He has tried more than 900 different ones, but his taste for bravas is insatiable. Edu González, the man behind the Instagram account @bravasbarcelona (with 450k followers), started his career as a “bravas hunter” in 2009 out of sheer cheekiness, as he puts it.
“I read an article about the best patatas bravas in Barcelona in a magazine and I didn’t like it. We were at the bar and my friends said, ‘Come on, then do it yourself.’ And so I did.” Since then, what started as a hobby on the blog bravasbarcelona.com has almost turned into a profession: “I haven’t quit my job, but I dedicate about four or five hours a day to @bravasbarcelona,” says this chemist and environmentalist from Girona.
His love for bravas goes way back: “The first time I went to Bar Tomás in Sarrià and tried their bravas, I said ‘there must be something better out there’.” It was back then when he decided to travel throughout the entire Barcelona metropolitan area and other areas of Spain in search of bravas, although he has not yet found a competitor to Bar Tomás. “This bar, a true institution in the history of spicy potatoes, inspired others to make them even better,” he says, explaining that in his personal bravas ranking, he even had to create a special place of honor – “the number 0 spot on the top 50” – because “since they invented the recipe for these bravas in the 60s-70s, they have been imitated in bars all over Spain.”
What other patatas bravas are at the top of your ranking? Edu González reveals his favorite places in Barcelona.
“The bravas at this place are a version of those from Bar Tomás in Sarrià, but customized with the spirit of a traditional vermouth bar. In fact, they have a touch of vermouth in the aioli and are truly spicy.”
ADDRESS
Provence St, 85, 08029 Barcelona
935 32 88 65
https://www.facebook.com/senyorvermut/
“The bravas prepared by chef Marc Gascons at this restaurant located in The Serras Hotel are amazing because of how original and crispy they are. A kind of potato mille-feuille with spicy sauce and aioli.”
ADDRESS
La Plata St, 4, 08002 Barcelona
931 69 18 69
https://restauranteinformal.com/
“All the bravas recipes that chef Omar Díaz has created during his time at different restaurants have been copied by other bars. At his bar, Bar Omar, he now serves “The Sea of Bravas”, with a tomato and shrimp head sofrito and an aioli that includes saffron. They have a bit of a kick, but they are delicious and have a flavor that reminds you of paella.”
ADDRESS
Amigó St, 34, 08021 Barcelona
932 50 84 28
“Patatas bravas for everyone, as I like to say, because they are not spicy and are very well-prepared. They come with a sweetish sofrito and the aioli is not very strong. They are very mild, but very tasty.”
ADDRESS
Montcada St, 2, 08003 Barcelona
932 68 30 03
