Pinotxo

We stopped by for lunch ad a could and the food was excellent. I don’t think it’s the best tapas in town, as some guidebooks suggest, but the staff were very friendly and the food was still very good. Expext to pay about € 50 for lunch with a couple of glasses of cava for two people. There aren’t many seats, so expect a bit of a wait during busy times.
The pork with chickpeas was our favourite of the dishes.

Honestly one of the best lunches O have had in my life. Located in the very busy Boqueria market. it was tough to get a seat. Once we managed to get three seats (which are facing the kitchen) we were greeted by Pinotxo iconic owner. He asked… fish or meat… We said fish… and so 3 fish tapas came. All I can say is wow… the squid was incredible, so were the crawfish. A must go.

Touristy? Yes. Crowded? You bet. Totally worth the visit? A huge YES!!!
We had breakfast at Pinotxo twice during our stay in Barcelona, and I firmly believe that everyone MUST experience the wonderfulness that is this bustling market stall eatery at least once! Juan and his crew whip up amazing dishes, including catalan-​style tortilla with tomato bread (a MUST), delicious grilled and custard-​filled pastries, and a litany of other Catalan tapas. The espresso, while by no means gourmet, really hits the spot and it’s fun to watch Juan at work.
A word of note: This place gets CROWDED, so get here early for breakfast or be prepared to wait.

Walking through the Mercado de la Boqueria, you see all these wonderful sights of Spain: legs of jamon iberico hanging from the ceiling, rows of colorful fresh juices on ice, boxes of different kinds of nuts on display, … and Asian tourists. Asian tourists everywhere. My boyfriend and I had a suspicion that a tour group was let loose for free time in the market.
Pinotxo Bar was kind of a touristy selection for our first ever meal in Barcelona, but there was a reason why there was a long line to wait here. You have to stake out a side of the counter, stand there, and swoop on the first seats to become vacant. Sitting at the counter is most fun (I believe there are other seats at a side table), because you see staff cooking and scrambling around, and there is an elderly gentleman dressed in a satin vest, collared shirt, and dress slacks making everyone’s coffee.
Once we got a seat, my boyfriend and I ordered two café con leches. The menu, posted on the wall, was completely in Catalan, so we asked what was most popular. Most all of the dishes are out on display, ready to be served, or visibly cooking in the back. We had a good selection, which set the tone for the very meat heavy diet we would be eating for most of our trip:
Beef stew (they also had a tripe stew option) — so flavorful, with peas and potatoes. Like an American pot roast flavor.
Fried cod with ratatouille — the cod was not freshly fried and was a tad greasy. The ratatouille gave it the flavor it desperately needed.
Chickpeas — one of their most popular dishes. Not memorable, but tasted fine.
This wasn’t the best meal ever, but I think it was one of the better selections for a sit-​down place to eat at the Boqueria. Great for people watching and enjoying the spirit of pointing to things and ordering them.

This place is beyond over rated! Service is very spotty. Hard to get anything. The old gentleman is super friendly but can’t remember any of our orders. I was still waiting for my coffee after we finished all the food. It just never came even after we told him at least 3 times. The food is not nearly as good as the Unilocalers said. Chickpeas were not bad, but nothing special. Clams are ok, basically steamed in olive oil with salt. The anchovies were disgusting! Soooo fishy! Tasted like raw anchovies soaked in olive oil. How in the world did they get such high reviews from everyone? There’s much better food out there guys!

When my friends and I set foot in the Mercat de Boqueria, it felt like Christmas arrived for us. There was a glorious fare of meats, seafoods, tapas, fried things on sticks, cured meats on sticks, juices, pastries, spices, sweets… I could go on for days. Nonetheless, we chose Pinotxo for lunch and could not be happier with the simple but delicious tapas.
We ordered clams, snails, rabbit, beef stew, fresh prawns, sole, anchovies and artichoke. The clams were steamed and drizzled with a bit of olive oil and salt. The taste was fresh and briny, almost as if they were taken from the water minutes ago. The snails were sauteed in some exotic spice/​sauce we couldn’t identify (similar to curry but not as strong) but so GOOD. My favorite dish was the steamed prawns because they were perfectly cooked and the meat was sweet – plus there was tons of roe on their bellies. :) The sauteed rabbit and beef stew were also richly-​flavored, soft in texture and overall lip-​smacking delicious.
The guys who served us were extremely friendly and even joked around with us. I had a little crush on one of the chefs with the glasses – they were charming and lovely!

