Restaurant “Casa Leopoldo”

The predecessor of the "Casa Leopoldo" opened its doors in 1929 as a wine cellar on Aurora Street. It was not until 1936 (two weeks before the start of the Spanish Civil War) that it moved to Sant Rafael Street, in the middle of the Raval, where it is still located today. Little by little it gained recognition until it became a classic in Barcelona. In fact, it maintained that good reputation until 2015; the year in which the well-known Rosa Gil, granddaughter of the founder, decided not to continue with the business.

Apart from being a good restaurant, it was a place frequented by artists and influential people such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Manel Serrat, Maruja Torres and Lola Flores among many others.

2017 was a turning year for "Casa Leopoldo". I honestly think that my admired Romain Fornell - who I have spoken to you about so many times in "La Plassohla", "Caelis", "Café Emma", "Café Turó" or in "La Taverna del Mar" - and Oscar Manresa (whom I had the pleasure of meeting not long ago) were very brave to take charge of this legendary restaurant. The adventure worked until the damn pandemic arrived. That was when they closed.

It was a historic place, with a great reputation, a loyal public and a character that swept us away. That is why I will always say that Romain and Oscar were brave. They faced many challenges. When they started the new project, the restaurant had been closed for a year and a half. They carried out this project while respecting the past. How important it is not to erase the history of places! Incredibly, they were able to maintain the aesthetics of the place and respect the soul of the dishes. The city's food addicts (including me) looked askance and with some fear at this new adventure. It was a fear mixed with curiosity to see how it would all end; but the pandemic did a lot of damage.

At the beginning of 2024, "Casa Leopoldo" has reopened its doors. This time it has done so in collaboration with "Banco de Boquerones" group. I have not yet been there, but I have read that they have respected the history of the space and that they serve traditional Catalan dishes such as roast cannelloni, meatballs with cuttlefish and broad beans with sausage and mint. It promises a lot.

They have an open kitchen from Monday to Sunday from 12pm to midnight.

Behind the historic doors on the street, there are three dining rooms. In all of them I highlight the tiles on the walls, the classic paintings and the bullfighting posters. Authentic decoration.