Dogguccino and birthday cake: dog-friendly cuisine is now a reality in Barcelona.

BarcelonaPeople walk by and take notice. It's a small but striking yellow shop. We're standing in front of Voilà Concept Store (Plaza Narcís Oller, 1), the first dog bakery in Barcelona. Its owner is Milly Yang, who has been living in Barcelona for a few months. She was born in China and went to study in Toulouse at the age of 20. There she heard about Catalonia and Catalan, and it was also during this time that she visited Barcelona for the first time. After finishing her studies, she moved to Paris, where she worked for ten years for luxury clothing brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior. "For a while, I changed jobs a lot because when I was young, I believed that getting promoted was what gave meaning to life," says Milly Yang. "After a good while, I realized I wasn't happy." Seven months ago, she arrived in Barcelona on vacation and didn't want to return to Paris. "Paris is a beautiful city, despite the Parisians. People here are much nicer. Everyone there is much more stressed," she explains, and then her boyfriend, Boris Meyer, a photographer and Parisian, arrives and confirms it.

At first, Milly Yang wanted to open a small café. dog-friendly. But she saw that there were many and decided to go a step further. "When I found this place, they told me that, since it was small, I could only sell either dog food or coffee, but not both at the same time," she says. So she decided on dogs. "The reason I left Paris was precisely to do something I loved. Maybe it's not the best way to make money, but it's the best way to follow my passion," she explains. Her shop doesn't have anything designed for humans, but rather tailored to the canine palate.

At first, she came alone, but eventually her boyfriend followed her. So the shop has a ground floor with display cases where dog cakes are displayed, shelves with packaged food, cute dog items, and a small kitchen. Upstairs, they've set up a studio for anyone who wants to photograph their dog. Meyer takes the photos, and she's now also part of the project.

To create the dog bakery, Yang was inspired by those in New York, and for the recipes, through Korean accounts, since it is a language she is also fluent in. Many people get confused and come in asking for a cappuccino, but what is served here is a doggie (made with a lactose and sugar free cream and with toppings) or one woof-waffle Made to order. There are donuts, muffins, or birthday cakes made to order.

In fact, when I arrive, Milly Yang is preparing one of these cakes. They cost 6.80 euros and are not too big, since dogs don't need them to be. You can choose a chicken, salmon, or duck base. On top is a beetroot and potato cream, turnip, or sweet potato spread. And cookie decorations in the shapes of bones and hearts. It's made with fresh food and should be consumed the same day. She also has themed pastries for both Easter and St. George's Day. And she shows me the shop's logo, which is a dog defecating dollars. It's inspired by the caganer, with the hope that this endearing little dog will bring her luck in business.

Milly Yang shows me all the products she has for sale, such as the materials she uses to make the cakes, which you can also buy and prepare yourself. Or cans of mussels, tuna, or liver. Or chocolate tripe, salmon, peanuts, or chicken (obviously, it only looks like chocolate). Or a kind of cava called Champ&Pet, made from kefir and manufactured in Lleida by the Yogupet company. There are also items like the HotDog waterers made in Barcelona. They already have many regular customers, with the curious fact that the protagonists are furry. "We know the dogs' names, but not the owners' names," says Yang, who assumes that perhaps some people won't understand: "I'm ready for their judgment. Not everyone likes dogs like I do. You have to accept that. Maybe there are people who think they're happy and not stupid. If that's the case, that's fine. I try to make everyone like it."

The store will soon be three months old, and although they recognize that in Europe it is different from other countries where there is a tendency to dress up dogs and buy them more things, they try to do simpler things to connect with the public here and affirms that many dog owners tell them that it is a great idea. Meanwhile, their dogs attract the attention of everyone who passes by because they are a sea of clowns, worthy of being put on the cover of Dogue, a reproduction they make in the studio as if it were the cover of the magazine Vogue but with a hairy protagonist.

Furry and human sharing a cupcake

Sakiko Kishida arrived in Catalonia more than 20 years ago to study for a master's degree in business administration. When she finished, she stayed and worked as a freelancer, but something made her change her life goal: she adopted a dog. Until that moment, it hadn't been an idea she'd had in her head. It was completely fortuitous. In 2010, she was climbing the stairs of her apartment building in the Sants neighborhood. A neighbor, on the landing, asked her if she wanted a dog. The woman couldn't take care of her dog, and since no one wanted it, she'd have to take it to a kennel. Despite her lifestyle being unsuitable, and without knowing exactly what the word "dog" meant, she decided to adopt a dog. kennelKishida said yes. And that's how he entered a world that forced him to change his profession.

In 2019, he opened the Inu Café (12 Cabestany Street). In Japanese inu means dogShe wanted to work in a place where she could take her dog. And she created the concept of a cafe for humans and dogs. There's a menu for each. And even an item they can both eat or even share: carrot or banana muffins. They're sugar-free, of course, which makes them suitable for very young children too.

"I know there are more dogs than children in Barcelona," says Sakiko Kishida, who says her two dogs are now her family. Her establishment in Les Corts is a popular spot, serving a very affordable Japanese lunch menu and breakfast. She says she got the idea from Japan, although these types of cafés there are designed for adopting the dogs. This isn't possible here because then you wouldn't be able to have a kitchen license.

The Inu Café also sells dog accessories and very pretty Japanese canine-themed objects. "People come more because they like Japan than because they like dogs," says Kishida. However, she has regular neighbors who come to the café because of the good vibes, whether they have a dog or not.