Mercat de Santa Caterina

A wonderful market to walk around in the morning to see the fresh meat, cheese, seafood, fruits and vegetables. There are a number of vendors selling prepared food for breakfast or lunch. You don’t have to buy anything. You can just look and dream. It’s also in a building with a very artistic roof.

Fresh market located in cool neighborhood of EL BORN. I love this market. They are renovated in new architecture covered their vintage look food and vegetable stalls. Fresh food / vegetable / meat products are sale here in reasonable price. Most of buyer are locals and not too much tourists. Restaurant inside the market are also good. All of them accepted credit card. You need the receipt for the restroom in the market.

Really good and big variety of food, but also a really big crowd. I would skip the fruit smoothies and get some ham and cheese 100%. Be patient and look around and you will find same products for a smaller price.

Spectacular market with countless selections of meats, seafood, olives, poultry, cooked foods, etc. Not as crowded as other markets and easy to access and friendly staff at all the market stalls. At the seafood ones, they can sashimi any of the fresh seafood you want as well. Fresh oysters and giant prawns included. At the meats or olives ones, there are to go cups of their selections to buy to walk and eat.

Worst place in Barcelona. Full of scammers. Or maybe not full, but just a meat stall?? We bought some iberico ham (€4.59 per 100g) in a pre packed packet of 110g and paid €6.00… I thought it’s a bit too expensive, but checked too late… Another scam at the same counter: selling meat cones staffed with plastic with a few little pieces of meat covering this plastic. I was shocked and my child was very disappointed. Not sure if they treat locals the same as tourists, but I would never come back for sure. Stay away from the Iberico meat counter (not sure the exact name of the stall) OR check everything properly before paying these scammers. Better go to La Boqueria for way better experience.

A lot chiller than the mercat de Boqueria. I think the prices might be better too. I had a fun time trying food from all the vendors and it’s all super fresh and high quality.

Clean, friendly store owners and the prices here are much more reasonable compared to the more popular one. We had our lunch here at Bar Joan which was fantastic. Highly recommend

Cozy place to shop for cured meat products, both raw and ready to eat. The meat cup is definitely worth a try if you have time for a quick bite! Some may find it salty, but it is cured meat...:) for me, it was perfect

Let's face facts. There's no market in Barcelona that compares with the food porn extravaganza that is La Boqueria (review: https://yelp.to/tHXHo177jd). However, there are genuine contenders like Mercat de Sant Antoni housed in a beautiful, mid-19th-century octagon-shaped building (review: https://yelp.to/QfoN2pYfE_) and this one just rebuilt in 2005 with a kaleidoscopic roof designed as a ceramic wave. It's a more modern space inside with fresh seafood and produce stands alternating with spice purveyors and prepared food counters. All of it looked appetizing though there wasn't much seating on the premises. Through its various iterations in the atmospheric La Ribera neighborhood, the market has been here since 1848. On the southern side, there are remnants of a monastery that existed for seven centuries before that. RELATED - Exploring Barcelona? Here's my collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/4dTEx5T

We love a local neighborhood market. Skip La Boqueria unless you're craving chaos and overpriced juice. Santa Catarina is where locals shop and things don't come prepackaged for Tiktokers. Here, we had several types of olives cheese cured in olive oil, and frankly, I still think about it in quiet moments. It was sharp and silky, Neighborhood market vibes. No frills, no tour buses, just flavor.

Clean and beautiful market. So much variety and quality. Fresh eggs, meats, herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables.

We didn't even know it was an option while walking all around the Cathedral, but another place recommended it when we didn't have reservations for their place. Everything was great. I loved the fried aubergines with the honey(molasses) -awesome!!!

Since we were only in Barcelona for a week, this farmer's market technically didn't make it on our "go to" list simply because La Boqueria is the one market that everyone talks/raves about! During one of our outings, we wanted to explore the city a bit more than planned and we randomly discovered this market that was NOT crowded at all and still had basically the SAME offerings as La Boqueria! While it had a different vibe without all the commotion, it definitely was a lot more peaceful to be able to browse and walk through the entire market without needing to push through crowds and talking over the noise. If we ever make our way back to Barcelona again in the future, we would definitely come back again!

This market feels off the beaten track and more directed to locals even though it's easily accessible by foot from many of the major sights in Barcelona. We enjoyed seeing the diversity of seafood, meats, produce and olives. Just wised we had access to a kitchen, would have loved to purchase ingredients for a meal. One fun feature was paper cones with ham and cheese. These were available from several stands for less than 5 Euro, a great snack. Highly recommend stopping here if you're in Barcelona!

