Join our Sants food tour to spend the day eating your way through a lesser-explored neighborhood with a booming local food scene and a fascinating history. We’ll dig into markets and old vermuterias, pastry shops and down home restaurants, but we’ll also find the pulse of Sants in some contemporary culinary projects. Don’t expect Gaudi architecture and top 10 tapas, Sants satisfies those hungry for alternative Barcelona.
On our Sants food tour, we will visit many of these neighborhood institutions, both old and new, getting a taste of what life in Barcelona was like before the city became the global hotspot that it is today. We will start with a hearty breakfast in the newly restored Mercat de Sants – in business since 1913 – and sample what’s on offer from the vendors inside. As we continue through the neighborhood, we’ll drop by some of its numerous food shops and restaurants, both old and new, tasting well-loved dishes from menus that change according to the season. Along the way we’ll stop at old school bodegas and bars to enjoy some vermut with tapas among the wine casks and at small bakeries and chocolate shops for handmade sweets.
We won’t leave Sants, though, without a visit to one of the neighborhood’s most unique social and cultural projects, a massive 19th century textile factory that after decades of disuse has been transformed by locals into a bustling cultural center – one that even has its own bar and microbrewery. Over a drink and more bites of Sants food, we’ll learn about the history of community organizing in Sants and what makes this neighborhood so special. After all, it’s not every day that you get a chance to go off the grid while still being in the heart of the city.
We spent the day with Sanem, our very personable and knowledgeable guide. We know Barcelona well, so to venture to a new area and learn about the culture and food made for a completely enjoyable day. The food and locations we visited we never would have found on our own. Sanem really took the time and effort to answer our questions and ensure we had a great time!
Guillaume was an excellent guide and we had an incredible experience at every stop! We could have never known about or navigated the places he took us to on our own without knowing the area and the language. We had some truly delicious bites that we're working to recreate at home. We also learned a ton!
Pam was excellent! She has a wealth of knowledge, great personality and very professional. Strongly recommend her.
Our guide Pam was fantastic. She was very thorough and patient in explaining to us all the history about the local area and seamless incorporating the food we ate along the way on how they relate to the local environment. She knows each establishment very well hence was able to recommend what is the specialty of each places we stop to eat. The tour exceeded our expectation and we will have not hesitate to sign up for another tour in another city we visit in the future. Thanks again, we had a wonderful time tasting the food and learning about the local community.
Whenever we travel, we always check to see if Culinary Backstreets is there. We have taken many tours, including Istanbul and other unique cities. It NEVER fails to deliver. Our tour with Pam was no exception. What we find different about CB is that the guides are extremely knowledgeable, and they have done their homework about the culinary culture of the area. The guides know the proprietors, and the shops are expecting and welcoming us. We had just taken 2 tours with another company in Morocco, and the situation seemed unplanned and ad hoc. It is clear CB is very discerning about not only the guides, but the locations visited. We loved the unique Catalan food and traditions. Pam was exceptional in every way. Every question we asked was answered with deep knowledge. She was enthusiastic, and we loved seeing her interaction with people along the way. Sants was an area we would not have typically visited, and learning the history of its industrial past was interesting. We will always choose Culinary Backstreets if in the city we are visiting.
Guillermo was amazing! This was the best tour. We wanted to have a very local, homey tour that really represented the cultural roots of the area. This even exceeded that- we were able to go to super local and family owned places and taste food made with love for generations. Guillermo was so informed and taught me everything I wanted to learn about Catalan culture and cuisine.
This was a sensational way to get under the skin of this fabulous city. Pam was a knowledgable warm guide with a clear passion for food drink and Barcelona. I would recommend the Sants tour unequivocally.
Pam was amazing! She was extremely knowledgeable about the history, culture, of course the food, and change in the neighborhood
Sanem was amazing! Not only did we have an incredible variety and amount of food, we learned about the history and culture of the area (and of Catalonia). My advice - don’t eat breakfast! Even a small one to get you there. Maybe also have a light dinner the night before 😉
I went on the Day in Sants tour and it was amazing - the pace was perfect and the food was fantastic! Starting at the local market, we went to a wonderful variety of shops and restaurants. Senem was very nice and attentive and her extensive knowledge of the food, history and politics of the Sants neighborhood made it more than just a culinary tour. She also gave me some great recommendations for restaurants in other areas of Barcelona. Go with Culinary Backstreets!
