Batea – Bar Marisqueria

BARCELONA, SPAIN.

Batea is a modern seafood restaurant developed following a bistro concept. Situated in Barcelona, Spain, the venue offers a variety of fresh produce from both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Batea is Besta Barcelona’s sister project, created by Marta Morales, Carles Ramon and Manuel Núñez. Paying homage to Spanish culture through their classic, yet untraditional menu offering, the team at Batea strives to always source and serve products of supreme quality. This attention to detail applies to their fresh proposal of seasonal cocktails too, making the drinks venue a worthy accompaniment to the restaurant’s gastronomic selection.

Marta, Carles and Manuel tell us a little bit more about the venue.

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND BATEA BARCELONA?

“Batea is the younger sibling of Besta Barcelona. Our passion is serving the freshest seafood from Galicia, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

“We love the power of the sea and its flavours, and we keep it simple to preserve their richness. What’s more, we do everything in-house – anything we think about, we do!”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE BUILDING THE BUSINESS?

“So interesting. Very crazy of course, 24/7 thinking and talking about the concept. It’s amazing what we have been able to achieve building the business from scratch; creating our menus, designing the space and fitting the kitchen... Just beautiful.”

TELL US ABOUT THE DRINKS INDUSTRY IN SPAIN.

“The wine industry is amazing in Spain. We are surrounded by amazing-quality wine areas, like Cataluña and Galicia, so in turn we have extraordinary wines. We love visiting the small wineries and tasting their products – the people behind each and every one of them are very professional.

“The spirit market is cool, too. We are very interested in local spirits, like Ratafia, a traditional liqueur made with a mixture of aromatic plants. At Batea, we love making our own infusions and fermentations inhouse to create bespoke cocktails for our guests. We are lucky to have great weather which gives us the option to grow herbs and make our own spirits.”

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS, SHORT AND LONG-TERM?

“We are already very grateful to be part of the Barcelona scene, however, spreading awareness and becoming a place that people love and remember is our ultimate goal.”

WHAT COULD UK HOSPITALITY OPERATORS LEARN FROM YOU?

“Well, we can certainly learn from each other; the UK has amazing talents and beautiful venues that we would love to visit or be a part of, somehow.

“We would definitely recommend using more Spanish ingredients and trying our wines… Just don’t use chorizo when making paella!”

Practising minimalism and cherishing local produce when making each and every serve, Batea offers a ‘genuine experience for the palate where pleasure is the objective above all else’.