"L'Esquerra de l'Eixample
Your laid-back, upscale hub for student and LGBT life
Overview
Fashionable.
Intellectual.
Inclusive.
In L'Esquerra de l'Eixample, all walks of life and all ways of living are at your fingertips.
L'Esquerra de l'Eixample means "the left side of the Eixample". It's part of an extension to Barcelona built in the late 1800s. L'Eixample is pronounced 'luh-shamp-luh'.
Today, L'Esquerra is a well-to-do place. You'll find lots of cafés, bars, restaurants and shops. And what's better than reading a thrilling novel in the corner of an adorable café? Apart from that, cheeky.
Let's go.
What can I do here?
First, let's get you refreshed...
Go to Sirvent on Carrer de Balmes and try their excellent orxata. It's a drink made from tiger nuts. Not quite milk, not quite ice cream, it's very moreish.
Shop for quality fresh produce at Mercat del Ninot. This market is in a hangar made from cast-iron and glass. Remodelled in 2009, it's a bright, clean, modern space.
The stalls sell fresh fish, meat, vegetables and other natural products. There's also a bakery.
Tourism alert:
Contemplate Miró's Dona i Ocell sculpture at Parc Joan Miró. It's a 22-metre-tall dream figure covered in red, blue and yellow tile fragments. The tiles were actually applied by Gardy Artigas, a close friend of Miró's.
Interesting fact
In 2010, bullfighting was banned in Catalonia. Las Arenas bullring is now a shopping centre. Progress.
How affordable is this neighbourhood?
€€ (mid-range)
