Piolindo (CLOSED)

In the days of the economic boom in Spain (1960s and early 1970s) when anyone and everyone was opening spit-roasted chicken restaurants, the place that roasted more chickens than any other was a Galician cooperative that, in addition to raising their own birds, opened two shops in Barcelona where customers could buy them already cooked – one uptown and one in the city centre. The more central Piolindo has managed to survive in a dignified manner through all the challenges of tourism and gentrification.

It's curious place: it's not the bar from the 1960s, but rather a more modern grill with an open kitchen. A take-away joint that also has a dining room, that's to say, it's a bit modest: blue-collar workers and retirees – a species in danger of extinction in the neighbourhood – enjoy a lunch menu for less than €10 (a couple of euros more at the weekend) that's well prepared and more than worth a try. You could get a decent cod dish, and a juicy roast chicken with a crunchy skin that's like candy to a child. And the croquettes aren't bad either.