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address : Antigua Casa Figueras, La Rambla, 83
MAP IT
TripAdvisor :
Gran Via 4.5/5
# 38 / 4338 104 reviews
Rambla 4.5/5
# 62 / 4338 77 reviews
Yelp 3.5/5 9 reviews
Qype 5/5 4 reviews
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Escriba has been creating confections in chocolate, as well as baking bread and cakes, for around a century. The Gran Via branch is where they do the baking, and you can enjoy a coffee while deliberating over which cake to order, or visit the confectionery showroom upstairs and learn a bit more about the history and the process.
But one of the main reasons why Escriba has become a Barcelona institution is the way in which chocolate is transformed into Art - for Valentine's day, for example, they displayed a spectacular exhibition of chocolate stiletto shoes in rainbow colours and an attention to detail that would make your Louboutins look decidedly "pasado de moda".
Located within Casa Figueras, decorated by the famous architect Antoni Ros i Güell in 1902, this original spot was opened as a confectioner's in 1986. Since then, the queue of customers at the entrance has been remarkable, especially on Sundays and public holidays. Their most important creation is an homage to their location, called the Ramblas Cake. The café and the terrace were added in 1994. The owner is known as the 'chocolate wizard' due to his magnificent creations, which are all worth a try.
Frommer's
You may have already seen the glittering facade of this beautiful Art Nouveau shop on postcards. But far from a curious relic, it sells the products of one of the city's finest chocolate and cake makers. Pop in for a coffee and croissant (outside tables in the summer) or pick up a box of bonbons or a bottle of dessert wine to take home. At Easter, the windows display monas, elaborate chocolate sculptures decorated with jewels and feathers.
Eat That Yellow Snow
Their cakes and tarts were extremely beautiful and heartened by the potential deliciousness of these goodies, I sat down to order a selection of their best selling chocolates and their best selling cake, which was a chocolate layer cake. Perhaps the staff thought I was a bit depressed and figured that chocolate therapy was my cure, so they proceeded to give me extremely sub-par service in a misguided attempt to make me order more.
Anyway, it only took one bite of the cake to turn 2 years of anticipation in one of bewilderment. No, I was not blown away and left speechless because it was THAT GOOD, I was shocked and bewildered that it was THAT BAD. This is the vanguard of Spanish Pastry, an institution that so many hold in such high esteem and yet, this did not stop them from making a chocolate cake that tasted like it came from a premix with a bit of real chocolate mixed in to mask the plastic taste. Why it was like this, I will never know.
To drive me just a bit closer to depression, the chocolate pieces were not any better either. The round truffle you see in the picture was cracked at the bottom, and the ganache within had shrunken so much that it was naturally water stable……..as it had so little of it left for bacteriological activity!
Everything was so disappointing that I did not even bother to take notes of it. In conclusion, the less said of this place, the better, as the only good thing I can say about them is that their packaging is cool. If you are a chef or foodie searching for a good pastry shop in Barcelona, go to Oriol Balaguer, Pasteleria Hoffmann (Go Cristina!), Natcha or Takashi Ochiai.
Harsh words perhaps, but this is a lesson that goes to show that one should not believe all the hype and flash surrounding a place. At the end of the day, if it tastes crap, the taste and memory will linger on.
In Praise of Sardines
Everything at Escribà is as delicious as it looks, which is impressive when you see how gorgeous the chocolates are. Besides the meltingly smooth chocolate creations and a fun collection of candy glam rings, come here for the lovely (and, again, absolutely stunning) pastries. Christian Escribà is famous for his wedding and birthday cake creations, made to the specifications of his discerning and creative customers.
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