LA PAPA | Pau Claris — Restaurant in Barcelona

Rude service. I came in to order a coffee and some food to go. After paying €11.50 for a cold brew (€4.50) and a single chipa (€7), I was told the food would take about 7 minutes to warm up. I didn’t want to stand in front of the counter, so I walked toward the back.

There, I encountered a young girl who had just come out of the restroom. She asked if I needed help, but her tone made it clear she didn’t think I should be there. When I told her I had already ordered and was just waiting, she snapped that I shouldn’t be inside and told me to wait outside near the front door. She didn’t explain why or ask politely. She simply pointed to a chair and told me to sit… like a child. She spoke to me that way even though I’m easily twice her age.

I expressed my disappointment to the other employees, but they didn’t seem to care. One of them even accused me of being rude to her.

I ended up sitting there for over 10 minutes, fuming. By then, I was so frustrated I knew I wouldn’t even enjoy the food, so I just left. A man ran after me with my order, but I told him to give it to the homeless woman sitting outside. Unfortunately, I didn’t wait to make sure she received it.

Edit: The founder’s response suggests this was a misunderstanding rooted in a language barrier and that I expected to be accommodated in English. That could not be further from the truth.

I speak decent Spanish. I have lived in Barcelona for nearly two years, just five minutes from this coffee shop, and I have lived abroad for almost eight. I do not expect anyone to speak to me in English here, and I am certainly not a tourist demanding special treatment.

This was not about language. It was about rude customer service and a clear lack of basic courtesy. Your staff spoke English just fine, which is why I responded in English. I do not understand where this assumption is coming from. You're not a shop that targets a local clientele and the line outside was full of people speaking every language but Spanish. It is disappointing to see the owner resort to xenophobia while mischaracterizing the issue instead of acknowledging the rudeness...

I loved my brunch at La Papa. The first time I visited it was 2021, and I went to another location back then. I am a sucker for good aesthetics brunch places with a clear concept, and I couldn’t have been happier. First things first, I had to work, and I was happy to see that they had a dedicated area for solo people, which doesn’t impede large groups to enjoy their time. It’s a win win. Secondly, the have some sockets, and although tables are small, they are enough if you have a laptop and don’t need to work with a lot of stuff. Now the food: my avocado toast was a complete meal, boasting a generous creme cheese layer, with some scrambled eggs, enough avocado on top and granola, whose sweet kick was truly a nice addition to this bread. The avocado toast also comes with a poached egg for some extra proteins. I also got a matcha and was very happy to see they had soy milk (I believe it had a vanilla flavour). Matcha was of a good quality, nice vibrant green, and truly big. I loved the plates, matching the cups in a nice minimalistic style - also for sale, alongside other merch such as coffee and T-shirts. The price was decent considering the location and the full meal I had. On the side I also got some really tasty tomato, which came with some extra sea salt.

Service was competent and very friendly. For 5 years I have been recommending this place and...

I really like la papas coffee ( because they serves nomad beans) and dessert but everytime breakfast is disappointment. They serve so slow and food is not tasty. Simply so many other good breakfast spots in barcelona and theres always a line. I dont get the hype for breakfast. Just stop by for a coffee and dessert

EDIT: First, there's a clear difference in taste between this branch and the one on Aribau, I'm not sure why that is

Second, for a place with such high demand, I believe the number of staff is too low. The team is doing their best, but it's difficult for them to keep up with the volume

Third, there’s a significant difference in taste depending on the time you visit. For example, the breakfast I had during a quiet weekday was much better than the one I had on a busy Saturday

To give a specific example: the tortilla. the staff kindly asks how you'd like it cooked, and I always request it creamy which they even recommend themselves but during busy times, it arrives cold and way overcooked. When I go during a quieter time, it's served hot and cooked just right

while the concept is great overall, the kitchen and staff coordination definitely need improvement - I...