Local Flavor Dinette:
After an early arrival from the airport to our Airbnb in a local neighborhood near the Placa Espanya, my cousin and I wanted a place to get a quick breakfast before we had a power nap. There was this unassuming dinette on the corner, Bar 2000, that advertised Desayuno (Breakfast) on a blackboard. We walked into a dated little dining area and some seats on a counter, like an old fashioned dinette in the U.S. We were told to grab a table. I got to practice my Spanish as the staff spoke very little English, which honestly made the experience more authentic and charming. The staff were very appreciative of my attempts to communicate, and were quite helpful. We got amazing cafe con leche, eggs, toast with tomato, and bacon. The cost was ridiculously low by New York standards. I had seen some businessmen on the counter drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage and asked about it. It was a Spritz, which I had in Italy, so I wasn’t that interested. I told them I thought it was a local drink. I was then told about an herbal liqueur that everyone there drank after a meal (although probably NOT breakfast!) They then gave me a free shot of the green stuff, which was actually quite good. Kind of herbal, very strong, and wonderful for the stomach, especially after a long flight. This ended up being my digestive of choice for the remainder of my trip. (Later I found out it is called Hierbas) We returned to this neighborhood jaunt for breakfast again and were still happy with the place. It felt like our Catalan home away from home.