La Cova Fumada

Even if you’ve been to Barcelona’s portside La Barceloneta neighborhood, you probably didn’t notice this spot. But that’s not your fault; La Cova Fumada, one of the city’s most iconic bodegas, has no sign.

Inside, there’s little more to indicate that this is a restaurant—at least not in the contemporary sense: the walls are decorated with a few pages torn out of a soccer magazine. There’s an ancient menu posted on the wall and a few wine barrels off to the side. Little seems to have changed here since opening day in 1944. Yet most likely the place is filled with people: locals, tourists, fancy Barcelona chefs. 

Look closely, and you’ll notice that all of them are eating a particular snack. This is the bomba, or “bomb,” a deep-fried, golf ball-sized globe of mashed potatoes with a minced meat center. To serve, a bomba is topped with a dollop of rich, garlicky aioli.

You’ll be asked if you want picante, an additional dollop of a spicy sauce (you do). It’s crispy, creamy, rich, meaty and just barely spicy. Just how that incredibly thin, crispy exterior manages to retain the soft pillowy center is a mystery of cooking and science. The bomba was allegedly invented here, but has since spread across Barcelona and Spain. 

La Barceloneta is located at the edge of the city’s port, and is an old fisherman’s neighborhood, which means that in addition to bombas, La Cova Fumada serves seafood. Scan that old wall-mounted menu for options and prices; most go for calamars, pan-seared squid, pulpo, tiny braised octopus, or bunyols de bacallà, battered and deep-fried salt cod. Alternatively, the menu also spans heartier dishes such as stews and bean dishes, and the kitchen also has a solid reputation for mushroom dishes, when in season.