What a wonderful experience exploring the culinary treasures of Baecelona. An added bounus - history thrown in - resulting in an amazing Food and History" journey. thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. Thank you Guillaine for being an exceptional host. As we say in Zimbabwe " Maita Basa" (thank you) Helena White
What a wonderful day out sampling some of the delicious food Barcelona has to offer! Our guide Guillame was outstanding with a combined knowledge of food and the history of the area! Was a wonderful day all round
We were a group of 3 with a fantastic guide who shared the history of Sants and the foods Catalonian’s eat daily. Well organized as All of the stops were waiting for us with tables set! Our guide served us portions from the market, specialty cheese, meats and chocolates with complete explanations of their heritage and importance in Catalonia diet. We were never rushed, and questions were welcomed. A great experience eating and drinking through Sants!
An amazing day! And so much more than food! Guillame was very knowledgeable about food as well as the history of the neighbourhood and region! Really hope to do the tour again sometime
Our guide Evonne was terrific. He is very knowledgeable, hospitable, and kind. He is was always looking out for us and had great information to share about the area, history, and the food and beverage. You could tell by the reception we received at each place that he is well respected. We love this tour and highly recommend.
What a wonderful experience!! I can't say enough about this 1/2 day off the grid food tour. We started our vacation with it learning so much about the city and the history. Sema was such a wonderful guide; she was so knowledgable and fun and it made for a great day! We enjoyed every minute of the tour with her. We loved being in a section of the city we otherwise may not have visited.
My friends and I had a great time learning about the history of Sants and trying some of the best food we had on our trip. Guillaume was an amazing tour guide! Highly recommend taking this tour during your visit to Barcelona, its so worth it!
Loved the neighborhood of Sants. Selimn was such a knowledgeable guide. She new the neighborhood and the people in it. You could feel her passion the food and history of Barcelona. There was plenty of food and a wide variety. Lots of fun
Excellent tour with recent history of Barcelona and the Sant neighbourhood. Our guide S is knowledgeable about Barcelona and food and a pleasure to be around. Time well spent!
Senem was a superb guide. She knew so much history and details about the food, which was fantastic. Loved the pork cheeks.and everything else. By the end, I felt like I had made a new friend. I highly recommend Culinary Backstreets tours!
This tour was incredible! Our tour guide Guilluame was awesome! He showed us a side of Barcelona that we never would have seen if we didn't do the tour. He was extremely knowledgeable about food, history, and the neighborhood. The food and drinks were absolutely delicious and my shellfish allergy was easily accommodated. Easily one of the best and most unique experiences we have had traveling.
Our guide was lovely and very informative. The food was great.
Pam was an amazing tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Sants neighborhood and the history and culture of all the delicious food we tried. Put on your walking shoes, you can’t miss this tour!
Our Guide Senem was outstanding! We got a background of the SANTS neighborhood, went to the marked for a "Fork" breakfast and hit many other locations we would have never found on our own. Would recommend this tour without hesitation
Fantastic guide and great bites. This tour felt very local. I did it early in my trip and this really helped set the stage for subsequent days in Barcelona.
Overall excellent experience, great food, history and company made this a must do while in Barcelona. The stops were authentic, the food was delicious and well paced so we weren't too full to enjoy the remainder of the tour.
Just a wonderful tour in an off-the-beaten-path neighborhood. Lots of companies will say "off the grid" but it's only a marketing pitch, and you end up at restaurants and bars in highly-trafficked areas. This tour truly was unique and hyper-local. The guide, Senem, was a dream. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of local food and customs and was eager to share them with us.
Pam was a wealth of knowledge about the Sants neighborhood! Thoroughly explained the history and food of this unexplored part of Barcelona. Highly recommended!
What a wonderful way to experience a very non-touristy neighborhood and eat like the locals do. Senem was an excellent guide, so knowledgeable about the local history and culinary background. And a charming person to spend nearly 6 hours with! She clearly has an excellent relationship with the shop and restaurant staff. Highly recommended and worth every penny.
