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.
The Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona says it will escalate to the public prosecutor against bakery chains it accuses of operating illegally as cafés. The guild, led by Roger Pallarols, points to an inspection of 22 bakeries with tasting areas in the Eixample that turned up 57 infractions — 21 exceeding the 20 m² limit on tasting areas, 16 selling alcohol without a licence and 12 selling unauthorised product categories — plus around 200 complaints filed with the Ajuntament since 2019.
Days later, the guild also filed complaints against roughly 30 Mercadona supermarkets over in-store tables, chairs and microwave areas it labels unlicensed “mercaurantes”. It is the latest front in a widening argument over who gets to serve food in the city, and under what rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is a “mercaurante”?
A term the Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona uses for shops — bakeries or supermarkets — that it says serve food and drink like a café without the proper licence.
What did the guild's bakery inspection find?
Across 22 bakeries with tasting areas in the Eixample, it cites 57 infractions, including 21 over the 20 m² tasting-area limit and 16 selling alcohol without a licence.