Kim Díaz, a well-known local restaurateur and owner of Bar Mut tapas bar and El Mutis cocktail bar, wanted to pay tribute to one of the most humble and sadly underrated Spanish snacks, the sandwich. Sandwiches are generally made by most Barcelonan bars with defrosted cheap bread and greasy fillings, and good ones are not easy to find in the city (though we have written about some great ones). Entrepanes Díaz opened last February with the goal of giving the sandwich the respect it deserves.
Finding the right bread was a real struggle for Díaz. It took him months until he found the bread rolls at Forn de Sant Josep, an old bakery a few blocks away. With the right bread came the right chef, Víctor Lema. He was able to turn classic plated dishes into gourmet sandwiches, coming up with nearly 20 absolutely mouthwatering examples (€7 to €10). Customers’ top
five favorite sandwiches are calamares (calamari with squid ink mayonnaise), rabo de buey (oxtail), cochinillo (roast suckling pork), kokotxas al pil-pil (lower part of the cod chin cooked in parsley and garlic) and Antxón (red pork sausage and poached egg).
Despite the sandwich being the main theme of this bar, Díaz hasn’t neglected to include a wide range of equally delicious offerings on the menu. Among the tapas (€3 to €15) are classics such as croquetas, callos (pork tripe cooked with chorizo and paprika) and patatas bravas, as well as more Andalusian ones: ortiguillas (deep-fried anemones), cazón en adobo (marinated school shark) and tortitas de camarón (deep-fried shrimp pancakes). Brunch (€9 to €10) at Entrepanes Díaz means eggs: eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs and omelets. Among the daily specials (€12) there are always meat, fish and pasta options. Desserts are as delicious as the rest of the menu: Amaretto ice cream, crema catalana and chocolate marquise are the highlights. Drinks include caña (a small glass of draft beer), Spanish red and white wine, French rosé and champagne, Catalan cava and homemade vermouth.
Antxón Gómez, Pedro Almodóvar’s art director, was charged with overseeing Entrepanes Díaz’s interior design. Stepping into this bar is like taking a journey back to a 1950s Madrilenian bar: Black-and-white photos, a marble bar and tables, red stools, mirrors and blackboards fill up this little corner joint. Jorge, Rafael and Amado, the chatty and cheerful veteran waiters, offer impeccable service and lively conversation to regulars and newcomers. Since Entrepanes Díaz is right on the intersection of financial Diagonal Avenue and the trendy Gràcia neighborhood, businesspeople and the thirty-something hipster crowd congregate here throughout the day, giving it a classy and yet informal vibe.
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