Bacoa Universitat

The mothership of this small gourmet hamburger chain, a pioneer in the field in Barcelona, opened its third space in Ronda Universitat in 2013, and the original, near Santa Caterina, is now called Little Bacoa. The original bears the name 'Little' because the new Bacoa, while still carrying on with its trademark excellence and informality, is enormous. So what's different? Owner Brad Ainsworth is betting that thinking locally will pay off: with the change of seasons, Bacoa offers burgers made with products grown nearby, such as artichokes from El Prat, for example. This is where they started ramping up the marketing with big ideas like the chair that holds your bags, and the piece of card that holds your burger so it stays together better and you don't get your hands dirty.

Like its founders, this burger house is half Spanish and half Australian. they combine the atmosphere of an Australian barbecue with the quality and patience of Mediterranean ingredients. On the menu you'll find burgers made with organic Pyrenean veal, Galician beef and lamb from Burgos. They're made into scrumptious combinations such as the house burger made with bacon, manchego, cheddar, pickles and artisan mustard, or the Asturiana, with Cabrales blue cheese and carmelised onion cooked over a low flame for five hours. They also have a meat-free options that won't disappoint vegetarians and vegans.

There's an invariable factor across all the Bacoa establisments: everything is home-made from scratch. The sauces are good (excellent chutney, and don't forget the hot sauce), artisan bread, and chips made from potatoes that are cut by hand daily and never frozen. The result is something that's always delicious and well-crafted, because as they themselves say, real food just tastes better.