A few years ago, the Restaurante Gran Via had top notch reviews. In fact it still reads that way on TripAdvisor and the raving brought us to this location, conveniently located near our hotel. However, after Covid and the loss of both clientele and four workers, no reviews have been written in two years - and Arthur now runs this place himself.
Arthur, the proprietor, cook, bottle washer, waiter, cashier, and jefe de camareros, greeted us with open arms and treated us like old friends. With a little English from him, and a few words of Spanish and German from us, we all had a ball. We learned volumes from this friendly chap, and his friend Jordi.
As we sipped vino rojo, gin tonic and Estrella Galicia, we looked at the menu with our translators. Tired of toppas, we desperately sought something other than patatas bravas, and watched the friends banter about FCs Barcelona and Madrid. We soon settled on hamburguesa, pizza, olives and a bikini sandwich.
The food was fresh and cooked by Arthur himself, as he had no one to do it for him. He joked with us and we had a great time. But the bikini sandwich stole the show.
Having no idea what we were in for, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich soon arrived. Turns out, this was supposedly one of the best Bikini Sandwiches in all of Catalan. It did not dispoint. Oozing melted Gouda and Catalonian ham, we thought this was a fantastic alternative to the overwhelming number of toppas we had experienced since our arrival in Spain. Why bikini? The name comes from the Bikini Concert Hall in the district of Les Cort, Barcelona, where vendors have been selling late night - pressed ham and cheese sandwiches - to concert-goers for years.
Our trip to Monserrat earlier in the day had us tired and hungry. Tomorrow, we would experience a lovely meal in a great restaurant, but for the moment we had Arthur, and some down home comfort food and drink that hit the spot. Thank you Arthur and Jordi for the entertainment, good fun and cheer.
So if you are looking for tasty and inexpensive place to eat and drink, conveniently located near the Gran Via venue - Barcelona Fira and convention center, check out Arthur’s Restaurante Gran Via at Avinguda de la Gran Via 31, de l'Hospitalet, in Barcelona. Hopefully, Arthur will be there to great as times are tough!