Such very good food but so little seating available as it is in the hustle and bustle of La Boqueria Mercat. It was the busiest place there, which tells you right there how good they were. We tried the chickpeas, beans or peas with calamari, snails, and fried lamb plus bread. Plus the local beer and sparkling wine that was great. If you make your way even close to this market, definitely eat here and don’t settle for those options on La Rumbla as this was the best! Our Spanish friends insisted, and they were right!

COME EARLY! I was so sad when I went later in the day and the xiuxus were gone. They are incredible-​even cold. And he is so sweet we ended up tipping a lot, as I’m sure most do. The tortilla espanolla (?) lacked flavor and the café con leche has cold milk… So that was a bummer. If you are used to lattes with steamed milk make sure to say caliente!!!

Perfection! We first ate here in 2009 and again in 2015. Both times were culinary perfection.
We had virtually every seafood item, plus garbanzos (made with pork). Food is really spectacular.
There are only 26 seats and tons of demand, so you need to plan accordingly. We were there in October and on a Wednesday the whole town seemed to be slow, so we tried and had easy seating at 12:45 pm.
This is an excellent experience for anyone with a sense of adventure. This is not fine dining or uptight service. This is great food in an informal environment.

Tiene más fama que buenos platos. Fuimos con expectativas altas teniendo en cuenta los comentarios que leímos. Pero nos decepcionó bastante. La comida es muy fresca, de hecho mataron la langosta que nos sirvieron delante de nuestra vista, pero el sabor no fue nada espectacular.
Por otro lado, la atención fue buena, pero los precios muuuy altos para la calidad de la comida.

Es la barra más popular del Mercado de la Boquería al que vale la pena visitar y luego de caminar un rato sentarse en Pinotxo para comer pescado muy fresco.
Todo muy tradicional y simple, mientras te tomás un vinito blanco en un pequeño vaso podés ver como preparan en la plancha la langosta que unos segundos antes se retorcía mientras se la señalabas al catalán que te atienden.
Es una linda experiencia. La única crítica es que nos sirvieron pasada la langosta y eso es un crimen. La gente que atiende nos explicaron detalles sobre como comer los mariscos y fueron muy amables.

If you don’t make it to Pinoxto during your visit to Barcelona (and La Boqueria) you are doing it wrong.
The first day my boyfriend and I arrived in Barcelona we walked over to try and grab some tapas, to our surprise they were completely sold out of food by 2:30pm on a Monday, so come on the early side and grab a seat in order to experience the splendor that is Pinotxo!
That being said we knew we had to make it back and scheduled our second day in Barcelona around eating at Pinotxo.
We arrived around 1pm and still had to wait, but it was worth every minute because once we were seated we had a really great time.
We lucked out and got seats near Juanito’s section of the bar and though his English wasn’t excellent he still steered us in the right direction.
He started off by asking us what we liked «Carne or Pescado» and we opted for the fish route. He then walked over with a tray of what was fresh or the day which at the time had squid, clams, lobster, langustine and two types of shrimp. We opted from the larger shrimp and waited patiently. He came back shortly after yelling out our order to the chef and asked us what we’d like to drink. I snagged a glass of white wine (and actually he set a whole cold bottle of white in front of me and let me pour as many for myself during my meal as I saw fit) and my boyfriend ordered himself a caña.
We are a little bit obsessed with garbanzo bean dishes (I feel like they are severely underrated when done right!) so of course we ordered theirs. The dish itself was excellent and very flavorful. It clearly had some morcilla (Spanish blood sausage) but it wasn’t over powering and I think even the more discerning palates would enjoy this dish as it was both well seasoned and had nuances of thyme and other light herbs.
When we finally got our gambas we were blown away. For something so simple, they were executed perfectly. They were probably the most perfectly cooked shrimp I’ve ever eaten. Just perfectly snappy, tender– but not chewy and when you twisted off the head there was still plenty of that salty delicious ‘liquor’ left inside for you to slurp right up.
Overall it was probably one of our more expensive meals in Spain (35 Euros) for just two items and some drinks, but the experience was well worth it and I’d go back again in a heartbeat if ever given the chance.
Go for the food, stay for Juanito and the fun experience!

