The Sopa Boba: original tapas in a quirky setting

Set in a long, narrow space, The Sopa Boba is a bar and restaurant, opened in February 2015 near the very typical Musclería and Horchatería Verdú. We were among the first to visit, and, having been back several times since, we can confirm that the quality of the products on offer is as great as ever: fresh, original and well-presented.

The Sopa Boba: an unusual name

“Sopa Boba” is, effectively, the Spanish equivalent of “soup kitchen” – a rather odd name for a restaurant!

Albert, the owner, has an explanation: the name is intended to reflect the varied mix of furniture and accessories used to decorate the venue, as numerous and varied as the ingredients found in soup kitchens of bygone days.

The inclusion of “The” in the name is intended to add a modern, international touch – and both the owner and the staff speak a whole range of foreign languages!

The Sopa Boba: a warm, friendly setting

The décor features a charming mix of wood, exposed brickwork, antique mirrors and recycled objects, all carefully assembled to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere, with a truly harmonious effect.

Lighting is provided by antique branch lamps in the bar area, but go further in, and things get even more original, with lamps created from vintage salad spinners, iron pots and glass jars – a fun and unusual touch!

In the toilets, a recycled door provides the frame for old photos of Barcelona. There’s also a vintage sink, and the walls are decked out with typical local tiles. The result is quirky, original and effective!

The Sopa Boba: original tapas

The décor is important, yes, but obviously we’re really here for the food…

• First and foremost: try to visit for dinner! The lunch menu, priced at around €15, is good, but the evening menu is far better, in our opinion.
• Book ahead to be sure of getting a table by phoning the restaurant: 931 29 84 75. The Sopa Boba fills up quickly, and you risk being turned away otherwise.

Once you’re comfortably seated, take time to peruse the selection of mouthwatering tapas and platillos on offer.

Among the Montaditos (bread with one or more toppings) on offer, we have a particular fondness for the smoked sardine and sun-dried tomato version, and for the mini-hamburger with partridge egg (it’s so cuuuuuute!)

Platillos-wise, there really is something for everyone.

• Fans of the exotic will enjoy the sea-bass and mango ceviche, or the thai chicken stir fry.
• Devoted carnivores are likely to enjoy the bull’s tail brioche or steak tartare.
• There are also plenty of vegetarian options, including a quinoa salad and roasted vegetables with romanesco sauce.

For desserts, we’re not in the best position to advise you because we always have the same thing! You’ll just have to try them yourselves…

• Our go-to option is the deconstructed passionfruit and toffee mille-feuilles, a miraculous mixture of tastes and textures which is the stuff dreams are made of. We like it so much that we chose it for the main photo in this article…

Whilst remaining faithful to our favourite, we do have a slight (ok, definite) tendency to want to taste whatever our friends are eating too. The mel i mató (a honey crumble with fresh cream cheese mousse) is also extremely good, and is an excellent option for those who want to try something which is both local and original.

Hungry? Dig in!