Our guide Senem was wonderful! It was so nice being in a small group, 6, plus our guide. Senem was very good at adapting to our needs and raising our level of knowledge about the city, the history, the food, the culture and current events affecting the area. This was more than basic stuff- it was really informative without being boring and Senem presented a very balanced view of the people whose lives we were learning about. I highly recommend this tour. It is not the touristy Barcelona and in fact you won't see any other tour guides walking where you'll be going. And really I can't say enough about Senem! She also gave us information about Culinary Backstreets as a company and how the guides know each other in different cities, etc. This gives me a lot of confidence in CB and I can't wait to book another tour!
Man, what an experience. I was so glad to have done this on my first day in Barcelona because it gave me the courage to try authentic food throughout my stay and gave me the knowlege and familiarity of Catalan culture. Pam was an excellent guide and Im grateful that she shared her knowledge and passion with me. I cant wait for my next culinary back streets tour. Worth every penny if youre debating the cost.
We had an awesome time with Pam, our ever smiling, articulate historian and fellow foodie. The food and settings were unbelievable and would take years to find without a guide. Serendipitous encounters with locals at the bodega brought it all together.
The food in the Sants was terrific and our guide, Pam, was excellent. Very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We saw an area that we would otherwise have never seen.
This was such a treat! I purposely picked the day in Sants because it was off the beaten path and we would have never seen this part of Barcelona otherwise. Senem was the most wonderful host. We had a little trouble with the meeting point but very quickly found each other. She has wonderful knowledge of the area and the food. I think we stopped in seven different places to eat. Our bellies were so full by lunch we could hardly eat more than one or two bites. It was all so delicious. The tour was easy walking and not too hot. We were there in a July heatwave. Aside from the tour, Senem was also very helpful with information on taking the metro back to our hotel which was much quicker than a cab. Could not have asked for a better tour or better guide. Thanks Senem!
We had a very small group with an excellent guide named Senem for our day in Sants. The stops were too numerous to mention all of them, but the highlights were the ‘fork breakfast’ at the market, the jamon shop, the Hortacha drink, vermut at the Bodega, a fabulous sit down lunch featuring pork cheek & a delicious dessert made with only egg yolks and sugar. Senem was absolutely fabulous about navigating the many dietary constraints of the other guests. It was a seamless experience for those of us who eat anything and everything! As always, I highly recommend this tour or any tour with Culinary Backstreets.
Our guide Lynda was a joy to be with: friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. The description for this guided tour was accurate. We felt like we were getting a glimpse of daily life in Barcelona beyond those areas popular with tourists. The food experience of enjoying dishes, snacks, and beverages as residents might was exceptional. If we ever have the pleasure of returning to Barcelona we would love to repeat this one.
A Fantastic Day of Tastes, History, Laughter, many more Tastes and meeting wonderful local purveyors of Barcelona's culinary culture! From the moment we met up with our guide for the day, Senem, until we parted company late that afternoon, our minds were full--of a new appreciation for the history & culture of the Sants neighborhood, and Spain overall; and our tummies were full--of the most delicious, unexpected, spectacular foods and flavors of the everyday lives of folks in the Sants neighborhood. Senem was so knowledgeable, and full of "joie de vivre" in guiding us through lively public markets, bodegas, specialty shops for hammon, local chocolatiers, and remarkable desserts, each with their own history that spoke of local life. She had a wonderful rapport with each fishmonger, shopkeeper, vendor, and chef as we made our way through culture and local flavor. Would recommend Culinary Backstreets to every traveler!
It was a wonderful experience with an amazing guide. Her face lit up as she was talking about the food and the area. We went to so many different places and had so many wonderful experiences. At the end, I was just so full I could barely eat anymore. Just a reminder, this is a walking tour, so if you have problems walking, then I would not recommend it.
Absolutely fabulous tour of the working class neighborhood of Barcelona. Lynda, our guide, provided the history, culture and gastronomy of the Sants District as we wandered through the backstreets devoid of tourists. It was the highlight of our time in Barcelona. Highly recommended.
