Best Bakeries Barcelona

Best Bakeries Barcelona (the focus in this post is on loaves, usually pan de payès but any iteration of a large round family loaf that will last a good 5 days.) Favourites sport a (∗) at the end.

When it comes to bread in Barcelona, the tendency is to focus on what goes on the bread rather than the bread itself. It’s difficult to argue with that, once a slice is rubbed up with garlic and tomato, drizzled with olive oil and draped with hand-cut pieces of jamon – the bread is an afterthought. There are barras plenty (the local equivalent to a baguette) the challenge comes when looking for a sourdough or a rye – any alternative to a loaf of bleached white flour leavened with yeast. Barcelona does have good bakeries though, from small artisanal to chains that maintain quality. Some like Origo and Coush Armó go further than a long natural fermentation to the ancient grains that they source and it’s evident in the rich flavour of their breads. Baluard may be on the cusp of becoming a bonafide chain and Turris is a chain but we rely on both when out of range for our favourites. A good pan de payès can withstand a few days in a paper bag, reanimated with a quick stint in the toaster ready for a slather of butter or a drizzle of olive oil.

Baluard / Cloud Street / Coush Armó∗ / Forn Mistral / Mayer / Origo∗ / Pa de Kilo∗ / Turris

Baluard
www.baluardbarceloneta.com
C. de Pau Claris, 188 08037 •  C. del Baluard, 38 08003 • C. del Baluard, 38 08003 • C. de Provença, 279, 08037 • C. de Muntaner, 363, 08021 • C. de Marià Aguiló, 51, 08005 • C. de València, 246, 08007 • C. de Casanova, 178, 08036
Anna Bellsolà, the fourth generation in a family of bakers has taken Baluard from its original location in Barceloneta to all the addresses listed above. It has expanded exponentially without losing its character and flavour. It’s in the food hall of El Corte Ingles and as part of the lobby of the Paktik Hotel. Their pan de payès are fermented for 12 to 18 hours. Baked in the wood-fired oven. This along with it’s use of stone-ground wheat flour and Atlantic sea salt makes for a reliably good loaf. They have diversified into a world of sandwiches, cakes and patisserie, particularly in places like Praktik Hotel.

Boulangerie Mayer
www.boulangeriemayer.com
C. del Diluvi, 11, 08012 • Travessera de les Corts, 303, 08029 • C. Major de Sarrià, 43, 08017 • C. Nou de la Rambla, 122, 08004 • C. d’Andrea Dòria, 18, 08003 • Rambla del Poblenou, 36, 08005
This bakery opened in the Spring of 2019 and we reviewed it here. The master baker is Israeli but came to Barcelona from Singapore where he had 6 bakeries. The style of the Bakery is French with a flaky almond-filled galette des roix appearing every year in contrast to the bread-like Catalan version with candied fruit. At that time, there are now 6 bakeries in Barcelona, bread making being a volume game.

Cloud Street Bakery
cloudstreet.es
C. del Rosselló, 112, 08036  •  Carrer de Fluvià, 113, 08019  • Plaça del Mercadal, 36, 08030
A very micro bakery opened up by Tonatiuh Cortés. The first one opened up on Carrer de Fluvià in a bakery that originally opened in 1926. The bakery had a wood-fired oven that Cortés continued to use. On our original visit in 2014, the white tiles of the kitchen were covered in ratios and equations referring to the unique chemistry of bread making.
Panettone is the passion project of this micro-bakery having won the Best Panettone of Barcelona award in 2019 and an extraordinary 8th place at the Coppa del Mondo Del Panettone in Lugano in 2021.
The hours of Cloudstreet are short closing at 2/3 pm on Saturday and closed on Sunday.

Coush Armó (∗)
linktr.ee/coush.armo
Plaça Mañé i Flaquer, 7, 08006 • C. de Sant Marc, 19, 08012 • C. de Palafox, 19, 08031 • C. de Bailén, 134, 08009
Coush Armó entered Barcelona’s consciousness because of a special bake, an extra horny croissant that replaced butter with lard. Resulting in an extra brown and shattering croissant. The bakery was opened in 2022 by Argentine baker Francisco Seubert who is the founder of Atelier Fuerza back in Argentina. The loaf here is extra tangy with a grayish extra moist interior crumb. Worth seeking this one out.

Forn Mistral
fornmistral.com
C. de Torres i Amat, 7, 08001 • C. d’Astúries, 35, 08012
Flanking opposite sides of Barcelona is Forn Mistral. Both shops often sport a straggly line of Catalan faithful who no doubt all have their favourite loaf. There are some dark and dense loaves here contrasted by an army of mini chocolate croissants, dry and flaky for the kids after school merienda. They are most famous for their ensaimadas which typically are displayed in the window, some are large pizza-sized, perfect for a party. The payès here is good in a pinch but we prefer other bakeries on this list for longevity. (We reviewed Forn Mistral in 2019 here.)

Origo (∗)
www.origobakery.com
C/ de Milà i Fontanals, 9, 08012
This bakery is up there in the top three. A former Google employee, the offices of which were located next to the famous Tartine bakery. Francoise opened Origo Bakery in 2018 (our review here). At Origo, they source ancient, slow-grown grains that are milled traditionally. This contributes to flavour and nutrition, there is no work around good primary ingredients particularly in something as basic as bread. Unlike a lot of the bakeries reviewed here, Origo did not expand. It has been making consistently exceptional sourdough out of its small Gracia obrador since then. Even though this one is not our local, we often detour to buy from here.

Pa de Kilo (∗)
padekilo.com
C. del Doctor Dou, 12, 08001
Only one of these bakeries, in the Raval on the site of another bakery, this one Scandinavian called Reykjavik. It was very good. Pa de Kilo – also very good – in the top 3 category. They slice their sourdough extra thick, around 2 cm. Beware, they are open Tuesday to Saturday to Pa de Kilo bread in the household requires planning. They make a small selection of cookies and brownies both should be snapped up whenever they are available.

Turris
turris.es
Over 25 shops in Barcelona – Google them!
Turris is a large chain, as large as the bakeries we would never set foot in but they make a good enough sourdough that is helpful in a pinch. This alongside their 25 stores in Barcelona means you never have to make your way through a supermarket loaf. A friend told us that the bread is made in Hungary and shipped over here frozen to be baked, perhaps, but they’ve managed a good flavour and crumb in their payès. Bread is a minor affair here, there are salads, catering and seasonal goods and usually a rather brusque service.

One of our favourite sourdough loaves in Barcelona can be found at Berbena but they only serve it in the restaurant and as locals know – it’s difficult to get a table here. We suggest you bring a large bag when you do eat here and smuggle some out.