The financial crisis in Spain – the country saw its second national anti-austerity strike this year on 14 November, as prices and unemployment figures continued to rise – has dramatically altered its culture of eating out. This is particularly noticeable in Catalonia, which prides itself on its reputation as a gastronomic centre.
"Everything has changed from when we opened six years ago," says chef Rafa Penya, of fine-dining restaurant Gresca (+34 93 451 6193, gresca.net) in Barcelona's Eixample district.
While the very biggest names still boast long waiting lists, many restaurants, even those with Michelin-starred chefs, are offering competitive midday deals, and restaurant booking websites such as eltenedor.es are offering up to 50% off menu prices to try to attract more customers.
"People go out to eat dinner a great deal less, but when they do go out, they look for good-quality food at prices which are good value for money," says Francesc Bellsola, owner of Mas Mariassa, (+34 977 262601, masmariassa.com), a gastronomic hotel in Pratdip, near Tarragona.
In his restaurant, extravagant haute cuisine has given way to gourmet takes on traditional local recipes. Bellsola is serving rustic Catalan dishes such as trixat (typically sliced potato, cabbage, leeks and bacon – a bit like bubble and squeak), and finding they are popular with both locals and tourists.
Restaurants are seeing a need to be flexible: informality and sharing plates are key components in a new trend to combat the economic crisis. Born of necessity, this also marks a return to the roots of Catalan cuisine.
For many, though, eating out is no longer part of everyday life. Juan Carlos of Barcelona's famous El Xampanyet cava bar (Carrer Montcada 22), says: "Habits are changing. Now more people just come out to drink, without eating. They certainly end up more alegre (happily tipsy)."
Bueno, bonito, barato (good, attractive, cheap) has become the mantra of those choosing where to eat and drink. Gourmet fast food and tapas bars are proving particularly popular, with burger joints such as El Filet Ruso (Carrer d'Enric Granados 95, elfileteruso.com) and montadito (mini-sandwich) bars, such as Bar Fidel, (Carrer Ferlandina 24, bar-fidel.com) springing up around Barcelona.
The "more for less" demand is growing and there is even a Facebook movement trying to encourage more bars to provide free tapas: find it at buenobonitobaratobarcelona.com.
The free tapas trend has spread from its traditional home in Andalucía, brought north by restaurateurs such as Eliseo Medina from Granada who, together with his Catalan partner Luís Genoves, created the popular bar El Ambiente del Sur (Carrer de Viladomat 85). Here, for €1.80, you get a caña (small glass of beer) and a tapa.
Bars in the Eixample, Gracia and Poble Sec districts have followed suit, with quirky places such as Bar Pasajes (Sant Pere Més Alt 31-33) offering a beer and a croqueta for €2.20 and Gata Mala (Carrer Rabassa 37) providing a different homemade tapa with every drink, from as little as €1.50.
Visitors can now sample the specialities of various bars by following the new Poble Sec Tapas Route (seriebcn.net). On Thursday evenings until 20 December, €2 will buy you a caña or a small glass of wine with a free tapa or pintxo (usually a slice of bread topped with a tapas-style concoction, a tradition deriving from the Basque Country) at any of the 20 bars participating in the scheme.
