
Try the bar’s vermouth, a sweet herbal drink that’s all the rage in Barcelona. If vermouth isn’t your cup of tea, you can never go wrong with a cold canyeta, Barcelona-speak for a small glass of beer (usually Estrella Damm or San Miguel). The bar’s menu is pretty reasonable…here’s a sampling from a few days ago:
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| The usual suspects |
When you’ve had your fill of the local swill and you’re ready for a substantial meal, stop by Mucci’s/The Burger Club, a combo restaurant that serves pizza, empanadas and other fare on one side and a a menu full of tasty hamburgers on the other side.
The Burger Club offers a great midday special: burger, fries and a drink for 7.99€. Mucci’s offers slices of pizza (porcion), whole pizzas, salads, empanadas and the usual tapas. The restaurant has menus in English, Spanish and Catala. Go at night, during the week, and you’ll encounter far less tourists than you will in restaurants closer to or on Las Ramblas.
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| Munch on the fare at Mucci’s |
The best part of the Carrer Tallers may be the last meal you enjoy before stepping onto Ronda Sant Antoni, the official end of Tallers. Chase the savory flavors of pizza and burgers with the dulce delights of Cup and Cake, a cupcakery featuring gourmet…you guessed it, cupcakes.
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| The desserts at C & C are icing on the cake. |
Cup & Cakes will set you back about 3€, but you’ll find that this tiny shop is the perfect way to conclude your Tallers culinary conquest.
(Other interesting restaurants include Udon (Japanese), The Shamrock (Irish), and a boba tea drinkery where you can suck down tea while playing video games on a flat-screen TV.)
Old-School Music
In between your stops at Carrer dels Tallers’ bars and restaurants, music lovers can nerd out to no end at a select collection of old-school record shops.
The street’s grandaddy of music stores is Revolver, a store so awesome it has occupies two different storefronts. Rows and rows of rock CD’s cram in Revolver’s music space like thousands of fans at sold-out Rolling Stones concerts.
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| CD’s enjoy each other’s company in Revolver |
Revolver’s music store is two-levels. Prepare yourself for a big dose of KISS as you head upstairs to peruse more discs. The legendarily garish rock band graces the wall that connects the bottom floor to the top. All that’s missing is a smoke machine and a fortress-like stack of amps.
Revolver’s memorabilia store is just a few steps away from its record store. T-shirts, beer, box sets adorned with the most legendary names in rock fill the displays and walls of this epic store.
Revolver isn’t the only dealer of discs on Tallers, though. Discos Impacto offers collectors items and music, as well as a healthy dose of classic concert posters.
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| Discos caught more than one pair of eyes on this day. |
Just past Discos, you’ll find all the jet-black records (that’s right, records) at Subwax. Vintage music lovers will find their fix at this small shop next to Mucci’s and The Hamburger Club.
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| Looking for a turntable to spin those records? Subwax has them… |
The music banquet doesn’t stop with Revolver, Discos and Subwax. A series of local music shops beckon music lovers with glass displays boasting Gibsons, Taylors, Martins, Epiphones and other marquee names in electric and acoustic guitars.
Fashion
If its vintage fashion you’re seeking, you can spend hours amid Carre Tallers’ racks of quirky couture while your pals haunt the record stores or bars. Shoe stores, second-hand stores and full-price shops offer enough vintage clothing to fill a fleet of Winnebagos.
A pair of stores welcome you to Tallers’ fashion frenzy: Soul and Kling. The contrast between the two shops is evident in the pictures. One side offers bright spring colors, the other side a quirkier selection of darker colors.
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| Soul selling new vintage… |
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| Spring is front and center at Kling. |
Once you pass Soul and Kling, you start to get to the heart of the decades-old swagger of a trio of used clothes stores.
Flamingo is the perfect representative for these shabby shops…packed with clothes from years past, bathed in the dusty yellow light of bulbs that have seen better days. Yet the clothes speak for themself; Old letterman’s jackets , sweaters from your parents’ ski trips or shoes well-worn await you.
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| Yes, those are mannequins… |
If your fashion is more Black Sabbath and less Creedence Clearwater Revival, keep an eye out for a Van Van motorcycle leaning up against a wall. The orange beast usually stands in front of Camden, a haven for the hard-core and rockabilly types.
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| “Welcome to Camden,” says the Van Van. |
Like Revolver, Camden has two storefronts: one for shoes, and one for clothes and collectors’ items. Their shoes cater to skaters and rockers, as does the custom bike sitting at the store entrance staring down the Van Van.
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| A two-wheeled welcome at Camden. |
Feeling the fatigued in the feet? A wide selection of shoe stores make sure that you’re bound to find something that fits your style. Forever Young is one of several of Tallers’ footeries.
How To Get There
Carrer dels Tallers spans from Las Ramblas to Plaza Universitat. Taller’s Las Ramblas entrance is between Pans & Co. and Casas International shoe store. Tallers’ Plaza Universitat entrance is between Las Cavas de Los Faros (a liquor store) and Farmacia Universitat.
Click here to see the street on Google Maps.
