Seafood platters, capipota (a Catalan stew) and flans: the dishes championed by the Kiosko Universal bar in La Boquería (where you can eat for €36)

BarcelonaIt's Wednesday, and I'm sitting at the bar of Kiosko Universal, one of the four restaurants in Barcelona's Boqueria Market, which The chef Quim Márquez, Quim from La Boqueria, always recommendsNext to me, at a round table near the bar, a couple has ordered a seafood platter. It costs 36 euros and is so generous it could easily be a main course. There are mussels, clams, prawns, squid, razor clams, and langoustines. I consider ordering it, but today I opt for other dishes recommended by Borja Domínguez (Barcelona, ​​1991).

Like fried artichoke slices, capipota (a Catalan stew), which is very comforting in this cold weather; Galician-style popcorn, which Borja made for me. "I'm in charge of the grill, and I cook the octopus with flaked salt and a good drizzle of olive oil," he says. Before grilling it, he boils it, a process they also do themselves. For dessert, flan, a must-try and one of Kiosko's signature dishes, created by the chef, Miguel Ángel Arza. Borja is a great conversationalist, explaining the dishes while chatting with the various diners. It's clear he enjoys his work and has regular customers, because they greeted him and many called "see you tomorrow." The seafood section was no exception.

Fried food sold as Mediterranean cuisine

Kiosko Universal opened inside the Boqueria Market in 1973. It was first opened by Borja's grandfather, Benjamín Domínguez, and soon his father and uncles took over. Borja has worked there since 2014, and now his younger cousins, who recently started, are also involved. "We've seen the market evolve, especially after the pandemic, transforming illogically to the point where red lines have been crossed," he says, adding that these changes reinforce his approach: "At Kiosko Universal in La Boqueria, we'll always serve Catalan cuisine, and yet we don't always sell Catalan cuisine, and we don't." As he explains this, he points to the stalls around him. One after another, they fill the windows—now protected by glass—with cones of potato chips, breadsticks, and fried chicken. There are even stalls selling these products under the label "Mediterranean cuisine."

The prepared food stalls are the ones that will have to transform if the regulations announced to stallholders last fall by the market management are implemented. "They told us in October that there will come a time when selling fresh produce will be mandatory. It doesn't affect us, but the big question is how a large number of the stalls that are affected will manage," says Domínguez, who also adds that no further steps have been taken since then.

Finally, at Kiosko Universal you can eat for 30-35 euros. If you order The mushroom dish, know that Borja buys them at the Petràs stall, now closed, but working at full capacity supplying his productsYou can eat at Kiosko on one of their 60 stools, located between the bar and the terrace, and here's a tip: they sometimes serve escudilla (a traditional Asturian stew). If they have it, order it, because it's so good you'll want to blow on a spoon.