Recommended by the owner of the apartment where we stayed. Awesome lunch of Baby Squid, Garbanzo Beans and roasted peppers — all complemented with Cava (sparking Catalan white wine). Everything was delicious! Joan (3^rd generation owner/​operator) was at the counter serving his customers the best food in the La Boqueria Market. Must go when in Barcelona.

Decent spot for breakfast. Unilocal steered us here and we have mixed reviews.
1. The spanish omlette with potatoes and onions was delicious. It is served as a slice with 2 pieces of tomatoed toast
2. The stirred garbanzo beans with some pork was good, but not amazing
Our server was ok, just kinda weird — silent, blunt, and not very… nice. We paid 14 € for breakfast. There are much better eateries in and around this place.

Near the front entrance of the La Boqueria outdoor covered market, you will find the Pinotxo Bar with counter seating and a few tables to the side. It is busy all day, and historical server Juanito Bayen is at the front ready to serve you with a smile:
Love him and love Pinotxo Bar! I had the baby octopus over cannellini beans and a glass of cava for lunch, and it was so tasty, filling and perfect after a morning of shopping at the market and in the area. I also took a selfie with Mr. Bayen! He willingly takes pictures with his fans — so cute!
My friend and I went back another day for a couple glasses of cava after a morning at the beach — so perfect and relaxing with a gentle breeze flowing through the market. I will always remember the charm of this place and the great service by Mr. Bayen and the rest of the bar crew.

Le Cava est bon 3.50 € le verre les escargots aussi mais cher. Les calamars aux petits haricots un délice, les croquetas plus communes. Un petit bar chouette où tout le monde mange côte à côte. À noter que les tapas né sont destinés à servir de repas même si on a grand plaisir à se nourrir de ça ;-)
Attention à l’allongement de l’addition si vous y faites votre repas entier

Do you know what a cronut is? So do the folks of Spain, because they did it first!!! And it’s called a xiuxo (chu’-choe) and sells out within the hour of delivery to Pinotxo.
As others have noted, the food that is actually made here isn’t the best — our spinach and pine nut omelette was extremely salty and the tomato bread was forgettable. The coffee was also rather weak. That being said, the experience of eating here as well as the xiuxo made it well worth it!
This particular stall opens up before many of the others and serves tourists, locals, beggars, and market workers alike. We arrived at seven in the morning and scored seats. Juanito was so nice, cheerful, and helpful. As we were eating, a delivery of baked goodies (the xiuxo) arrive as did throngs of people to grab them and toss some coins down. Juanito began stacking them up against the glass in the stall (while they were still letting off steam!) and explained to us what they were. Holy smokes, fried croissant-​like pastries filled with custard and lightly dusted with granulated sugar. Made fresh. Heaven. My husband dislikes sweets but ordered another after we devoured our first!
It was such an experience to enjoy a leisurely casual breakfast sitting here chatting with Juanito as La Boqueria slowly awoke. An absolute must for the AM just for the xiuxo!

Very Famous Restaurant right at the Entrance of La Boqueria Market, in the Middle of Barcelona, Spain.
I love the Spanish Tapas they serve and all the ingredients are the freshest you can get because it is inside a open air farmers type of market. Very interesting exotic types of plates and the local draft beer which is Estrella is delightful. The Owner is very nice and attentive to his customers and the mix of customers is fascinating. They are from all over the world !

