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News in Barcelona
Openings, closings, chef moves, awards, and industry updates from the food and drink scene. Every story source-verified.
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Casa Leopoldo closes for good after nearly 90 years in the Raval
Casa Leopoldo, on Carrer de Sant Rafael since 1936, served its last meal on 28 June 2026. Its operator, the group Banco de Boquerones, called the business “inviable”.
La Dama's Andrea Civettini is named Spain's Best Bartender 2026
Andrea Civettini, head bartender at La Dama on Avinguda Diagonal, won the Best Bartender of Spain title at Diageo World Class 2026 and goes through to the world final in Scotland in October.
Barcelona's restaurant guild takes bakery chains and Mercadona to the prosecutor over “mercaurantes”
The Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona is escalating to the public prosecutor against bakery chains and about 30 Mercadona stores it accuses of running unlicensed cafés — citing 57 infractions across 22 Eixample bakeries.
Corpinnat adds its first Baix Penedès winery as Mas Vilella joins
From 1 July 2026, Mas Vilella in La Bisbal del Penedès — run by Albert Jané — labels its sparkling wines as Corpinnat, becoming the collective's first member in the Baix Penedès and taking it to 23 producers.
Barcelona chefs take top honours at Catalonia's 2026 National Gastronomy Awards
The Acadèmia Catalana de Gastronomia i Nutrició gave Raül Balam Ruscalleda (Moments) its Gastronomia d'Autor prize and Patricia Sierra (Granja Elena) the best Cap de Sala award at the 2026 Premis Nacionals de Gastronomia.
Martín Berasategui opens Fonda España in Hotel España's modernist dining room
Martín Berasategui has relaunched the historic Domènech i Montaner dining room at Hotel España as Fonda España, a product-led take on traditional Catalan cooking, with Edu Rodas as head chef. It opened 6 May 2026.
Time Out Market Barcelona adds six new kitchens, reaching 17
Time Out Market Barcelona added six new food stalls in June 2026, bringing the Maremagnum food hall to 17 kitchens — among them La Porca, Carmen Churros, Jon Cake and Paral·lelo Gelato.
Barcelona nears 7,000 terrace licences, a third of them in the Eixample
Barcelona ended 2025 with about 6,899 active terrace licences, up 6.1% since 2022. New permits per year fell from 486 to 220, and l'Eixample alone holds roughly 2,296 — about one in three.
Rafa Zafra opens Masia Tibidabo, the highest restaurant in Barcelona
Masia Tibidabo opened on 4 June 2026 in the Tibidabo park's restored 1901 farmhouse, 500 metres up with the whole city below. Rafa Zafra of Estimar and Amar designed the Catalan sharing menu; lunch only, Wednesday to Sunday, around €45 a head.
The Oxte chefs are coming to Barcelona, and Quirat serves the first taste on 18 June
Enrique Casarrubias and Mon Estrada, the chefs behind Michelin-starred Oxte in Paris, open Papalote on Avinguda Diagonal after summer 2026. The preview: a €140 four-hands with Víctor Torres at Quirat on 18 June.
Casa Antonio brings the bar-bodega back to Aribau, in Galileo's old space
Casa Antonio opened this spring at Aribau 152 in l'Eixample, where cocktail bar Galileo used to be. Toni Cano's bar-bodega does gildas, cap i pota meatballs and grandma Roser's macaroni, with a deli counter of wines and conserves to take home.
The people behind Barcelona's wine lists: 12 sommeliers shaping the city
Wine lists at Barcelona's top restaurants are usually invisible. Behind every recommendation is a person who spent months tasting and years building the cellar you didn't know existed. Here are twelve who shape what the city drinks right now: industry-award winners, multi-venue consultants, sake specialists, and multi-generational family stewards. Ordered by professional authority, not by restaurant rank.
Three farms in the Pre-Pyrenees feed most of Barcelona's Sourced Gold kitchens
Three small farms in the eastern Catalan Pre-Pyrenees keep showing up on Barcelona's most rigorously sustainable menus. Cal Tomàs in La Pobla de Segur feeds three Sourced Gold restaurants. Cal Fusteret in Sant Fruitós de Bages feeds two. Salt del Colom in L'Espunyola supplies Gatblau in Gràcia. When the same producer turns up at multiple top kitchens, that's the strongest signal there is that a restaurant's sourcing claims are real.
Michelin is killing the Green Star, and Cocina Hermanos Torres loses its badge with it
Michelin's pulling the Green Star sustainability award by the end of 2026. All 59 Spanish holders lose it, including Barcelona's three-starred Cocina Hermanos Torres. The replacement is an editorial column called Mindful Voices.
