58 and its creative tapas: a little gastronomical star in Poblenou
Poblenou continually attracts more and more visitors due to its authentic seaside atmosphere, despite its being located far from the city centre.
Located on the Rambla, its busiest tree-lined avenue, is 58: an establishment that’s well-known for its tapas and a great option for a pleasant and tasty break in an unusual setting.
Quirky decor at 58
58’s decor is pretty coherent with the rest of the venues in the area, with a bar completely covered in typical Barcelona ceramics, high ceilings, and aged painted brick, with faded red exposed in certain places.
Your eye will probably be drawn to a large red figure opposite the entrance, but be warned that this is not the last surprise you will encounter here. In the other rooms identical creatures share the space with feminine silhouettes hanging from the walls. The whole lot feels a little like a cartoon and it is bound to make an impression on everyone!
58’s huge variety of tapas
More surprises lie in store and they are very pleasant indeed!
Firstly, do not expect a paper menu! A huge slate listing the tapas will be presented to your table, and be prepared as it’s a long list!
As everything is very tempting it can be difficult to choose. It makes the mouth water just thinking about it…
We ended up choosing the excellent croquettes, delicious aubergines cooked in honey and rosemary, very tasty skewers of prawns in sweet pepper, and a huge marinaded tuna salad offering a surprising combination of flavours and a lot of bang for your buck
We fell for the salmon tartar and its very original presentation (see first photo). Funny little detail: it’s up to the customer to add the mango vinaigrette, and also to shake the jar having properly checked that it is closed…
Following this we delighted our tastebuds with the fresh fried duck liver and its accompaniment of seasonal fruits and mushrooms.
Finally, we went crazy for the mouth watering scallops, hidden under an assortment of salads and served on a bed of celeriac and vanilla mash.
Dessert
Clearly we weren’t starving when by the time we ordered dessert. However, our great sense of duty forced us to share a piña colada mousse, which was wonderful! The cocktail of textures and flavours was absolutely perfect! Sniff, it makes me emotional to talk about it…
We didn’t try it, but there is also a set lunch menu for 10.50 euros including bread, a drink and coffee. There are 2 or 3 starters to choose from, 2 main courses (generally meat or fish) and a dessert.
Useful information to chew on
- Tapas prices vary between 1.75 and 9.50 euros, so it’s great value!
- Amos Martínez is a passionate and inventive chef, and you can see the result in your plate!
- 58’s kitchen is open continuously from 1:30pm to 11pm.
- It is not possible to book a table in advance.
- It is a popular venue so we advise you to get there around 1:30pm for lunch or 7-8pm for dinner. The earlier the better to avoid queuing.
So have we managed to whet your appetite?