Es un lugar típico en la boquearía, Juanito es un clásico del lugar, sus platos son conocidos en media España y la otra media tiene previsto venir a degustarlos.
Rodeado de un mercado con un encanto especial posiblemente el lugar más cosmopolita de Barcelona

I’m still drooling about the food from here.
The sign looks fun and light but the food is serious. Don’t-mess-with-us serious. Pinotxo served some of the best tapas I’ve had in Barcelona, no Spain.
I thought I didn’t like beans but whatever animal fat they cooked the navy beans made me want to lick the plate clean. Perfect with baby squid.
There is no menu, so once you are seated, one of the servers came around to offer you options. We basically pointed to what we saw other people eating and asked for food items we liked.
Much of the food was a wonderful surprise.
My favorites was the razor clams and the beef cheek stew. The razor clams were steamed in their own juices with white wine. It was sweet, briny and so fresh.
The beef cheek was tender; the chunks of seared and chewy beef with suet intermingling with bay leaves and other spices. You could only eat so much because you would get fat saturated but each bite was heavenly.
I wish we stayed closer to The Market so we could have frequented Pinotxo a couple more times before leaving!

Hubby and I stumbled across Pinotxo one fine morning and boy, I’m sure glad we did.
Walking around La Boqueria, it’s not very hard to miss. There was already a good amount of people there.
I had tried the egg thingy (not the omelette, something flatter) and this small pastry that everyone seemed to order. WHOA — this was one of the most memorable food I have ever eaten. SO GOOD… that’s what we kept saying to each other with a look of contentment.
I wish we ordered more food or came back for another meal, but I guess that gives us an excuse to return to Barcelona. :)

This place is out of this world! If I had to pick two places to visit in Barcelona, this will be one of it (very hard choice between Pinotxo & Tickets). Tucked in the front of the busiest most touristy market in Barcelona, Mercat Bocqueria. Look no further, it’s right by the fruit stall in the front row. If you see a huge wait, that’s it. Get a cava or beer while you wait, be patient, the wait is totally worth it.
Catch the eye of the servers, or the world famous Juanito; and they’ll keep a mental list of when you get to sit. Just a tip, don’t wait behind locals. Wait behind tourists with huge cameras and iphones/​andriods out on the table. Locals might stay here forever.
What to get? Trust the opinion of Juanito. He’s the guru. Everything is tasty, although I have a bias for the seafood dishes that come with some kind of sauce.
Gamba/​prawns — very big prawns. served with salt and olive oil. very fresh
lobster/​Logastino — served with olive oil and salt. fresh and tasty
Clams — served with salt and olive oil. fresh and delicious
Razor clams — served with salt and olive oil. out of this world! MUST GET! sweet sweet clams
Chick peas — this is the only place in the world where I would crave for the chick peas. so delicious!
Squid and beans — comes with balsamic sauce. so fresh, the vinegar brings out the flavor of the squid. so good!!!
chocolate cake/​dessert — good
Many locals just come for the cortado (milk and espresso), looks really tasty, and is prepared by Juanito. Also, if you come before 10:30am, there’s no wait at all! And you get anything and everything you want! Love it. most locals only get croissants though, but forget that, and get the seafood. You’ll love it.

Good but way overpriced. I feel like our server steered our ordering by showing us the most expensive seafood as our options. Small clams for 12.5 euro and 5 smallish gambas for 17 euro.
Food was prepared well but not worth the hype or price — seems a bit tourist trappy. Bread was also not the freshest.

Enter the ramblas, turn right and you’ll see this place on the left. Grab a seat wherever you can. The old grandpa that works the coffee side of the place is so sweet; can’t speak English but he wants you to enjoy your food.
They likely will start by asking if you want peace or carne and show you some fresh seafood. I instead for the kidney beans and the baby squid with white beans. Everyone there seems to order these two dishes, which may be because they read Unilocal and that’s all we talk about. It’s super delicious, flavorful, and fresh! They automatically give you bread which they charge minimal for, which most places in Barcelona do.
You can apparently get smaller versions of the dishes by asking for it in «media» (mehdia).
A place to definitely stop by early for. Enjoy!