Pam was concise, interesting and knowledgeable. The places we visited were typically of the local area. Excellent. We now rate Vermouth as one of our drinks!
My second Culinary Backstreets tour and as good as the first. Pam was a wonderful, passionate guide and showed us food, drink and places we didn't even know existed. Love these tours. We'd done the Barcelona marathon two days before and this was the perfect way to relax and celebrate
Excellent experience!! Our guide was warm, enthusiastic, and extremely knowledgable; spoke with deep appreciation for the food and history of (and Barcelona at large) and did a beautiful job configuring a tour that flowed naturally while conveying a fascinating amount of historical, cultural, and culinary detail. The food was authentic, delicious, and high quality with no pomp or snobbery. Will MOST DEFINITELY book with Culinary Backstreets again. In fact, looking into doing a full Culinary Backstreets hosted holiday tour in future!!
Sants is where the main train station is in Barcelona, and the working-class neighbourhood around it is full of history and delicious food. We had the chance to be with Senem this tour for the second time, and again her knowledge, friendliness, and ability to convey her enthusiasm for the people and their passions really made this a special tour. We started with breakfast in the market, taken from a prepared food stall that was fresh and light, and moved on to a butchery for Iberico ham (and the most remarkable vending machine ever!) ending up with a surprise tasting at a special sweet shop with a lineup full of friendly folks waiting patiently to get their Christmas treats. That spontaneity is what characterizes these Culinary Backstreets tours: guides who know the people and the places, an ability to 'read' the visitors to be able to share what's special and what we might want to know, and a generosity of spirit that stays with us long after the tour is over.
This was our third CB walk in Barcelona and it was again superb. Pam was an excellent guide with extensive knowledge of both the food and the local area. The locations we visited were, despite us being obvious tourists, welcoming and friendly. The food tastings were unique from many of those on the previous walks, though many locations were similar - old, family-run places that have endured because they are so good at what they do. Highlights were the Bodega Salvat for vermouth and nibblies, and the Bar-Bodega Bartoli for the fricandò.
This was an incredible, informative and delicious introduction to Barcelona and Spain! We ate the most delicious food and met many kind people our guide introduced us to. Our guide Pam was so amazing and knowledgeable. She was a wealth of information and perfectly communicated everything in English to us since we unfortunately don’t speak much Spanish yet. She also has a knowledge of Catalan which was important for the history she shared. We had a wide variety of food and drink, and it was all delicious. It was so special to experience this area of the city. Without a knowledgeable guide we would have never understood its history and beauty. Thank you so much Pam. Sitting in the local bodega with you and talking like old friends, surrounded by the kind local residents and drinking delicious vermouth was such a special experience. Thank you Culinary Backstreets! We will look for your tours in every city we visit for now on!
Excellent tour visiting a local market and several neighborhood locations for traditional food and drink. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history of this neighborhood and how the food culture evolved. We stopped at numerous locations for generous tastings and then ‘lunch’. Definitely an off the beaten path tour that was thoroughly worthwhile. We would have never visited this neighborhood or the traditional eateries located there.
This was an informative, insightful, and thoroughly pleasurable tour of a section of Barcelona that otherwise would have remained unknown to us. Our guide, Lynn, was absolutely wonderful. She created a great enfironment for us to interact with her and the other tour participants, and she was quite creative in her choice of places to show us. We also appreciated her deep love for the neighborhood. All in all, it was a great experience.
I literally just finished this tour today, and I am still amazed. Pam, my tour guide, was knowledgeable, personable, professional and passionate about making the morning memorable. Her selections and suggestions were thoughtful and I am sure showed the best of Sants. I’ve had the pleasure of Culinary Backstreets tours now twice and have been delighted: today stands as the very best of what this company can offer. THANK YOU for going with a solo tour, and for accommodating my food preferences.
It was great fun and we certainly ate well! The hosts were engaging and well-informed and our group was small, and luckily a good mix of people. I have recommended it to others.
Pam gave a great tour, with while tying in the culinary experience with the local history. I would definitely recommend this tour to become familiar with the area and history.
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