Welcome to Spoon Eats World, where college students dish on the unforgettable food spots they found while studying abroad. They took notes inside and outside of the international classroom, capturing their favorite bites and best local spots – from bustling markets and cozy cafes, to TikTok-famous eateries and hidden gems.
Trust me, I’m a “Jersey girl.” My ideal vacation is pretty lowkey — driving south on the Parkway to the shore with a fresh tank of gas, my E-ZPass, and a bagel sandwich. And as someone who hadn’t left the East Coast, I never imagined being anywhere beyond the Atlantic, let alone flying across it with a group of complete strangers.
But that’s exactly what happened last year on spring break when I traveled to Spain with faculty and students of the global media specialization at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Together, we navigated bustling food markets, tucked-away tapas bars, and family-run restaurants and ate through the cities of Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Guernica in only six days.
As I stumbled off my redeye, with that group of journalists turned life-long friends, I had no idea what to expect. But I can confidently say that my taste buds were more than ready for the adventure. Without further ado, here are the best bites I had on my journey — or, as I’ve been saying, the ones that made me rethink everything I thought I knew about great food.
March 9th, 2024: The Only Meat I’d Smuggle Into My Suitcase
One of my first stops in Barcelona was La Boqueria, an open market along La Rambla with over 200 vendors selling fresh produce, meat, and seafood. My designated travel buddy and I wandered the bustling stalls, overwhelmed by the mix of languages and aromas. At a meat and cheese booth, we sampled Jamon Iberico, Spain’s finest cured ham, with a rich, nutty-sweet flavor that melted in my mouth. We opted for an assorted charcuterie cone, pairing it with local cheeses – a taste we continued to enjoy throughout our trip.
March 9th, 2024: Birthday Cakes Are Out — Crema Catalanas Are In
Our first dinner in Barcelona was at Bar Muy Buenas. To drink, we ordered Spanish vermouth, a citrusy aperitif that apparently stimulates appetite. For my entree, I ordered Canelons, which was very similar to a white lasagna. We drank vermouth, which is a fortified, aromatized wine flavored with herbs and spices. It’s used for cocktails like the Martini and Negroni.
However, the highlight of dinner was arguably dessert. We ordered crema catalanas, which look identical to a French creme brulee, but the custard is made with milk and flavored with citrus and cinnamon instead of heavy cream and vanilla, so the flavor is entirely different. Out of everyone present, I had the closest birthday, so of course, they just had to sing. This was our class’s first sobremesa, a Spanish tradition of relaxing after a meal. The waiter never rushed us to pay, we probably could’ve sat there the entire night.
March 10th, 2024: No Bagels For Breakfast
The following morning, the class (with headaches from last night’s vermouth) reconvened in the Gothic Quarter at Granja La Pallaresa for churros con chocolate. During the 16th century, churros became a popular street food. The conquistadors brought chocolate back home from Mexico. Initially, the Aztecs consumed chocolate as a bitter drink, but in Spain, it evolved into something sweet and very thick, perfect for dunking churros, a popular street food.
I loved the atmosphere of the place. For the sake of double-dipping, we each had our own cups of chocolate but shared churros family-style. The churro itself was light and airy, rolled in the perfect concoction of cinnamon and sugar. The chocolate was to die for. Incredibly thick and sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.
March 10th, 2024: Patience Is A Virtue Best Served On A Baguette
Our lunch that day was at Bo de B, a tiny sandwich shop tucked away on a cobblestone street, with a line stretching out the door. Although I’m a proud Aries, I defied all odds and tried to be patient as my stomach rumbled. When my classmates and I finally got our hands on the sandwiches, we understood the hype.
I ordered a Vandella Ternara Beef sandwich. It was stuffed perfectly with grilled beef, crisp red onions, roasted peppers, and a mix of fresh greens. A hearty scoop of lentils added an unexpected richness, soaking up the tangy-house-made sauce that dripped from the edges of the warm, crusty baguette. We took ours down to the pier. Pigeons circled, eyeing our every bite, darting to snatch whatever fell from the overstuffed sandwiches. We ate quickly, fending them off, savoring every bite.
March 10th, 2024: Sorry, We Didn’t Get Paella.
While our classmates got tickets for the cable car to Montjuic, my travel buddy and I stayed behind, not wanting to leave our professors and their partners alone for lunch (who could say no to octopus on Rutgers.) The six of us meandered to Bar Celta Pulperia, a no-frills spot known for one thing: pulpo, which is octopus.
The meal itself was simple – just freshly boiled, sliced into tender medallions, drizzled with golden olive oil, and dusted with a smokey dried pepper. No distractions — just pure, briny perfection. We speared bite after bite with toothpicks, washing it down with ice-cold sodas, lingering at the table long after our plates were empty.
March 12th, 2024: Can I Get A Cosmopolitan?
We pre-gamed The Harlem Jazz Club at Boadas Cocktails, the oldest cocktail bar in Barcelona, which was just around the corner from our hotel. Apparently, it’s the spot where Ernest Hemingway and his Barcelona companions drank during the Spanish Civil War. The host conveniently sat us in their old spot at the back corner of the bar, prime real estate for people-watching a drinking, two essential pastimes of any journalist.
I ordered a Cosmopolitan, inspired by my recent Sex and the City binge, while my travel buddy went for a special cocktail called the ‘Turnpike’ – because, well, we’re from New Jersey. The bartenders, dressed in crisp, mint-green tuxedos, moved with effortless precision, stirring, shaking, and pouring with old-school elegance. They slid us a bowl of assorted nuts, the perfect companion for our drinks, as we soaked in the dim lighting, the clink of glassware, and the quiet hum of adulthood sophistication. The vibes? Unmatched.
March 13th, 2024: How Easy It Is To Eat Too Many Pintxos In Spain…
The next stop on our Spanish adventure was San Sebastián, but before we could enjoy the coastal tranquility of the city, we had to survive the train ride from Barcelona, which took around five hours. I was reading Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell at the time and within the first few pages, I stumbled upon a line that echoed in my head long after our trip: “How easy it is to make friends in Spain.”
When we finally pulled into San Sebastián, all we could think about was food. We dropped our bags at the hostel and wandered into the Old Town, where we stumbled upon Ganbara, a pintxos bar with the kind of warmth and charm we craved. Both tapas (southern Spain, like Barcelona) and pintxos (northern Spain, like San Sebastián) are small, bite-sized dishes meant to be shared and enjoyed with drinks.
I ordered two steak pintox, which were sliced French bread topped with steak and blistered local peppers, its juices soaking into the crusty base. Then, a creamy risotto – rich and comforting – and two perfectly grilled kebabs, smoky and tender. We washed it all down with glasses of cider and red wine, finally feeling like ourselves again.
March 15th, 2024: My Best Bite Was…
It was our last night in San Sebastián, but we had to try Basque cheesecake from its birthplace, La Vina. It’s one of those must-do things when you’re in Northern Spain. The dessert is known for its creamy, almost burnt exterior and smooth texture, like silk.
We fought for our lives to get a cheesecake for the class, navigating the crowd and language barrier. While a few of us were fluent in Castilian Spanish, the Basque dialect is a little tricky to master.
Once we got our hands on the cheesecake, we made do, cutting the rich dessert with a torn edge of the box. Sitting in the dark, by the water, my classmates and I savored the caramelized top and melt-in-your-mouth center. Despite the crazy pace of this culinary adventure, this last bite of Spain will stay with me forever.