Wow, Blown away by the beauty and freshness of the Santa Catarina market. In the heart of the gothic quarter is the coolest market around with the freshest grab and go, seafood, veggies and my favorite, pig in a cup. You have to check this place out. The sounds, smells and sights are the reason you're in Barcelona!!

One of my favorite things to do in Barcelona is to walk around the city and get lost. There's always something new to discover, and I found this market just like that--by stumbling around. It has the best produce and a small bar called Joanne. If you haven't visited this Mercat yet, please do so. You will not be disappointed.

Love this Mercado! Especially we came twice for their breakfast. Sandwich with Jamon and ham. The bread was crispy ! Coffee is delicious n ambiance is friendly!

I prefer this market to La Boquería as it's smaller, but still has plenty of food options for all diets, even a vegan stall! While I'm not vegan, having any meat free options is awesome, especially in Spain. I visited a few stalls, buying cheese and croquetas from a lovely woman. They were so tasty!!! I definitely recommend using the bathroom as there are few public areas to go. If you buy something, save your receipt to show the bathroom attendant, or be prepared to shell out $.50. All in all, a great visit and super local delights!

Much smaller market than the Boquria but just as much food stall options. Most vendors have a little English knowledge for communication with tourists. The service was good and mostly friendly. In the morning it is not as busy as midday. If you are coming to eat or shop, I would suggest coming early before all the walking tours come through with small groups.

This market is closer to my lodging but I prefer the bigger farmer's market because this one has a strong unpleasant odor. I went around four pm and most stalls were closed except for cheese.

This market is so amazing. It was across the street from my hotel and I had the best coffee and breakfast there at the market. Went to the market several days that I was in Spain. There are so many delicious vendors there that will provide everything that you could want. Im so glad we stayed so close to the market. There is a vegan vendor as well. Purchased alot of cheeses and bread and Jamon for giving to my family. Even some dried fruit.

Great market in the heart of the district. Came through here on a food tour so we got to stop at quite few stalls and sample quite a bit. Was most excited for, what I am calling, the meat cones. They have a restaurant, fully cooked food, or food you can take home to cook. Also lots of fresh veggies!

A true Spanish mercado. It has fish, poultry, meat, baked goods, prepared food, flowers, etc. Prices are not for tourists but for locals and everyone else. Vendors are friendly and smiley. Great place, not touristy like Boqueria. Check it out next time you are in the area..

What a fantastic local market! Everything you could imagine here from fresh fish to desserts to ground spices and everything in between. I spent a while just wandering and exploring all of the vendors. You want olives? They got them! Fresh rabbit? Pineapple? Pizza? Fresh squeezed juice? They got that too!! I recommend looking at the photos to really get a good idea of all this market has to offer!

After my morning tour I knew there was another market in El Born district that I wanted to try. Santa Caterina is 1/4 the size of La Boqueria. Thus it is limited but quieter than the former. It still has similar provisions but not as much. There are stands for best, chicken, fresh eggs, jamon, cheeses, torron and chocolate. After, strolling through I was a bit hungry and decided to eat at one of the restaurants. This market is near many shops and of course Palau de Musica Catalina.

My boyfriend and I came here on a Monday around 8:30 AM, it was actually pretty empty. Most of the vendors weren't open and some didn't finish setting out their food yet. Since we were already there, we just settled for one of the restaurants inside on the side. We decided to keep it simple and easy. We ordered bacon & fried eggs, sausage & fried eggs, and an orange juice. It was 5 euros for each meal. After we finish eating, luckily, I found what I wanted in the first place... fresh squeeze juice! We got the orange and strawberry juice. It was so fresh, but sadly, it wasn't ice cold like we wanted! It was cool to experience a calm market. La Boqueria Market has more options and is way better, but it is too packed and crowded there. I can see why people get pick pocket there.

Market of Saint Catherine! This is a more local market than the Mercat de Boqueria, the 'other' farmers market in town. This is the place that the locals shop. It's less crowded, less expensive, less hectic, less showy, less everything- except the flavor! This place was more ingredient orientated that the 'other' market. It has less things that you could eat on the spot than the Boqueria. Don't get me wrong- there are plenty of things you can just eat right on the spot, but much of the stuff included raw meats, raw fish, vegetables, etc. Any which way, I was in hog heaven with all the delicious foods they had to offer around here. The Euro goes a lot further in this Mercat than the Boqueria, so be sure to get a lot of little samples of everything. The vendors were all pleasant and happy to answer questions about the food, and were willing to sell small samples of everything. Be sure to check out the roof of this place. It looks like the roof once started leaking, and the government was like, well- we coooould replace the roof, or why don't we just build a wavy clam shell looking roof over the old one instead? So they built one, covered it in tile like it was a Gaudi masterpiece and called it a day. There's a restroom you have to pay to enter in the back of the place. It was fifty cents when I went. We discovered that if you toss your handkerchief over the exit door, it activates the motion sensor and you can just waltz on in.