Totalement déçus de l’expérience Pinotxo. Soit, ce que nous avons mangé était très bon, enfin… Ce qu’il restait de disponible à 13h, soit pas grand chose ! Le serveur étant arrivé en nous listant les 6 ou 7 possibilités restantes, nous nous sommes rabattus sur la très bonne entrecôte et les excellents calamars aux haricots blancs. Sauf qu’avec les misérables morceaux de pain proposés (1 par personne…) et sans une bonne tortilla ou des croquettes de jamon pour nous caler un peu, autant dire que la faim nous a tenaillé tout l’après midi. J’oubliais: en l’absence de prix affichés, à la différence des autres bars à tapas du marché, né cédez pas à l’aimable pression du gentil serveur pour prendre les gambas: cinq crevettes pour… 17 € ! Ce qui est rare est cher chez Pinotxo (d’autant que les mêmes crevettes étaient vendues 10 € le kg sur les étals de poissons d’à côté) ! En résumé, Pinotxo est un aimable piège à touristes bien situé a l’entrée de la Boqueria, qui vous encourage à retourner vous perdre dans les petites rues de Barcelone, celles qui cachent des bars à tapas traditionnels bien plus exceptionnels.

Mi família de segundas o terceras! Juanito des de aquí te mando un saludo, un abrazo y Gracias por tenerme en cuenta, cuando vengo, Gracias a tus hijos y nietos por el trato excelente, razonable, no obligatoriamente preferente, por ser yo, pero siempre atento a que no me quede de pié! Gracias de todo corazón. La familia es lo primero, recuerdos de mis padres y hermanos!!! Hasta prontooooo
Por cierto, comida excelente de mercado, materia prima de la mismísima boqueria, sitio imprescindible, se perdonan, los espacios pequeños, la espera, los guiris, el barullo, todo vale en compañía de juanito y los suyos!!! Viva pinotxo bar de tapas.

Déjà, si vous êtes à Barcelone, vous né pouvez pas rater la Boqueria, ses étales multicolores, fruits, poissons, charcuterie, légumes, un marché couvert en plein centre ville donnant directement sur la Rambla et une attraction à lui tout seul. Vous pouvez faire votre marché, profiter des stands qui vendant des produits prêts à être consommés ou bien des rares restaurants/​bar à tapas ayant élus domicile ici.
C’est le cas du très célèbre Pinotxo et sont charismatique patron, l’homme au pouce levé !
Alors il faut savoir que ce lieu est tout petit, car c’est un simple stand de marché autour duquel on s’agglutine, il faut donc s’armer de patience et né pas trop trainer, mais le patron n’a pas la main leste, et vas y que les coupes de Cava se remplissent pour les courageux qui attendent sagement leur tour.
C’était une journée un peu particulière, car Megan Mc Cormick de Pilot Guide était en plein tournage de son émission sur Barcelone, et se trouvait juste à coté de moi.
Les tapas sont extra, à base de produits du marché, avec énormément de poisson ou fruit de mer, je suis amateur ça tombe bien.
De petites quantités, mais de très grande qualité, comptez tout de même 20 € par personne pour être rassasié, boisson comprise, en un temps record !

