Can Tosca restaurant, a living history of Gràcia, closes

BarcelonaThere are bars that are entire lives. Imma, Rosa, and David's lives are not complete without Can Tosca. The temple of fork-style breakfasts and lunch menus in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood is now seeing the Sánchez Tosca family, who have been at the helm for more than 75 years, close their doors. On Thursday, October 30th, they will lower their shutters for the last time. Outside, a helpless clientele will remain, who these days even make room in the freezer and order capers so they can still savor the fricandó and meatballs once the kitchen closes for good.

Located on Calle Torrent de l'Olla, next to Travessera de Gràcia, the establishment is a neighborhood landmark. Imma and Rosa's father took over in 1949. It was then called Reus. He renamed it Nuevo Reus. But Enric died soon after. His wife, Conxita, took the business on her shoulders. At 30, a widow and mother of two children, ages 2 and 4, she had never worked in a bar. But more than six decades later, the packed tables at Can Tosca bear witness to the fact that she's made it.

Imma and Rosa, who are now retiring but began helping their mother from a very young age, have had a lot to do with the business's longevity. "We grew up here, we've spent more time at the bar than at home," they explain in conversation with ARA, sitting at one of the tables inside. Along the way, they recall, there's been a bit of a mix. In the beginning, the bar was the epicenter of gypsy Gràcia. "Pescaílla, Lola Flores, Moncho, Peret came here..." they explain.

However, the numbers just didn't add up. And in the early sixties, Conxita made a U-turn. She changed the name of the establishment to her surname—Tosca—and started creating menus. Rice with rabbit and snails, cod fritters, zarzuela... "Mostly simmered dishes," says Imma. Today the formula hasn't changed much, and among the customers' most popular dishes are the meatballs, the calluses or fricandó. "Traditional dishes that we've kept and people appreciate," says Rosa.

Conxita's formula soon became a success, and lines formed at the door. People even came during the festival, when there was still no air conditioning and the heat inside was intense. Proof of the love of a faithful parish devoted to good cuisine. Imma and Rosa began working full-time with their mother. The family grew. And the new generations also took over the bar from a young age. Among them David, Imma's son and Rosa's godson.

The new generations

He grew up around these tables, where his grandmother even pulled out a loose tooth. He's seen the days when the place was packed to the rafters every weekend for football matches, and the days when it also opened at night as a cocktail lounge. From that time, the photos that fill the walls of the establishment are filled with family memories and old images of Gràcia. Remnants of a neighborhood that never stops changing.

He's been fully dedicated to it for over a decade. These days, many customers are pressuring him to continue running Can Tosca, but he's clear that without his mother and aunt, it wouldn't be the same. After a year in the holding company, they've now found a buyer they're convinced will maintain the spirit of the establishment, as they've done with other bars in the city. He'll even keep some of the photos on the walls. "It makes us happy to know that whoever takes it wants to retain a bit of its essence," the three say.

That will come later. Before then, there are still days to go for breakfast and lunch at Can Tosca. Until Thursday afternoon, October 30th, they'll treat the faithful to a glass of cava with a special house touch. They've been wondering among themselves for weeks what they'll do from now on and joke that they'll be making the pilgrimage through Gràcia looking for a new home. One of them, while paying for his coffee, looks at the reporter and emphasizes: "We'll miss them a lot." Faithfully.