Bronzed and sublimely relaxed from a few days in Ibiza, we made our way to frenetic Barcelona and beelined for our target: La Boqueria Market, the city’s oldest public market and world-reknowned culinary mecca.

The vast indoor and outdoor bazaar is a sensory overload of majestic Spanish fruits, dangling legs of cured meat, glistening Mediterranean fish and a rainbow of candy confectionery.

La Boqueria is the daily place of business for hundreds of local vendors. The market dates back to the 11th century, when the king granted a butcher ownership of “a table on which to chop meat,” which translated literally is la boqueria. We marveled to be in the house of centuries’ worth of commerce, whose soul purpose is to preserve local food tradition. It puts our beloved Ferry Building Market to shame!

Post siesta, it was back to eating – in the company of our friend and Catalonian local, Luis. A stop at his favorite tapas bar was in order. We piled our plates high with wedges of tortilla de patatas, bocadillos filled with jamón and cheese, croquetas and spicy pimientos de padrón (delicious fried peppers). Paired with a glass of Rioja, we could think of no better way to toast to a fantastic trip in España.

Dying for a taste? Try our Parties That Cook version of Spain’s beloved tortilla de patatas: Chorizo and Potato Tortilla Bites, miniature in size but big in taste! You’ll also find this heavenly egg omelette on the Summer International Small Plates Event menu.

Enjoy a vicarious bite of Barcelona and Ibiza with our drool-worthy photo gallery below…

…and with that, we will say hasta luego to the glorious Mediterranean sand between our toes!