Cecconi’s Barcelona

Cecconi’s Barcelona, the restaurant attached to Soho House Barcelona members-only club, offers its quality northern-Italian cuisine to the general public..

Bite-Sized Review: Cecconi’s Barcelona Italian restaurant, Soho House, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona

Soho House Barcelona is a members-only club in the Barri Gòtic. It’s a delightful place to spend time, either to work or play. It’s tasteful, comfortable and well-equipped and If I lived closer, I’d certainly join. I’ll review it fully on here eventually, but as this blog is mainly about food, let’s look at Soho House’s signature restaurant, Cecconi’s Barcelona.

Cecconi’s is open to everyone. Its large, faux-retro space, capped by brick-arch ceilings, includes a large cocktail bar, and an open kitchen where wood-fired iron ovens and flaming hobs turn out modern, northern-Italian dishes. As well as lunch and dinner, Cecconi’s serves a popular brunch – ideally kickstarted with one of their Bloody Marys – that I haven’t tried but it sounds appealing.

The lunch I ate there was fresh, well-made and pleasingly unpretentious. There’s a temptation for fashionable places like Soho House to disappear up their own backsides in pursuit of coolness or edginess or similar bullshit, but Cecconi’s is confident and competent enough to serve simple Italian dishes based on quality ingredients and careful cooking. The result is a success. There are Italians volubly present in the kitchen and serving staff, which undoubtedly helps.

There are two- and three-course set lunch menus at €14 and €18 respectively. À la carte, mains are in the €12-€28 range. The highlight of the dishes I tried but didn’t take notes on was an especially good sea bass with clams. The tiramisu is, as you’d hope, a fine way to finish.

Cecconi’s Barcelona: Soho House, Passeig de Colom 20, 08002 (Barri Gòtic), Barcelona; (+34) 93 220 4640; www.cecconisbarcelona.com; Metro Jaume I; Open every day noon-late

Find Cecconi’s Barcelona on the restaurant map.

Check out other restaurants in Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter).