There are two kinds of people: those who live by and for cheese and those who do not deserve to live. If you are one of those people who, when you walk by a cheese shop window, are eclipsed, you are one of us. We are hypnotized to the point that our whole body is petrified and we cannot separate our eyes from the showcase.
No wonder, anyone who appreciates good food is aware that cheese is synonymous with maximum happiness. And since we like to see you smiling from ear to ear, here are five places where you know when you’re in, but not when you’re out
Cheese’s Art, the art of cheesemaking
We are off to a good start if the word “cheese” is already part of the name of an establishment. And if it is also accompanied by the word “art” we only have two options: a real paradise or a lifelong disappointment. Fortunately, in this very famous Enric Granados Street what opens up before our noses is not a paradise, but a few.
And by all means, if you really appreciate your palate, don’t leave without trying any of their fondues. The Pagesa, made with Swiss cheese but inside a Galician bread with white wine, Iberian ham and bread cubes is to exclaim sacré bleu! And their payoyo cheese fondue too. And the fact is that the restaurant has so many options on the menu that you could have a real cheese tasting with this French recipe.
📍 Carrer d’Enric Granados, 13
Vila Viniteca, gourmet cheese paradise
We like this place so much that we have made a video where we discover all the secrets of a real paradise of cheeses and sausages. Vila Viniteca is one of the best cheese stores in Barcelona (and also of wines) and, therefore, one of the best places, without a doubt, to find all the gourmet cheeses you can dream of.
Their premises, opened almost 100 years ago, was the first in the country to house an air-conditioned cheese room like the one they have, and on their shelves, where hundreds of cheese references are stacked, you can find true rarities
📍 Carrer Dels Agullers, 7
Llet Crua, raw milk cheeses
This artisan cheese store in Sants, gastronomic district, arrived relatively recently, but they have already established themselves as a true reference in the cheese scene. They stock up to 80 varieties of cheeses and specialize in raw milk cheeses. It is a small but family business, run by a couple who love cheese, so the treatment and good atmosphere are assured.
📍 Carrer de Càceres, 14
Formatgeria La Seu, cheese corner of the Gothic Quarter
Katherine, a Scotswoman who has been here for two decades, runs this small shop at the Gothic Quarter. The smell of cheese greets you before you even enter the store, which is a sure sign that something big awaits you inside. As it could not be otherwise, they have all kinds of elaborations and the store recovers the spirit of a traditional cheese shop, and Katherine, as if she were an enthusiastic bookseller, will explain everything you need to know about any of the cheeses on sale.
On Saturdays, by the way, you can reserve a small space on the mezzanine for cheese tastings and samplings.
📍 Carrer de la Dagueria, 16
Can Lucía, vive la France!
Visiting Can Luc is the equivalent of validating a trip around the world, with many stops in France. Because can Lluc is defined as a “Fromagerie”, that is, cheese shop in French, so here you will only find cheese (about 150, half of them French) and products that accompany them perfectly as jams or wines.
By the way, if you feel like eating a fondue at home without having to go to a restaurant, Lucía prepares the cheeses for fondue or raclette (it has up to 10 different types) specially and, in addition, rents the machines for free to prepare them to your liking. Do you need any other reason to go there?
Formatgeria Simó, ode to Catalan cheeses
The formatgeria Simó has a beautiful old logo that reminds us that it is part of those traditional stores that have been disappearing from Comtal street in favor of clothing chain stores. Fortunately, the store moved very close, to the Sant Pere neighborhood, to remain one of the places of pilgrimage for those who want to buy cheeses in the city center
Anna, daughter of the previous owner , attends you with the closeness of a neighborhood store and with the authority of the heiress of a saga of cheese makers. Here there are all kinds of cheeses, but Catalan cheeses receive a special love, because why go looking for what is so close? Tupi, Petitot de Mas Alba, Urgelia… The Catalan gourmet cheeses you can imagine, you will find them here.
📍 C/ de Sant Pere Més Alt, 40
Väcka, vegan cheeses, here
Pinullet, urban cheese factory
Pinullet is a rare species in the world of artisan cheeses. Specifically, a unique species: the only cheese factory that manufactures its cheese within the city. Here you will not find hundreds of imported cheeses, but a small selection of cheeses of radical proximity, with a journey that will have gone from the back room, where the workshop is located, to the front, where the store is.
Francesco Cerrutti, a former veterinarian, got tired of working on the farm, and decided to bring the farm to the city. Its organic milk cheeses travel from the Can Roger farm, near Montseny, to the Gracia district, where Cerrutti prepares a Straquet, a version of Italianstracchino, or the cheeses, ripened with basil or truffle.
📍Carrer de Sant Gabriel, 13