Público, a wine bar with an open kitchen in Barcelona
With nearly 200 wines to take away and an open kitchen in front of the bar, Público is more than just a wine bar on Enric Granados street.
The new establishment at 30 Enric Granados Street offers wine to go during its extended hours, but its description as a "gastronomic tavern and wine bar" in its press release is more accurate than that of a simple bar. The space plays with different areas and aspires to be the place for a quick lunch, an afternoon drink with appetizers, or a gourmet dinner. The menu is concise: each diner can focus on the quality of the ingredients without complications or choose more elaborate dishes.
At the helm of the kitchen is Edgar Martínez, with experience in restaurants such as Arzak and Dos Palillos, and who opened Xerta, a Michelin-starred restaurant, in Barcelona. He recently joined the PanteaGroup project, which previously managed Sumac & Mambo in this same location, a Middle Eastern restaurant known for its excellent cuisine. Now, the aim is to elevate the gastronomic experience with a change of direction, and the group's future plans include opening a restaurant with the Torres Brothers in Barcelona's Olympic Port.
The menu, dynamic and changing according to the season or the availability of fish at the market, features fish and meat on display at the entrance, along with a lobster tank, hinting at the charcoal grill, a cornerstone of the project. Among the standout dishes is a prime beef tartare, flavored with sriracha instead of Tabasco and served on brioche bread with smoked butter from Rooftop Smokehouse. Another classic, the potato salad, is enhanced with perfectly cooked vegetables, homemade pickled mussels, and salted prawns.
Among the more substantial dishes, the parmentier stands out, creamy and delicate, prepared in full view of the open kitchen and served with an egg and a small slice of seared foie gras. The cod cheeks, on a faux wheat risotto with green sauce, are tasty, but unnecessarily overshadow such a fine ingredient as the cod itself, succulent and perfectly salted. The squid stuffed with Catalan chorizo from Cal Rovira, with mushrooms and Santa Pau bean cream, is a well-prepared classic, although perhaps omitting some ingredients would enhance the flavor of the others.
Wine can be purchased to take away or enjoyed in the dining room, with an €8 corkage fee added to the bottle price. The selection is curated by Xavi Nolla of Vins de la Memòria winery, and the prices are very reasonable. The bar remains open until 11:00 PM for wine sales, making it a useful wine bar in the city center. While some details still need to be finalized after the launch, the space has the potential to establish itself in the area and take over from the now-closed Monvinic.