We joined the cooking class and afterward delighted the dinner we just cooked. A social event through a cooking class where you can meet with other travelers (and even some locals).
#1 Cooking Class we recommend
We tested the cooking classes with Stoke Travel as well. It is our #1 recommendation for cooking class with a more hidden-gem-market tour.
How to book?
- Visit Stoketravel.com
- choose your date and class
- apply the discount
That’s it!
Back to Foodie:
“We wanted to do something different this time, and experience the culture.“ – says Lina,
as she sips on her fresh, homemade sangria.
We are Hostelgeeks, your independent platform and shortcut to outstanding hostels in the world. Besides reviewing hostels, we enjoy non-touristy things to do when traveling. One of the latest trends among travelers is cooking with locals.
More tips on Barcelona
- 23 FUN things to do in Barcelona (pillow fights, best coffee shops, …)
- 77 COOL things to do (swimming pool with panoramic views, hidden squares…)
- Luxury Things to do in Barcelona
Also important, the guide on getting around Barcelona the easiest and best way. I also wrote a guide on the coolest bike tours in Barcelona.
Back to cooking:
Eat and cook like a local – ever heard of it? We took the opportunity to attend a cookery class by Foodie Experience Barcelona.
On our menu? A Mediterranean dinner with homemade sangria, paella, and tapas.
Our article about Foodie Experience Barcelona covers:
- Our Foodie Experience Barcelona
- La Boqueria Tour and background stories
- Put your apron on and start cooking
- Cooking with the locals and the 2 aspects
- The verdict: Is it worth it?
- Info Box
- Update: Wine Tasting
Here is our first-hand experience with Foodie Barcelona Experience cooking class, for you and the whole Hostelgeeks community. Mouth-watering shots included.
For more secret tips for Barcelona, download the Local Secrets to Barcelona here.
1. Our Experience with Foodie Experience Barcelona
We hopped on our Red Vespa and head over to Placa Reial, right in the heart of the city.
There, together with 8 other food-lovers, we join the cooking class by Foodie Experience Barcelona.
What’s cooking today?
A full, mouth-watering Mediterranean homemade dinner!
Beforehand we take a tour around the famous market La Boqueria. The cookery studio is located inside an old modernist building, right at Placa Reial, next to Las Ramblas.
This means La Boqueria is only a short three minutes walk away from the cookery studio.
We enter the spacious studio through a big, wooden door, and are welcomed with a friendly smile and a warm Hola!
Good vibes, great energy – right from the start it was pretty clear, this Foodie experience was going to be a cosy one.
Jump to the Info Box to get the discount + link to the cooking class.
The long, wide room has three green balconies and three different wooden tables.
One table is for the cooking itself with a big cooker hood. The second is prepared with chopping boards, big silver knives, and green, yellow and red vegetables to cut. The last one in front of the wine cellar is for dining only.
Oh, we cannot wait to get to the last table!
1.1 Foodie Tour at La Boqueria (behind the scenes)
After getting to know our fellow food enthusiasts, it is time to visit La Boqueria market.
Angela, the Foodies chef, shares some insights of Barcelona’s most popular market.
She gives us an idea of what has been going on behind the scenes of La Boqueria and its development over the past few years. Problems, changes, history.
Barcelona has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, and this has affected local markets.
She provided the background story to the shiny smoothie stands as well as to the antique stalls, and we think she found the right balance between the two.
The Boqueria tour is a great way to start.
You can try lots of delicious food and the stories Angela shares whet your appetite for more. And not just that. Angela also gets the latest ingredients we need for the Paella.
We stroll back to the venue. It is time to prepare a tasty Mediterranean dinner.
What’s the best way to start?
With a homemade, fresh sangria, of course.
1.2 Time to put the apron on: The cooking class
David, a fellow foodie from Dallas, USA, prepares the sangria while Jennifer takes care of the dessert, which is nothing less than Crema Catalana. The Catalan Cream is a typical dessert from Catalonia. It includes cinnamon, thin cream, milk, lemon…
“And what else goes into the Catalan cream?“, asks Nathalie.
“Don’t worry, I will send you all the recipes by email, so you can cook everything we make today at home!“, replies Angela.
That’s awesome! We enjoyed not have to worries about taking notes, and simply enjoy the vibes. Putting our senses in cooking and enjoying our time with the fellow travelers.
On the menu:
- homemade sangria
- red wine
- Spanish omelette
- pan con tomate
- paella
- and Crema Catalana (for dessert)
Angela shows and explains passionately in detail how to prepare the popular “pan con tomate” and “Spanish omelette”. It is the first dish along with David’s delicious sangria.
Although we have tried plenty of sangria in our lives, this is a special one. Angela and David added a special ingredient: cinnamon, which provides a refreshing twist on Spain’s most famous drink.
