L'Empanaderia de Gràcia El Facón — Restaurant in Barcelona

The inside of my empanada was cold. The outside of my wife’s was burnt. The flavor of each was middling at best, with the mushroom only slightly better than spinach, which was downright bland. Most egregious was the employee, some hipster chick who clearly couldn’t be bothered to do her job. When we walked in, she was on her phone, and didn’t even make eye contact. When we let her know that we were ready to order, she looked up at us with apathy, leaning against the wall, still on the other side of the room. Finally, my wife has to ask her if we needed to come to her to order, at which point she exhaled loudly, half rolled her eyes and slowly approached us. All of her behavior would have been excusable, had the meal been exceptional. My restaurant triangle goes like this: cheap, comfortable, good - pick two. Sadly, with each empanada costing over €2, the service being weak and the taste being blah, this place fails on all three fronts. I gave it one star because at least the place was clean. Sigh. Skip the hell out of it, and instead hit up Muns, Criollo or El Viejo Almacen....

Really great place to grab lunch on the go! Amazing variety of empanadillas, from the traditional meat or tuna varieties to more modern combinations (goats cheese and pear for example). Also some sweet versions. Very reasonable price 3.50 for two, they can heat them up for you and while there's one little tavle inside for eating, you have plenty of benches in the square outside to eat and people watch at the same time. Will definitely be going back to try out...

Flaky crust empanadas unlike anywhere else in town! Incredible variety, including almost as many vegetarian options if not more sometimes. Flavors you won’t find elsewhere (including a tofu and nori one)- the pollo al ajillo and la mejicana are my favorites. If you like a vinegary hot sauce, theirs is very good- ask for it!

Update: Even more fillings: the most recent being a spicy red curry chicken (super good). Still the best masa and variety...