Spain: La Bombeta

We ended our first day in Barcelona at La Bombeta.  Worried about the long wait we read about on TripAdvisor, we got there early:

The place was busy, but not yet overflowing.  We managed to get seated pretty quickly.

We knew from reading reviews on TripAdvisor that the staff of La Bombeta refuse to speak anything but Spanish.  In case anyone has any doubts, it's written right on the wall:

It says something along the lines of "we don't speak English but we make awesome bombas".  Don't know what bombas are?  Read on to find out.

Even though the staff made it a point not to speak English, they took pity on us and handed us an English menu.  Bless you, La Bombeta staff, bless you.

Of course we started off with some refreshments.  Or just one.  Sangria:

You can't go to Barcelona and NOT drink sangria, right?  Even I took a sip and you all know how much I dislike the taste of alcohol.

The first thing we ordered was a plate of pulpos a la gallega or Galician octopus (10.90 €):

Probably some of the best octopus I've had in a long while.  The boiled octopus was so soft it really felt like it melted in your mouth.  It came seasoned with only paprika, olive oil, and salt and trust me, that's all it needs.

The bombas or potato balls were a must.  How could we not when it was written on the wall how awesome they are?  An order comes with two (3.90 €):

OMYGAWD THERE'S MEAT INSIDE:

Fried mashed potato balls.  With meat in side.  Covered in a creamy sauce then topped with a spicy one.  It really doesn't get any better than that.  Did I mention that they're fried?

Holy moly.

We couldn't resist getting white wine clams or almejas al vino blanco (8.90 €):

Also totally delicious.

To ensure a healthy, balanced meal, we added a plate of veggies in the form of fried eggplant or berenjenas rebozadas (4.30 €):

My least favorite of the night.  Maybe this is just really American of me, but I felt like they were missing some kind of dipping sauce.

And just because we couldn't resist, we tacked on the spicy tripe or callos picantes (5.90 €):

Super rich.  Definitely not for those who care about their figure.  The tripe was oily and spicy and just overall yummy.  I could see how eating a whole plate by yourself could make you sick though, so be nice and share with your friends.

The food at La Bombeta is downright amazing.  The prices are incredibly reasonable too.

Though we could tell that the staff were trying to push our table off on each other, I think we won our reluctant server over in the end.  We played a game of charades with him to get tap water and didn't find out until later that restaurants in Barcelona don't usually provide anything but bottled.  And right before we left, he asked us something in Spanish.  When T's high school Spanish failed her and she gave him a blank look, he sighed and asked us in perfect English, "Where are you from?"

Heh.  I'm never going to let T live that down.

If you ever find yourself in Barcelona, you must go to La Bombeta and try the bombas.  All it takes is one bite and you'll be a believer for life.  We tried to go back to La Bombeta again the next night for more bombas, but it was closed.  A lot of crying and moaning ensued.

BOMBAS FOR LIFE.


La Bombeta
Carrer de la Maquinista, 3
08039 Barcelona, Spain
933 199 445