As soon as the temperature drops, Barcelona queues in two places: at the granjas on Carrer Petritxol and outside the churrería on Via Laietana. Churros and hot chocolate are our winter treat, and here they come with their own kind of café, the granja, old-school places where, besides thick chocolate, you can order suizos, mel i mató and crema catalana.
Here are the classics, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. The cover photo is mine, of a suizo at Granja Dulcinea.
My churros and chocolate essentials
- For a classic granja
- La Pallaresa and Dulcinea, on Petritxol
- For history
- Granja Viader, since 1870
- For churros
- San Román, on Banys Nous, and Xurreria Laietana
- Gluten-free
- Can Vernet, in Sant Antoni
Carrer Petritxol, two granjas from 1941 and 1947
Carrer Petritxol, between La Rambla and Plaça del Pi, is Barcelona’s chocolate street.
What is it? Granja La Pallaresa, open since 1947, with thick chocolate for dipping churros and melindros (soft sponge fingers).
Why go? It is the classic granja, the one everyone mentions when you talk about hot chocolate in Barcelona.
- WhereC/ Petritxol, 11, Gothic Quarter (metro Liceu)
- HoursMonday to Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm and 4 to 9 pm; Sunday, 9 am to 1 pm and 5 to 9 pm
- What to orderChocolate with churros, a suizo or mel i mató
On the same street, at number 2, is Granja Dulcinea, opened in 1941 by Joan Mach and Elvira Farràs in a former tavern that sold wine and oil. Here the chocolate comes with melindros or an ensaïmada, and the suizo, hot chocolate under a mountain of whipped cream, is the one in the cover photo. The Guía Repsol gives it a Solete.
Granja M. Viader, where Cacaolat was born in 1870
What is it? The oldest granja on this list, open since 1870 and run by the same family for five generations.
Why go? It claims to have invented Cacaolat, Catalonia’s chocolate milk, and the interior is beautiful.
- WhereC/ d’en Xuclà, 4-6, El Raval (metro Liceu)
- Hours9 am to 1.30 pm and 5 to 8.30 pm; closing days differ between sources, so check before you go
- What to orderA suizo, Mallorcan-style milk with cinnamon and lemon, or crema catalana
It is two minutes from La Rambla and the Boqueria. Besides chocolate, it makes its own yoghurts and kefir and a mató flan.
Gothic Quarter churros, from 1968 and with a Roman wall
On Carrer Banys Nous, in the Gothic Quarter, there are two very different stops:
- Xurreria San Román (Banys Nous, 8): open since 1968, it makes light, crisp churros fried in a blend of peanut, sunflower and olive oil. It is so popular that it has opened five shops in Seoul. It opens 8.30 am to 10 pm, except on Wednesdays, when it closes at 7 pm, and has a second shop at Consell de Cent, 211, open every day 8 am to 9 pm.
- La Granja 1872 (Banys Nous, 4): a modernista interior with a section of the Roman wall inside, a chocolate fountain, churros and melindros.
Xurreria Laietana, 5,500 churros a day
What is it? A neighbourhood churrería on Via Laietana, open since the 1960s.
Why go? For freshly made churros at local prices, and because it is one of the earliest to open.
- WhereVia Laietana, 46, Ciutat Vella
- HoursMonday to Friday, 7 am to 9.30 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8 am to 9.30 pm
- What to orderChurros and porras (thicker churros) to take away
According to Time Out, it fries around 100 kilos of dough and about 5,500 churros a day, and in winter the queue can reach 25 minutes. This is not a granja to sit in for hours: you come for a paper cone of churros and keep walking.
Neighbourhood churrerías, from Fort Pienc to Sant Andreu
Outside the centre there are churrerías more than 50 years old that belong to the locals:
| Churrería | Where | Since | What is special |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Argilés | C/ Marina, 107, Fort Pienc | 1958 | Churros, porras and salchichuchos, pastries filled with frankfurters |
| J. Alpuente | C/ Padilla, 161, Fort Pienc | 1963 | Sweet and savoury xuixos (fried filled pastries) and buñuelos; it has a stall next to the Auditori |
| Jessy | Creu Coberta, 95, Sants, and Aragó, 370 | 1970 | Flavoured churros, pestiños and rosquillas |
| Trébol | C/ Còrsega, 341, Gràcia | Thin and thick churros, and churros filled with dulce de leche | |
| Churrería Sant Andreu | Gran de Sant Andreu, 241 | About 50 years ago | The neighbourhood’s long-standing churrería |
With kids and gluten-free, Gràcia and Sant Antoni
In Gràcia, Granja & Xocolateria La Nena (C/ Ramon y Cajal, 36) makes its chocolate with fresh milk, has games and books for children, and offers gluten-free and lactose-free options. It is the one I would choose with little ones.
And if you are coeliac, note down Can Vernet (Comte Borrell, 294): it makes gluten-free churros shaped like bows, prepares the dough separately to avoid cross-contamination and serves hot chocolate with oat milk.
A bit of history, Can Culleretes’ chocolate in 1786
Barcelona’s oldest restaurant, Can Culleretes, was founded in 1786 by Joaquim Pujol, who specialised in hot chocolate. Today it serves Catalan food, and I tell its story in the historic restaurants of Barcelona. It shows how old the hot chocolate habit is here.
How to enjoy it
- Petritxol on a weekday or first thing
- Try a suizo at least once
- Fresh churros to go on Via Laietana
- Order melindros if you do not fancy fried food
How not to
- Petritxol on a Saturday afternoon with no patience
- Assuming opening hours without checking
- San Román on Banys Nous on a Wednesday evening
When it tastes best, November to February
Churros and chocolate taste better in the cold, and November to February is high season. They are the perfect end to the Christmas markets, especially Santa Llúcia, five minutes from Petritxol, to an afternoon on the ice or to a rainy day.
A word of warning: the opening hours are those published by Time Out in 2025 and 2026, and they often change at Christmas. Check before you go.
Which is your favourite granja? Tell me on Instagram @barcelonainspira.
Keep exploring Barcelona with me
More sweet things and winter food: the best panellets, eating well on a budget, where to eat escudella and Christmas in Barcelona.
Frequently asked questions
Where to get the best churros and hot chocolate in Barcelona
The classic granjas are on Carrer Petritxol in the Gothic Quarter: Granja La Pallaresa (number 11) and Granja Dulcinea (number 2). For freshly made churros, Xurreria San Román at Banys Nous, 8, and Xurreria Laietana at Via Laietana, 46.
What is a granja in Barcelona
A traditional café serving thick hot chocolate, suizos (hot chocolate with whipped cream), iced meringue milk, mel i mató, crema catalana and other milk-based desserts. Many started out selling dairy products, hence the name, which means farm.
Where was Cacaolat invented
Granja M. Viader, at Carrer d’en Xuclà, 4-6, in El Raval, open since 1870, claims to have invented Cacaolat. It is still one of the most beautiful granjas in the city.
Where to find gluten-free churros in Barcelona
At Churrería Can Vernet, Comte Borrell, 294, which makes bow-shaped gluten-free churros and prepares the dough separately to avoid cross-contamination. It also has hot chocolate made with oat milk.
📖 Read nextWhere to eat escudella in Barcelona: restaurants serving escudella i carn d'olla
