Bicioci Bike Café

Gràcia flows into the Eixample via various main roads and several tiny back streets which sometimes go largely unnoticed, as is the case with C/Venus. Here, next to the iconic Falstaff bar, there used to be a lovely French restaurant called Atmosphère. When that closed, the space was taken over by two intrepid Italians, Andrea and Fabrizio, who have converted it into a place that combines their two great passions: food and bikes. 

The décor of Bicioci is largely made up of frames and wheels, and there's even an old-fashioned bicycle, a beautiful one, hanging up above the bar. To get into the kitchen, it's necessary to duck underneath a string of cyclists' hats, while presiding over the café is a framed cover of Gazzetta dello Sport that's dedicated to Roi Nibali when he won the Tour de France, and the colour of the paper was changed from pink to yellow for the occasion.

Bicioci is a welcoming place with its wooden tables, bright windows, tiled floors... the look of the place, conceived by the men themselves, is excellent, while the menu covers everything you might want to eat during the day: fresh juices and home-made cakes for breakfast or an afternoon snack, and salads, soups and pizzas for lunch or supper. The coffee is excellent, from the Dibar brand. The prices are reasonable and the quality good: the philosophy of Andrea and Fabrizio is to do everything themselves and offer a complete but not over-long menu filled with delicious things to eat and drink.