«Juanito» es, sin ningún tipo de duda, la persona más popular de la Boqueria. Y lo es por su simpatía y porque comer en casa suya es toda una experiencia.
El Bar Pinocho está rodeado de las paradas que le proporcionan la materia primera y tiene los taburetes de la barra siempre ocupados.
Podéis almorzar de tenedor y si lo prefieres alguna de las delicias dulces como los chuchos con crema, siempre nos tientan desde la barra.
A la hora de comer Juanito es el que te explica el que han preparado y te recomienda con que acompañarlo. Hay que dejarse llevar y hacerle siempre caso, no os arrepentiréis.
Abren de lunes a sábado de 6 de la mañana a 17 h. Así que si has salido de fiesta por allí, te recomiendo que acabes la noche o empieces el día, depende por donde lo mires con un buen desayuno en el Bar Pinocho

Este bar kiosko es mitiquísimo en Barcelona. Y reconocido mundialmente. Esta dentro de la plaza de la Boquería, la barra está siempre ocupada por un ir y venir de güiris que están deseando llevarse algo típico español a la boca. Pero lo bueno de Pinotxo, a parte de lo exquisita que está la comida, es el dueño y camarero. Un personaje que sube el ánimo a las féminas y que sabe vender muy bien su género. Aquí no hay cartas, ni menú, hay lo que se ha cocinado en ese día. Auqnue siempre existen los clásicos, cigrons, butifarra, chipirroncitos …

Un sitio admirable ahí a los pies no más del Mercado de la Boquería. Inconfundible sitio, Pinotxo es un lugar típico y altamente recomendable para ir a disfrutar de un almuerzo. Me encanta almorzar en ese ambiente «mercado». Hay turistas, ya lo se, pero se vive un aire especial igual. El creador y dueño del sitio tiene más años que la escarapela, diríamos. Pero te aseguro que tiene más energía que cualquiera que aun no ha llegado ni a la mitad de su edad. Por eso digo, de nuevo, ese sitio es tremendamente admirable. Un señor que lo da todo por y para la gente. Me senté con mi madre a disfrutar de un revuelto con gambas. ¡Qué rico por dios! Lo acompañamos con una copita de cava y con mucha mucha risa y charla. Mis ojos de lince registraba a este buen hombre. Mi retina guarda unos lindos retratos hechos sin cámara. Al mismo tiempo me pareció identificar, cual papel carbónico (por el parecido) a un otro «señor» que todo indicaba que era su hijo. A la Boquería seguro que ya fuiste date otra vuelta y repara en Pinotxo. No lo pases por alto. Disfruta y nada de agua, brinda con cava. Voilà!

Mi abuelo tenía palco en el Liceo, pero cuando íbamos, se empeñaba en subirme al «gallinero». Decía que ahí era donde mejor se escuchaba. Buscaba afanosamente un lugar escondido, en lo alto de todo del teatro, casi tocando al techo y detrás de una columna. «¿Para que mirar, nena?. Escucha, escucha esto…»
Esta era una de sus manías. La otra, era echar a correr en el entreacto y entrar de estampida en el Pinotxo. «Mestre, que no tenim temps», decía según entraba. Y el dueño ladeaba la cabeza, murmuraba «este hombre, sempre igual». Y nos ponía delante un surtido de lo mejor del dia.
El abuelo ya no está. Se fue hace tiempo. Pero el Pinotxo sigue ahí. A veces vuelvo. En el entreacto, claro. Y ahora el comentario es: «eres como tu abuelo, siempre con prisas». Tiene razón. Todo sigue igual. Él también.

El grande, el mito, la estrella… o el hombre: Joan Bayén, propietario y alma del Bar Pinotxo. Trabaja en el mercado de la Boqueria desde hace más de medio siglo. Por encima de todo, un respeto y toda mi admiración. Porqué siempre que he ido a visitar a «Pinotxo» saliendo de algún espacio de ocio nocturno (relajada o no), con un espíritu desenfadado y esperando un poco de alimento para recomponerme y volver a casa… él ya estaba. A las 6h, puntual. El aliado perfecto. Calidad y discreción. Son muchos años de ver a personas «adultas» desayunando, absolutamente despeinadas y con ese acento que da el Gin-​tónic sobrante. Joan siempre tiene tablas para lidiar con algún personaje poco consciente de estar ante un maestro, que con sus bikinis mágicos y sus curativos garbanzos con butifarra negra es capaz de contentar a todos. Luego te vas, con el estómago contento, y camuflada en el metro acabas la noche con un cierto aire de normalidad matutina.