Casa Calvet
Author: Anothertravelguide.com0 COMMENTS
Antoni Gaudí is an outstanding representative of modernism style architecture, and his works have become a symbol of Barcelona. Giving him an architect's diploma in 1878, the director of Barcelona's Architectural College of that time said: „We've either given a diploma to a madman or a genius, but time will tell which one." The building, housing his museum, is the very same one that Gaudí built and where he lived from 1906 to 1926. Its furniture was designed by him, too. The museum collection comprises a wardrobe, an iron bed and other personal belongings. The Gaudí museum and the legendary La Sagarda Familia is just a couple of destinations in discovering Gaudí. Part of Gaudí's Barcelona is also a restaurant Casa Calvet, featuring his own interior design. The house was constructed in 1898 for the Calvets, a family of well known Spanish textile manufacturers. The house, still under the family's ownership, now hosts the restaurant. Opened in 1994, it occupies former factory premises and a textile store, located on the ground floor. It is remarkable that the original interior is entirely preserved, with tables being set in small rooms of former offices and a store itself. Gaudí's style lives in every detail - from wooden benches in the lobby, where clients of Calvet Company once waited, to stained glass windows, decorative brass elements, massive dark wooden chairs upholstered in satin, and even a small lamp on every table. Two ladies of the house, a manager Pilar Oyaga and a sommelier Paquita Castro, gives this place a special personal touch. Cuisine is very good, rooted in the national tradition. Although claiming on being a gourmet establishment, Casa Calvet does not belong to exquisite top spots of foodies, being just a bit too big to afford daring gastronomic experiments. Yet, with its authentic settings and special ambiance Casa Calvet definitely makes it worth visiting it at least once. A table should be booked in advance.
Caspe, 48
Phone: +34 93 412 40 12
Opened: 13.00 p.m. to 15.30 p.m.; 20.30 p.m. to 23.00 p.m., except Sundays and holidays