Restaurante Los Caracoles – Casa Bofarull
Almost two hundred years cooking snails
A restaurant with more than 180 years of history that has served its snails to the 20th century’s biggest celebrities. The entrance to one of the city’s oldest restaurants is located on the corner of a block in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona next to a chicken rotisserie.
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Why visit Los Caracoles?
In 1835 Agustí Bofarull and his wife opened a tavern called Can Bofarull on Carrer Nou de Sant Francesc. It had originally been a grocery shop until their son Felicià Bofarull decided to serve food. It quickly became known for the quality of its snails, leading its customers to rename it Los Caracoles (The Snails) in 1915.
The restaurant became so famous that in the early 20th century the family moved it to a new location, Carrer d’Escudellers, 14, where they installed a chicken rotisserie on the corner, which also became something of a sensation. In the 1960s Antoni Bofarull became one of the city’s most popular figures and the restaurant attracted celebrities like Ava Gardner, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, Carmen Amaya, Errol Flynn and Julio Iglesias. Even after his death, in 1973, the emblematic restaurant continued to attract film stars like Gérard Depardieu, Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve and Robert De Niro.
More than 180 years after it opened, Los Caracoles, part of the city’s gastronomic heritage, is still opening its doors to loyal customers on Carrer d’Escudellers.
How do you get to Los Caracoles?
Hop off at the Colom – Museu Marítim stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic and walk up La Rambla to Carrer d’Escudellers, where in addition to the Los Caracoles you can also see another historic restaurant: Grill Room.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? In 1936, Los Caracoles was collectivised by the anarchists, although the Bofarulls continued to run it. The restaurant not only remained open throughout the entire Spanish Civil War, but it had so many customers that in 1937 the restaurant was fined for having too many lights on.
- Local’s tip: If you go to the restaurant, you must try the snails, the dish that gave it its name.
- A must: To make a stop at one of the city’s most legendary restaurants.
