The bar that's a hit with an invented beer and tapas displayed in a glass case

BarcelonaChef Eugeni de Diego says that last January he wouldn't have imagined he'd end the year with a third restaurant in Barcelona, ​​specifically a brewery. "The opportunity arose; I liked the location and decided to create a different concept," he explains one evening, just after its opening. The brewery is called 640, and as he's named it, it's located at number 640 on Barcelona's Diagonal Avenue, in the same spot previously occupied by Croma by Flash, opposite Isla Diagonal. The average bill for a meal at any time of day, as it's open from 8 a.m. to midnight, is 30-40 euros.

Eugeni de Diego explains the idea of creating a different concept in detail:I already have a restaurant, Lombo (c. Moliné, 1), specializing in Italian cuisine; I have a grocery store, Wilmot (c. Calvet, 28), where you can dip bread"And that's why I opted for a brewery," he says. The two places that preceded it at 640 have become landmarks in Barcelona. Currently, Lombo (opened in 2022) has changed the concept, but only in its interior design. It has added curtains, hung a large-format painting by the artist Javier, and enjoyed success since the first day it opened: vitello tonnatoThe ravioli with fricandó, fried pizza, and more. Meanwhile, at Colmado Wilmot, tortillas, snails with sobrasada, tripe, meatballs, and macaroni have been the star dishes since it opened in 2023.

Ciudad Condal, the model brewery

The model that inspired it is Ciudad Condal, located on the Rambla de Catalunya. A bar that stays open from eight in the morning until midnight, serving tapas, it's a meeting place at any time of day, "and very much geared towards locals." The key concept he's devised is a bar with a display case, illuminating trays of cooked dishes and, above all, fresh seafood: prawns, oysters, and barnacles ("which have been selling especially well these last few days").

When it came to choosing a name, more than one crossed my mind. "It had crossed my mind Diagonal BreweryBut in the end, I ended up at number 640, where we are now, and above all, the debate about the name made me think about the beer I wanted to serve." Here we must pause, because the beer he serves is unique; he invented it himself from a blend of two lagers (that is, long-fermented beers). "I've made a blend of 60% Estrella Damm and 40% Turia, and I've named it 640." The chef has also sought out a special glass to serve it in, a small, delicate Riedel, which he says "enhances the blend's organoleptic qualities."

And with the beer on the table—because at 640 you can sit at a table or at the bar—the food arrives. There are items on the menu and specials. "As a special, we make Galician empanada, and we have it until it runs out because we make it ourselves with our own dough." He adds, "I think what I offer is very simple and straightforward, without any great complexity." In fact, the chef confesses that he always designed his three restaurants in Barcelona with his and his family's favorite foods in mind. "I have two children, 10 and 8 years old, and they already love it when we go to eat at Lombo, where I have a menu with the same concept: what I would want to eat if I were going out to eat." Both Lombo and Colmado Wilmot are two very successful restaurants in recent years.

And what dishes do you like to eat at 640 that we can try? Pickled sardines with Fòrum vinegar, made in El Vendrell. Scallopswith sauce alla rageta; capipota; corbajo en abono, marisco; huevos rellenos con camarón; calamari Orly (coated in a tempura made with flour and sparkling water) and, listen up!, little CubansThese are sandwiches made with smoked pork shoulder, mustard mayonnaise, and pickles. They're so delicious, it's hard to eat just one. "There are dishes from Colmado Wilmot that I haven't wanted to repeat at 640, like the tortillas or the tripe, which I already make there; and I've noticed that these past few days, since I've been open, customers have been going from one to the other to try the different dishes."

For dessert, you'll find, among the highlights, custard and the brazo de gitano (a rolled cake). Mervier Cana pastry shopl. The wine list features Catalan selections, corpinnado, cava, and wines from Mallorca (from the 4k winery). In short, "a popular wine list, because that's my philosophy, both mine and that of my wife, Anna Alavaredo, who is the CEO of the company through which I run the restaurants, called Ático." The chef explains that he designs the projects, trains the teams, and conducts the research and development of the dishes, while his wife takes care of everything else.

And one final interesting tidbit: for the new interior design of both Lombo and 640, they enlisted Nacho Alegre (of Apartament Studio) and Andi Llopis. "I sought them out because I'm committed to creating traditional, local spots, places where the locals go," concludes Eugeni de Diego.