Our first full night in Barcelona also happened to be the night of the UEFA Champions League final. Barça wasn't playing in it (it was Chelsea and Bayern Munich) but we still wanted to watch the game. One thing we realized Barcelona did not have many of was the sports bar/gastropub type of place where you could grab a beer, some bar food and watch the game on a multitude of TVs. The only places for that seemed to be English or Irish pubs. The first place we tried to go was standing room only and packed, so we ventured over to our other nearby option - George & Dragon, an English pub.
Since we were rooting for Bayern in the game (yes, at an English pub, although it was split about 60-40 or 65-35 Chelsea), we got some German beer from the Aktienbraurei brewery.
The beer was crisp and very clean tasting. It had a decent hoppiness to it, much less than an IPA, but more than an American macrobrew. It also had about a medium level of carbonation.
We also got some snacks. M was craving vegetables (not really a good match for bar food) since we hadn't really eaten many fruits or vegetables since arriving in Spain, and the closest thing that would work seemed to be jalapeño poppers.
These were about the same as what we would get at home - hot deep-fried jalapeño peppers stuffed with gooey cheese. Tasty but not something we would need to get again. It came with a good tomato salsa.
We also got the "100% Iberian hamburger with potatoes and salad." The potatoes were actually fries, which were fine, and the salad was a good mix of greens, pickles, tomatoes, onions and other veggies. They gave us bottles of oil and vinegar to mix in on our own to our liking.
We had been wondering why it was called an "Iberian hamburger". One thing A noted when ordering was that they didn't ask what temperature we wanted it cooked, and before it arrived we started thinking there might be ham involved in the burger. We cut it in half and our questions were answered.
The Iberian hamburger was literally a ham burger. They took a burger, split it apart, and stuffed it with Iberian ham before topping it with cheese. The burger portion was unseasoned and cooked to well-done since it was so thin. That didn't matter since the ham added moisture and saltiness. The caramelized onions that were used as a topping added a small layer of texture and also some sweetness. The bun was toasted a little too much and was a touch too crumbly, but overall the burger tasted really good.
The food at George and Dragon wasn't exactly the type of food we were looking for in Barcelona before our trip, but it was a good pub stop to watch the game. If we were back in Barcelona on the night of another game (and wanted to combine dinner with the game), we might check it out again.
Since we were rooting for Bayern in the game (yes, at an English pub, although it was split about 60-40 or 65-35 Chelsea), we got some German beer from the Aktienbraurei brewery.
The beer was crisp and very clean tasting. It had a decent hoppiness to it, much less than an IPA, but more than an American macrobrew. It also had about a medium level of carbonation.
We also got some snacks. M was craving vegetables (not really a good match for bar food) since we hadn't really eaten many fruits or vegetables since arriving in Spain, and the closest thing that would work seemed to be jalapeño poppers.
These were about the same as what we would get at home - hot deep-fried jalapeño peppers stuffed with gooey cheese. Tasty but not something we would need to get again. It came with a good tomato salsa.
We also got the "100% Iberian hamburger with potatoes and salad." The potatoes were actually fries, which were fine, and the salad was a good mix of greens, pickles, tomatoes, onions and other veggies. They gave us bottles of oil and vinegar to mix in on our own to our liking.
We had been wondering why it was called an "Iberian hamburger". One thing A noted when ordering was that they didn't ask what temperature we wanted it cooked, and before it arrived we started thinking there might be ham involved in the burger. We cut it in half and our questions were answered.
The Iberian hamburger was literally a ham burger. They took a burger, split it apart, and stuffed it with Iberian ham before topping it with cheese. The burger portion was unseasoned and cooked to well-done since it was so thin. That didn't matter since the ham added moisture and saltiness. The caramelized onions that were used as a topping added a small layer of texture and also some sweetness. The bun was toasted a little too much and was a touch too crumbly, but overall the burger tasted really good.
The food at George and Dragon wasn't exactly the type of food we were looking for in Barcelona before our trip, but it was a good pub stop to watch the game. If we were back in Barcelona on the night of another game (and wanted to combine dinner with the game), we might check it out again.
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