Terranova
“The best bookstore in Spain,” according to Borrás, is housed in a former 19th-century shoe shop. Come for the veritable gold mine of art and fashion books—Borrás recently grabbed a photo collection of 600 bar napkins from all across Spain. Then stay for the store’s offbeat zines and volumes turned out by its in-house publisher.
Canvis Nous
This bar cofounded by Nacho Alegre—the taste guru behind the arty interiors mag Apartamento—is, Borrás says, “something very real, from people that are doing creative things.” Some of those creative things? A best-in-class natural-wine list and inspired tapas, like a pork rib with rhubarb chutney.
METT Barcelona
Yes, it’s a half-hour drive from Barcelona’s center, but this lavishly updated 1925 property is worth the minor schlep. In exchange you get an expansive indoor-outdoor pool, a historic vermouth bar, and that view.
Disfrutar
“One thing we have in Spain is respect for the produce,” Borrás says. That ethos comes to life at this three-Michelin-star spiritual successor to El Bulli, where every meal is “like a roller coaster.” (Also promising: The name literally means “to enjoy.”)
One Perfect Shopping Day
Five can’t-miss stores in Barcelona.
Doshaburi
There are newer, buzzier boutiques in Barcelona, Borrás acknowledges, but none of them have the “peculiar, avant-garde” vision of Doshaburi, which opened in 2004 and stocks a mix of surging designers like Lu’u Dan and Juntae Kim alongside established weirdos like Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester.
Yabang
On the hunt for archival menswear? You’re going to want to make an appointment at their private showroom, which specializes in early-aughts grails from the likes of Valentino, Roberto Cavalli, and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Wah Wah Records
Borrás has been digging for vinyl gold at this grungy shop since his youth. “The manager is always angry and doesn’t help you at all,” he says. “But that’s okay, because the selection is crazy.”
Tannhäuser
When he needs to nurture his inner child, Borrás swings by this teeny vintage-toy store that’s crammed wall-to-wall with rare action figures and other collectibles from across decades and continents.
Matèria
The interior-decor concept store Matèria is led by four women, each possessing what Borrás says is their own totally distinct “sense of taste and amazing vision.” It’s the sort of place that’ll leave you wondering, Could I fit that midcentury stool in my checked luggage?
A version of this story originally appeared in the September 2026 issue of GQ with the title “The GQ Guide to Barcelona.”
Source: www.gq.com
