The concept of protein sandwiched between two pieces of hydrate dough varies in denomination depending on the language and region. Here it is called bocadillo but the phenomenon is not too far from the Anglo-Saxon sandwich, the Indian vada pav or the Caribbean arepa. A matter of nuances. The sandwich in Italy is called panino (panini in plural) and if we had to stay with only one place to try them in Barcelona would undoubtedly be the Paninería Compà, in the neighborhood of La Barceloneta.
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The person in charge of Compà is Vittorio, an Italian who has been living in Barcelona for two decades and who opened this Calabrian deli just over a year ago. Anyone who has been to Italy knows that most of their charcuteries have bread to prepare sandwiches with the same product they dispense. Not sandwiches, of course: paninos or panini.
That is, Compà, oddly enough, is a deli. In fact, in Google Maps it appears as a business and not as a restaurant. But for the purposes that concern us, to fill our stomachs, we eat here and very well. Vittorio prepares with an artisan focaccia his panini with the best Calabrian product and most of his products are brought from his hometown, Castrovillari .
Any of his panini is a work of art, but we tried the one with porchetta with potatoes and provola, and another seasonal one, the one with ham, figs and smoked mozzarella. A spectacle.
The prices are more than affordable: between 7 and 9 euros a sandwich. The rest, little more to add to make it even more rounded: Italian beer, some other soft drink of the Mediterranean country difficult to find in Barcelona and a delicious tiramisu made by Vittorio himself. All this in a place of just a few square meters. One of our new favorite spots in the city.