When I left Barcelona in 2012, there were very few places in the way of good coffee. Satan's Coffee Corner was still just a man and a machine in the corner of a gift shop (he's now two whole cafes into what plans to be an empire), and there was only a handful of Australian-brunch cafes.
Fast-forward five years (has it really been that long?) and each trip to the city has yielded a new place or more to explore. I'll share a few of them over the coming weeks but I wanted to start with Espai Joliu because it was the favourite of them all.
What looks like an old garage or industrial space has been turned into a plant shop come cafe - greenery, ceramics and magazines to the front of the building, communal-style cafe towards the rear. I love it when a cafe has good coffee, food, and places to potter about in while you can hear your coffee being ground and the milk being frisked. It reminds me of a cafe my grandmother and I used to love in the 90s that was also a bakery and gift shop.
The stone walls here mean a cool respite from the Barcelona heat and humidity. It's dark inside but light is thrown through small windows and doors that illuminate the textured walls and nooks.
A short walk from the city's Poble Nou district (or just around the corner from Llacuna) and the sea, it's a great place to start a morning, afternoon or evening in the area.
Serves light bites like sandwiches and bagels (vegetarian and vegan options included), and NOMAD coffee.
