La Nena in Gràcia: authentic, welcoming and tasty!
In Catalan or Spanish “Nena” is a term of affection for a girl or woman. Well placed in the centre of the bohemian Gràcia area, this incredibly charming “Nena” will surely melt your heart.
This Nena is a mixture of chocolate shop, café and tearoom. A few brightly coloured tables of different sizes in front of the door set the tone. The assorted furniture is suitable for customers of all ages.
La Nena is friendly
The atmosphere here is relaxed and the service is warm, so it’s not surprising that La Nena has regulars! You very quickly get the impression of being in a holiday home where guests of every generation feel at ease. You are also welcome to sit with other customers if you wish!
In the first room, crowded shelves of old toys and photos of children give the place a nice vintage charm. At the back, behind the counter a piano is available for music-loving customers to play.
A second room for younger patrons has a little dining corner and shelves full of books and toys: a windfall for parents, who can just let their kids run around.
La Nena is appetising
La Nena is healthy and 100 % organic
All the products are natural and come from organic farms. Here the butter tastes authentic, the cream is fresh and the cakes are homemade. The teas and coffees are made with mineral water, the hot chocolates with fresh milk, and the coffee beans are ecologically sound Arabica.
La Nena is alcohol-free and there is even a large sign outside to remind you.
If you love fresh fruit or vegetable juices you will be spoiled for choice: orange, lemon, grapefruit, apple, banana, carrot, beetroot, and celery are all available!
If you are more interested in exotic flavours, try a cocktail made from orange or apple and tropical fruit juice. Prices vary between 3 and 4 euros.
La Nena loves savoury
Need a snack? La Nena’s menu is varied and the portions are copious, but if you can’t finish your food you are free to take it away.
Any time of day you can enjoy their sandwiches (entrepans), large slices of farmhouse bread (torrades) normal or au gratin, with vegetables, cheese or ham, as well as quiches and crèpes (between 4.50 and 6 euros). The food at La Nena has a slightly French influence.
La Nena is pure sugar
Its great specialty is hot chocolate (xocolata) served in all possible ways (between 2.50 an 4 euros): in a cup (very thick authentic chocolate) Swiss (with extra cream), Russian (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) Brasilian (with coffee ice cream) or French (more liquid). If you can’t decide between a coffee and a hot chocolate don’t worry, as La Nena offers a choco-coffee (xococafè).
The hot chocolate is accompanied by a churro (famous long, twist of pastry). You can also add your choice of melindros (homemade ladyfingers), pastries or cakes.
- We strongly recommend the homemade cakes from the bar: apple, pear, lemon, carrot and almond, cheese or even chocolate are all available.
- We really enjoyed the lemon cake, but it was very hard to decide as everything looked very tempting!
So obviously it’s not exactly low-calorie, but on the plus side you won’t need a big dinner…
La Nena works every day
La Nena is always great, but especially for an afternoon snack or at weekends as it is also open on Sundays. We advise you to get there early as it’s popular!
You will definitely fall for this “Nena”!
Big thanks to Claudia, a real “nena” who introduced me to this great place.
