The bocadillo is an emblem of the national gastronomic culture. Nothing simpler and nothing more brilliant than to introduce delicacies between two pieces of bread to achieve an even more delicious result. In Barcelona we have authentic temples of the bocadillo, but for some time now this word has had a surname that has a new meaning that has a life of its own and that spreads throughout the city : the Italian bocadillo.
It is no coincidence, the Italian is the largest migrant community in the city, so it is understandable that their focaccias, panini, piadinas, schiacciatas, and crostones well stuffed with sausages or cheeses from the Italian salumerias (the delis of the country of the boot) have conquered our gastro hearts.
So today we bring you a list of the best Italian sandwiches in Barcelona to discover another way to taste Italian gastronomy far from pizza and pasta.
Paninaro
It is difficult for a sandwich shop to go wrong if it is born from a deli. This is the case of Paninaro. Sister of the Italian restaurant Bronzo, it was born first as a deli next to the local to then become this Tuscan bakery where the queen is the schiacciata, a homemade focaccia thin and crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, which is filled to failure with Italian sausages.
We tried the ‘Santo Mauro’ with mortadella, burrata and pistachio pesto, the ‘Santa Rosalia’ with eggplant parmigiana, pesto and basil and the San Rocco, with roasted veal, tonnata fatta da noi sauce and arugula. Also, for dessert, the ‘Cannoli San Genaro’ stuffed with pistachio. All filled to bursting, enough to make a full meal.
📍Location: PANINARO Gracia -C/ Seneca, 33 / PANINARO Borne – C/ del Rec, 60
Compà
The concept of protein between two pieces of dough varies depending on the region. In Barcelona it is called bocadillo, but in Italy it is known as panino (panini in plural). If there is an outstanding place to try them in the city, it is Paninería Compà, in La Barceloneta, run by Vittorio, an Italian who has lived in Barcelona for two decades. We already told you about it in this article, because when we tried it for the first time, we flipped.
Compà is a Calabrian deli, a sort of Italian street-food that offers panini made with products from his hometown, Castrovillari. He does this using artisanal focaccia to make each panino a work of art. We tried the porchetta with potatoes and provola, and another seasonal one with ham, figs and smoked mozzarella; both are spectacular. When you go, you may not find them, apart from the menu written on the wall, they have seasonal or daily breads, which vary. Or even, you can make it to measure, selecting the sausages and accompaniments yourself to make the tastiest panino in the Mediterranean.
📍Location: C/ L’escorial, 47 – Loc Barcelona
Oimà
From panini to crostone. Italy is just another gastronomic interpretation of the Mediterranean so, like us, they have a thousand breads to put their food in. In this case, the guys at Oimà present us with the crostone, a kind of pa de pagès that is grilled until it is crispy on the outside so that the crunch contrasts with the melting cheese such as scamorza, fontina or burrata with which they fill these breads.
This type of sandwich is originally from Naples and therefore, it is understandable that their sandwiches have ended up in that little Naples that is Escudellers street, where Italian gastronomy businesses accumulate, but where Oimà stands out with its crostone with names of the owners’ family’s wives. The Teresa, with meatballs, smoked provola and padron peppers, or their frittattas, an emblem of the cuisine that turns leftover pasta into a dough ready to be stuffed with sausages. They also have salumeria with Italian charcuterie and some gourmet products from the country of the boot.
📍Location: Carrer dels Escudellers, 42
💸 Price: Crostone: between 7,50 and 9 euros, Frittata e maccarun: 8,50 euros with filling; 7,50 euros without filling.
Santo Porcello
They were among the first, and they are still there, now with three locations in Barcelona and a Solete Repsol that recognizes the quality of these paninos and the sausages with which they fill them. But also much more. Santo Porcello is not only Italian sandwiches and street food, but an authentic restaurant where a great appetizer is served with tapas such as vitello tonnato or onions with balsamic vinegar or its greatest asset, the homemade porchetta that they themselves prepare (and that gives name to the place) and that is worth by itself to come here to try it alone, in a sandwich and then wrapped to take it home.
📍Location: C/Sepúlveda 151 – C/Plaça d’Artós – C/Buenos Aires 11 – 934481548