“Should we get started with the paella?“ asks Angela. The 10 pairs of eyes start to shine yet again.
We take turns preparing three different paellas while our lovely Foodie’s chef goes into detail about the heritage of the dish. What goes into paella? Here is a sneak peek of the recipe:
- Olive oil
- garlic
- red and green peppers
- Paella rice
- chopped tomatoes
- green beans
- seafood mix of your choice
- …
Finally, we reached the last table.
We lift our glasses of local Catalan red wine, say “cheers” “prost” “salut” and many other toasts, and start to enjoy an incredible, delicious, homemade paella.
For Lina it was her first day in Barcelona, and for Jennifer her last one.
It didn’t make any difference: The Foodie’s experience is either way a fabulous start to your Barcelona travels, or a wonderful “so long Barcelona“.
2. Cooking with Locals: 2 aspects
Cooking and eating with locals is one of the latest trends in tourism.
It is more popular than ever before. And there is a good reason for that.
It is not only a cultural but also a social experience. Today’s tourist is not a simple consumer, but more an individual person who wants to live an authentic moment in a different culture. – Foodie’s Team
2.1 The Culture – Context
Cooking, and especially learning how to cook local specialties, puts food in the context of culture. It is the process of creating your own meal, and a local chef gives you a hand. Step by step you cut, taste, add, sip…
We especially enjoyed all the context that Foodie Experience Barcelona provided. The heritage, background information, and the fact that they sent the recipes by email.
This is a perfect travel experience to get to know the local cuisine.
Another lovely touch we enjoyed in our particular cooking class was the use of local ingredients. Angela makes great effort to only use only high-quality local ingredients.
From fresh fish to sugar – a delight to see!
2.2 The Social Part
Unless you’re booking a private cooking course, you will join the classes with other travelers. The experience we had is quite similar to that of a hostel. It is laid-back and really easy-going.
And according to our host, this is typical.
„People are always so relaxed, and never in a rush. They are really in a vacation mood!“
said Angela. And she was right.
3. The Verdict: Is it worth it?
We were incredibly curious about this experience. Would it be worth it – the time and the money?
It’s a definite: yes, but…
The price for this cooking class starts from 85€. You can join as well private cooking classes for the same price.
Either way, we had a great time and joining a cooking course with Foodie Experience Barcelona.
It is a different kind of travel experience – it’s off the tourist trail.
This is what we at Hostelgeeks particularly like. You can tell that the cooking class is tailor-made, and it’s a real “Cooktainment“ for every foodie traveler.
Therefore, add a cooking class to your bucket list when visiting Barna.
We also collected +23 fun things to do in Barcelona, including Vespa tours and beach volleyball.
4. INFOBOX
You can read more reviews across the web as well. They are all fantastic! So, how can you actually book?
- Visit Foodie Experience
- Book the cooking class with Get Your Guide (it is the safest way to book!)
- check your email for booking confirmation
Simple as that!
What to bring: time, good vibes, hunger (everything else will be taken care of!)
Personal recommendation: We enjoyed the tour in the evening. It’s perfect to go for a drink afterwards with some fellow foodies!
Update: Wine Tours
Since so many of you asked, we had a look as well for Wine Tours.
The best wine tours in Barcelona can be joined with Enric and Duncan from Barcelona Wine Tours.
We joined their wine tasting in a small, cute wine shop in the city center. We tested 4 different local wine, accompanied by 4 types of local cheese.
“The wine? WOW! The cheese? WOW!”
– Matt
It is a private wine tasting class, introducing you to the fine art of wine tasting. The sommelier Enric is very experienced and shares this knowledge in a fun, consumable way – without making it overwhelming!
At the end of the day, we learned a lot about local wine culture and tasting flavors.
So there you have it. We found a fantastic wine tasting now as well 🙂
You can find more information, location and prices on www.barcelonawinetours.com/tours.
Here are photos of our activity.
Summary Foodie Experience Barcelona
We are happy to have finally joined the social cooking classes. The local company Foodie Experience Barcelona claims:
“What we offer is both cultural and gastronomic hands-on experience, which means guests are offered so much more than a typical cooking class”
And it is certainly true.
Foodie Experience Barcelona opened another way to travel the local way.
You can meet fellow travelers and foodies, and connect over food. Without a doubt, we will keep an eye open for more cooking activities during our travels.
What now? More genuine tips on Barcelona
- 23 FUN things to do in Barcelona (pillow fights, best coffee shops, ferrari rides, …)
- 77 COOL things to do (swimming pool with panoramic views, hidden squares…)
- Luxury Things to do in Barcelona
And last but not least, a guide on getting around Barcelona the easiest and best way.
First time in Barcelona? Read my full article on where to stay in Barcelona for first-time visitors.
Happy cooking!
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Pinterest and cooking, that’s a fab combination!
