La Champaneria

In the beginning weeks of my trip, Juliet, Alex, and I decided to treat ourselves to some dinner. We had been to different parts of the city like Raval, Born, Gracia, and Gotic to eat, so we wanted to venture somewhere we hadn’t been. Juliet suggested a place called the ‘Champaneria’. I was unfamiliar with the place, but she claimed that it was highly recommended and a must-see in the Barcelona dining circuit. So we went.

            I had no idea what to expect, but I figured that if a place was popular, that meant it would be crowded. I usually try to shy away from crowds and stick to the more mellow places, but with the majority vote against me, it didn’t seem like I had much choice in the matter. The Champaneria is in the Barcelonetta area down a little side street. Right as we turned the corner I could see a good amount of people pouring out of the restaurant. When we got up to the door, it looked like the first 5 rows at a rock concert. I have been to a lot of concerts, and I have always hated getting packed in with other people like that. I always feel like I am blocking someone’s view or that any sudden movements will cause me to disturb the people around me.

            We made our way in the door. I thought to myself “there’s no way that they will decide to stay here. People can’t eat like this”. But they kept pushing their way in. They slipped past a couple drinking champagne and right as they moved past, the path closed behind them. It was at that moment that I decided to turn around and head back. I felt there was no way I could eat like that. After an hour of sitting on the sidewalk, people watching and singing songs to myself, I see Alex and Juliet come bursting out of the restaurant complete with laughter and handfuls of food. They seemed to have great time, and told me that I really missed out.

            I felt a little bad about not making a better effort to experience the Champaneria, so when the idea was proposed a few weeks later, I made sure to get all the way in. The food was good, as was the champagne. It took a little while to get used to eating in such close proximity to others, but once I got two glasses of Brute in me, it didn’t seem to bother me too much.