Introduction
Barcelona has a way of making you fall in love with it, and then, usually around month three or month thirty, hitting you with a craving for something it absolutely cannot provide. Not jamón. Not pan con tomate. The specific cereal from your childhood. The sauce that doesn’t exist here. The fast-casual lunch spot you didn’t even appreciate back home until you couldn’t find it anymore.
It happens to everyone, no matter how long you’ve been here. And when it does, these are the places worth knowing about.
El Corte Inglés: The Best Place for International Groceries in Barcelona
For international food in Barcelona, the basement supermarket at El Corte Inglés on Plaça de Catalunya is the most reliable option in the city. What looks like a standard department store from street level opens up into one of the broadest international food sections you’ll find here: British biscuits, American breakfast cereals, Japanese condiments, South Asian pantry staples, and more. If you’ve been hunting for something specific and Mercadona has let you down (again), this is the move.
What to look for: The international aisle on the lower level. UK, US, and Asian imports are the strongest sections. Prices reflect the import premium, but the selection justifies it.
📍 Plaça de Catalunya, 14 (basement supermarket)
Honest Greens: The Best Healthy Fast-Casual in Barcelona
Honest Greens is the best answer in Barcelona for expats missing Sweetgreen, CAVA, or any US-style fresh-bowl restaurant. Barcelona-born but built around the same format: roasted proteins, seasonal vegetables, customizable bases, it hits the same without feeling like a knockoff. The ingredients are fresh, the menu rotates with the season, and it has a great atmosphere, making it easy to go twice a week without noticing.
Locations across Eixample, Gràcia, and El Born mean there’s likely one near you.
📍 Multiple locations — find the nearest at honestgreens.com
Taste of Home: The Best Independent International Grocery Store in Barcelona
Taste of Home is a great shop to know when you need a specific product that doesn’t exist in the Spanish supermarkets. It stocks products from the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and beyond: HP sauce, Marmite, Tim Tams, Weetabix, a rotating selection of biscuits and confectionery, and the pantry staples that become invisible until you’ve been without them for six months.
It’s a small shop, which makes it feel more like a discovery than a transaction.
What to look for: British and Australian products are the strongest categories. If you’re after something very specific, it’s worth a quick message ahead to check availability.
📍 Carrer de Roger de Llúria, 53, Eixample
Taste of America — Aragó, 53 & Balmes 294, Eixample
Taste of America is the go-to shop for American imports in Barcelona, stocking everything from Pop-Tarts and Lucky Charms to Kraft mac and cheese, Hidden Valley Ranch, and a candy aisle that covers most of what you’d find at a US convenience store. It’s less a grocery run and more a targeted nostalgia hit, the place you go when you’ve been here long enough to miss things you never thought you’d miss.
Prices reflect the import cost, but it’s more than worth it when you get hit with a specific craving that won’t go away.
What to look for: The snack and candy section. Stock rotates, so availability varies, but the American staples are usually in.
📍 Carrer d’Aragó, 53 & Carrer de Balmes 294, Eixample
Fast Food in Barcelona: Where to Get Your Fix
There’s a reason fast food chains have made it to nearly every corner of the globe: consistency. No matter where you are, a Big Mac is a Big Mac, a Whopper is a Whopper. When everything else feels foreign, consistency becomes its own kind of comfort food.
What you can find in Barcelona: Burger King and McDonald’s are everywhere. Taco Bell has landed in the city too, and KFC covers the fried chicken craving. For proper American-style burgers, Five Guys and Shake Shack both have locations in the city center, cheese-smothered fries, milkshakes, and all, though expect to pay a bit more than back home. You can also find: Starbucks, Popeyes, Dominos, Papa Johns, Little Ceasars, Carls Jr, and more!
A Note on Finding More
These four spots cover a lot of ground, but they’re not everything. Barcelona has a growing network of international grocers, specialty importers, and neighborhood shops that cater to specific communities, from South Asian grocers near Raval to Latin American markets across Nou Barris.
The fastest way to find what you’re actually looking for is through people who’ve already found it. That’s exactly what Penya is built for, search by what you’re craving, and get recommendations from expats who live here and know where to look.
Explore Barcelona on Penya → penya.ai
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find American food in Barcelona?
Taste of America is the most dedicated option, stocking US imports from Pop-Tarts to Kraft mac and cheese. For a broader range across multiple countries, the international aisle at El Corte Inglés on Plaça de Catalunya also carries a solid American section.
Is there an international grocery store in Barcelona?
Yes! Taste of Home stocks products from the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and more. El Corte Inglés on Plaça de Catalunya also has one of the city’s most comprehensive international food sections in its basement supermarket.
Where do expats shop for food from home in Barcelona?
The most commonly recommended spots are El Corte Inglés (Plaça de Catalunya), Taste of Home, and Taste of America. For community-specific products, neighborhood grocers in Raval, Nou Barris, and Poble Sec often carry harder-to-find items from specific regions.
Is there a Sweetgreen or similar restaurant in Barcelona?
Not a Sweetgreen specifically, but Honest Greens is the closest equivalent, a Barcelona-born chain serving fresh bowls, roasted proteins, and seasonal ingredients in the same fast-casual format, with locations across the city.
Why is it hard to find certain foods in Barcelona?
Spain’s food culture is distinct and deeply local, meaning supermarkets like Mercadona and Carrefour stock primarily Spanish and European products. Import shops fill the gap, but they carry a premium. The broader the range you need, the more likely El Corte Inglés is your best single stop.
Leave a Reply