✈ Keeping Kosher in Barcelona, Spain

Contributed by: Esther Zar | Last Date of Travel: September 2009

Kosher Info: We flew into Barcelona with a list of three potential options for kosher food. Well as we eliminated them (one didn’t answer, and the other seemed questionable in kashrut), we were left with one last option: Isamar Kosher (Address: Carrer de l’Avenir, 29). We didn’t know much about it, except that it’s a kosher supermarket. We decided to use our google maps to walk there and get a taste of Barcelona while we were at it. Great idea! It was easy to get to, a pleasant walk from our hotel in the city center, and ended up being a great experience. When we first walked in, we saw a small gourmet-ish kosher supermarket with particularly good meat and cheeses. We were really craving hot food, so we asked if they have a place to maybe warm up something we buy there. Next thing you know, they open up a door and we see that they have a small restaurant that they have created on the side. They had very fresh and tasty meat options that were ready to go on the grill. We chose the burgers (though the kababs looked very good as well) and the cook prepared our food with real pleasure. The few people who walked in and out were very friendly and welcoming as well. What really stuck out in my mind was that a man walked in with his children at one point and we got to talking with him. He told us that there are only 5-6 families in all of Barcelona that actually keep kosher. Very few people know about this establishment, which is truly a shame. The food is good, and if there are only a few kosher families in Barcelona, the only way for these guys to stay open is with the visits of kosher tourists. Anyway, I highly recommend this place.

Tourist Info: Right after we dropped off our bags at our hotel, we immediately hopped on one of those red tour buses. What a great idea. We literally got to see all the imporant sights in Barcelona, which enabled us to plan what we wanted to really see the next day. Also, the architecture in Barcelona is absolutely breathtaking, so getting to see all the different neighborhoods enables you to really get a taste of the varying types of architecture in Barcelona.

Another fun thing to do is to go through the market in the center of town. It’s extremely lively and you get a good sense for Spain’s people and smells. There’s also a beach, a beautiful stadium, and Gaudi’s park which are all interesting. But really, just wandering around through the center of town, you stumble upon the most amazing original and historic buildings.

Jewish Info: Apparently there are thousands of Jews in Barcelona, however very very few orthodox Jews. We weren’t there over Shabbat and didn’t really meet any other Jews other than that one experience in the supermarket/restaurant.
You can get more info from the Chabad (Jabad) in Barcelona here.