Rasoterra served its last meal on 3 May 2026 after 13 years in the Gothic Quarter
The plant-based flagship in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter closed on 3 May 2026 after 13 years. Co-owners said running it alongside their Slow Food Barcelona work had stopped being compatible with family life.
Oliver Peña and Cristina Losada open Mineral a block from Mercat del Ninot
Oliver Peña (who earned the Michelin star at Teatro Kitchen Bar) and Cristina Losada (ex-Enigma) opened Mineral on Carrer de Mallorca near the Ninot Market. 18-seat bar, 12-seat dining room, around €60 a head.
Finca Nebot reopens a 1924 casa de comidas in Poblenou
Grupo No Hay Mañana opened Finca Nebot at Pujades 133 in Poblenou, on the site where the Nebot family ran a casa de comidas more than six decades ago. The kitchen pulls recipes from 1924.
The Hermanos Torres open Parada Torres inside Mercat de Santa Caterina
Javier and Sergio Torres, with Grup Pantea as partner, opened a 440 m² contemporary market bar inside Mercat de Santa Caterina on 22 May 2026. Average ticket lands at €20 to €45.
Martín Berasategui's new Barcelona spot keeps every plate under €25
Bera, a more accessible format from Martín Berasategui (11 Michelin stars), opened at Passeig de Gràcia 75 inside Monument Hotel. The carte runs all day and no plate goes over €25.
Eugeni de Diego's new cervecería on Diagonal is named after a beer blend
Eugeni de Diego, ex-elBulli head chef and the guy behind Lombo and Colmado Wilmot, opened his third Barcelona spot at Avinguda Diagonal 640 in December 2025. The name nods to the classic 6:40 beer blend (Estrella Damm with Turia).
Bar Dijous is a 25-member cooperative casa de menjars in Eixample
Joan Vallès, Time Out Barcelona's 'xef revelació del 2025', opened a casa de menjars at Consell de Cent 93 as a cooperative with around 25 members. Full meals land at €35 to €40, lighter orders near €20.
La Rambla is losing 60 terrace tables and getting one unified style book
Barcelona's new La Rambla terrace ordinance, announced 14 April 2026, cuts tables from 382 to 322, frees 1,436 m² of public space (a 33% pedestrian-area gain), and standardises parasols, tables, and chairs. Full rollout by February 2027.
La Boqueria starts a €12 million refurbishment this summer
Mercat de la Boqueria begins a €12 million renovation in summer 2026, running through 2027. The scope: fish hall, asbestos roof, ventilation, solar panels. Vendors approved it with over 90% in favour.
Big Mamma's Circolo Popolare lands on Passeig de Gràcia, its second Barcelona venue
Circolo Popolare opened in early December 2025 at Pg. de Gràcia 44, Big Mamma's second Barcelona room after Gloria Osteria and the French group's fifth in Spain. Around 800 m², 12 cooking stations, average ticket near €25.
Barcelona just landed three new two-Michelin-star restaurants in a single night
Enigma, Aleia, and Mont Bar all picked up a second Michelin star at the 25 November 2025 gala in Málaga. Two more Barcelona restaurants, Kamikaze and Scapar, earned their first.
Dos Palillos picks up a second Repsol Sol, and four Barcelona kitchens get their first
Dos Palillos was promoted to two Soles at the 16 February 2026 gala in Tarragona. Amar Barcelona, Besta, Eldelmar, and Prodigi each picked up a first Sol. Catalunya leads Spain with 122 Soles.
Paolo Casagrande takes over the old Teatro Kitchen Bar space with Osteria Condal
Orobianco opens Osteria Condal at the former Teatro Kitchen Bar site (Av. Paral·lel 164) in late June or early July 2026. Paolo Casagrande is gastronomic director, Andrea Fiori is head chef.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Guidavera get Barcelona news from?
News items come from a curated list of Catalan, Spanish, and English-language food and hospitality publications, plus authority sources (Michelin, Guía Repsol, Ajuntament de Barcelona press). Every story has at least one source URL listed on its page, and most have two or more.
How often is the news section updated?
Stories are added as they happen, after each item is verified against the primary sources. Significant openings, closings, and industry changes are added within days; smaller items are batched into weekly updates.
Are restaurant events covered here?
No. Food festivals, markets, tastings, and pop-up dinners live in the Food Events section. This page is for news about the scene itself: openings, closings, chef moves, awards, and industry updates.