Two young people revive the oldest bakery in Barcelona

BarcelonaA year ago, Anna Campos received a message from a friend who wanted to buy panellets at L'Estrella, the oldest bakery in Barcelona. It had been closed for weeks. Anna had worked there, and she loved this emblematic business in the Raval district in the same way that a person loves a school where they have learned everything. With a call to the owner, Anna discovered that she was retiring and that there was no generational replacement. "Wouldn't you be interested?" they asked her. She didn't hesitate long. The only condition she put was that her friend, Judit Servent, join the project. Two 25-year-old girls were ready to save one of the most beautiful establishments in the city.

This May, L'Estrella will celebrate its 200th anniversary in top form. "When we went in, we had to do some cleaning of the premises, which had been closed for months. And the neighbours kept coming by asking what would happen." In a city where historic shops are closing and soulless 24-hour supermarkets are opening in their place, many assumed that this bakery would end up the same way. Anna and Judit have avoided that. "We haven't changed anything. There's no need to change anything when you have one of the most beautiful premises in the city. We have been very touched to see how lifelong neighbours have come to say hello, encourage us and thank us for the work we have done" says Anna enthusiastically.

This emblematic bakery on Calle Nueva de la Rambla opened its doors in 1825. For a good part of the 19th century, it was run by Joan Grimau. Back then it already had the beautiful windows to display the products and the wooden bar that can be seen now, which were preserved during the remodelling in the 1950s. In 1916 the Roig brothers, Josep and Francesc, took over. What a lineage this is, since in 1927 they took over another temple of sweetness in Barcelona, ​​​​La Colmena. The Roigs still continue to preserve tradition in their establishment in Plaza del Ángel, But in 1927, L'Estrella passed into the hands of one of the pastry chefs who worked there, Simeó Pujol. He was responsible for putting the business's letters on the marble façade and an eight-pointed star. At that time, L'Estrella became a meeting point for many of the most colorful characters of that Raval that would begin to be called the Chinese quarter after an article from 1925 that spoke of its underworld. But it was a neighborhood where nice stories also happened, many of them around the tables of L'Estrella, where musicians, writers and boxers who trained nearby paraded by. In this, the Raval has not changed: many criticize it and ignore all the fantastic things that happen, such as the rebirth of L'Estrella. Anna has made sure that the place recovers that farmhouse atmosphere where you can have coffee while eating some pastries, which had been somewhat lost.

"One of the most beautiful things is that for over a century the premises have been passed down through the hands of people who have worked there. It is now owned by people who were already there," says Anna, who has perpetuated the tradition. The Pujols were in charge of L'Estrella until 2015, when Ferran, Simeó's son, handed it over to a former employee, who retired in 2024. "I studied pastry making at the EPGB (Escuela de Pastelería del Gremi BCN) and the first of September 2017, when I was 17 years old. The first year I worked as a shopkeeper, but when the pastry chef left, I could take his place. They had met in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood, where they grew up. And now they work together, since Anna was clear that, in order to keep the business, she needed Judit to serve people.

An original vaulted oven

The Estrella is an elegant establishment with a small wooden door at the back that leads to a fascinating underground world, that of the room where the sweets and cakes are made, with the original vault oven that was initially powered by wood and now by gas. Watching it work is like taking a trip back in time. "I went down to the room below and they showed me everything here. After the pandemic, however, I felt like I wanted to do other things. I worked in an Italian pastry shop and spent a year in Ireland, in a pastry shop in Galway. Then I came back to open my own pastry shop on Calle Consell, which was less crowded. I transferred it after a year and three months. And that's when I found out that L'Estrella was being transferred." Judit had continued in the world of sweets and worked at L'Atelier. She didn't hesitate when Anna asked her if she wanted to join the adventure.

On November 30, 2024, L'Estrella opened its doors again after five months closed. "I recovered the routine of when I had worked, but with a new responsibility. I discovered that the people of the neighborhood were scared because they thought they were going to lose this business. When I saw that we were missing, former workers, those who entered, we saw a lack of joy. I admit that we are going I love that there is no connection to the whole neighborhood. Here there is a lot of social life. The Carrer Nou de la Rambla is very busy, but some people have connections, others. They stumble by chance and come in, fan a turn as if you were a museum, and marxen. Since we are just a few metres from the Palau Güell, it helps us. In fact, tourists come to the Palau, but also its workers, with whom we have a good relationship. One of the first visitors we will meet when we open will be the director of the Palau Güell, who offers us catering," he explains. When they need a liquor, they cross the street and buy it at the Torres liquor store. And the Torres workers have breakfast every day at L'Estrella. A lively neighbourhood.

Anna and Judit have not changed anything about the place, beyond cleaning it to make it shine. But in small details, they are making it their own. Traditional croissants are sacred. It is key that people find the tastes that remind them of other times. But Anna also offers new flavours, such as croissants with pistachios inside. She has expanded her offer and has also respected tradition. "It's very nice when people come and tell us that when they were little, they came here with their grandfather. Many people visit us every week even though they live in Sant Gervasi, Sarrià or Sants. They want to maintain the link," says Anna. People tell them about the truffles from L'Estrella that were left under the pillows of the children of the Raval when they lost a tooth or the gypsy arms that were bought when it was time to have a big party. "Sometimes they tell us about products that we don't know about, because they have been forgotten. I'm sorry when it happens. But when someone gets excited because they can buy the roscón where their grandfather made it, it's a magical moment." The star products are the macinos, the gypsy arm, the cakes and when the Three Kings' Day comes, the roscones. "I slept for two hours. We got up on the night of the 4th and the 5th. It was crazy. We had been open for two months and people kept coming. It was non-stop," recalls Anna, who decided to add a figure of a tió to the Christmas log. They sold out, like the roscóns. "We are very tired. But very happy and grateful." The neighborhood is also grateful. Estrella shines again.