Barcelona’s newest culinary spot, Can Bo launches at the Grand Hotel Central, signalling the hotel’s full re-opening following an extensive re-design.
Led by Chef Oliver Peña, the gastronomic concept focuses on tapas and sharing plates that highlight local Catalan produce, paired with an extensive wine selection curated by Amador Marín.
Located on the city’s bustling central boulevard, Via Laietana, Can Bo is designed by London-based studio Sagrada. Large windows fill the space with natural light and a central bar area serves as both a gathering point and kitchen counter. The mediterranean-inspired interiors feature warm blue and terracotta tones, while a eye-catching mosaic floor in the Catalan ‘trencadís’ style honours the building’s cultural history.
Barcelona-born Oliver Peña of elBulli Hotel, Comerç 24, Teatro Kitchen & Bar, and Michelin-starred 41º Experience and Enigma, leads the kitchen alongside Grand Hotel Central’s Executive Chef, Lorenzo Cavazzoni, promising a forward-thinking menu inspired by classic Spanish cuisine and occasional subtle Italian influences. Quality locally sourced ingredients are staples, such as free-range chicken from Cerdanya, artichokes from El Prat, red mullet from the Barcelona Coast, mussels from the Ebro Delta and strawberries from Maresme.
Signature dishes include cold tapas like charcoal-grilled leek with romesco, cacio e pepe artichoke or amberjack salpicón and hot tapas like Catalan-style chicken croquettes, fried octopus roll with red mojo or the tonnato Iberian pork tapa.
Marín, former head sommelier of the ElBarri Group, has curated a wine list with over 150 carefully selected references, from local and national wineries to international labels. The restaurant’s wine library is a key design feature and adorns the walls, adding texture and warmth.
Can Bo is named not only to echo the surname of the building’s original owner, politician and patron Francesc Cambó, but also plays with the Catalan words ‘can,’ which evokes home and belonging, and ‘bo,’ which means good.