Great neighborhood market. Challenge: Find the Minorcan grass fed cow cheese. You will thank me.

While all the tourists are at La Boqueria, you can get most of the same stuff here without the horde of humanity. Meats, cheeses, spices, fish, insane body parts ripped from all kinds of animals. It's all here. Although there are many stalls offering similar things, I recommend sitting back and watching where the locals gather. They live there, so they know what's good. Many of the stalls have small dishes out so you can sample the goodies. As you wander around, you'll wonder why the U.S. doesn't have anything like this in your town. I'd take this over Whole Foods nine times out of ten. It helps to know Spanish and/or Catalan to navigate your experience here. Some of the vendors do speak English. You can also just point and you'll get by just fine. They know the drill. I do wish they were open later, but that's a small quibble. Your visit to Barcelona is incomplete without a visit to a local market. Add this one to your list!

A Colorful Thrill for the American Tourist We spent a couple of hours here and had breakfast at Bar Joan. The breakfast was the best we had in Barcelona and the people watching was a lot of fun - mostly local workers at this time of the morning. There are a couple of other restaurants in & about the market as well. The market is one burst of color after another and the hustle & bustle of mostly locals was a great show for us. And very few that we thought were tourists. We did buy a couple of things but if you get salami you'll have to finish it before you get on the plane - US Homeland Security protects America from foreign salami by confiscating it. If you are looking for a fun & lively Catalan experience you will love Mercat de Santa Caterina!

Go to La Borqueria to marvel at the sheer size of it, but come HERE to actually eat. It's way less crowded, has more natural light and feels ten times less stuffy. I came in the morning, around 10:30 a.m. The shopkeepers here are so friendly and will explain what they are serving. Two things you need, no exceptions: a freshly squeezed juice and a cone of jamon iberico. These two snacks are life-changing and will cost you less than 6 euro combined! The best juices at this market are towards the back. I loved the mango passionfruit, and the coconut kiwi! There are also some amazing spice markets in here if you're looking for souvenirs. After you look through the market and grab a snack, wander El Born and look at the gorgeous architecture, the hip coffee shops and amazing bookstores :)

Avoid the crowds at la boqueria market and check out this place. More popular with locals and it appears cleaner than boqueria but less shops. There are also restaurants inside and outside of the market serving good food at reasonable prices. Bathroom cost 50 euros.

Sad we missed this our first 2 days in Barcelona, as it was right next to the hotel we were staying at! We discovered it one night walking past it to another destination, and ended up trying breakfast there the following morning. The opening hours here are much more constrained than Boqueria. This is the underrated sister of Mercat La Boqueria, and we would have preferred this market much more. It's not nearly as crowded, prices are about the same if not better, and you can tell it's one the locals frequent. We had eggs and jamon and eggs and chorizo for a fraction of the cost of the same dishes at La Boqueria, and tasted was not inferior. Definitely check this one out if you're visiting the Catedral, it's right nearby.

We enjoyed a trip around the Mercat recently when in Barcelona. It is a great stop for fresh fruit, bread and meats staying in El Born. The shopkeepers are very helpful and attentive. And the Mercat is bright, airy and very well maintained. We particularly enjoyed the pastries and the fresh squeezed València orange juice for our breakfast!

Less chaotic, less crowded and cleaner than La Boqueria. Feast on some olives, croquettas, jamon Iberico, cheese and other tapas at the many food stalls. For about 8euros, you'd be satisfied. I got a bunch of different croquettas at one of the stalls: mushroom and cheese, fish, chicken, ham and cheese, and jamon Iberico...they were soooo good! You can buy products to bring home such as wine, olive oil, cheese, olives, etc. There's plenty to see and eat without the madness and a huge crowd. The colorful and wavy roof gives this market character.

Love this market!!! Has everything not as much as bouqueria but perfect little mercat. Good prices and less crowded.

nice Barcelona market for fresh local food and a few household items. not as big as Boqueria but supposedly more for locals (i.e., not as touristy) we stopped here as part of a private food walking tour and this was a very cool stop

There were a couple of Farmers Markets worth a visit & we found Mercat de Santa Caterina on our way to the Picasso Museum Nice variety of food stalls offering staples and prepared items alike. We found some empanadas & a great selection of cheeses from a couple of different vendors - grabbed a local's assortment of Catalan / Spanish varieties Baguette shop on the corner leading outside, provided the perfect vehicle for our cheese, then we made a beeline to start indulging in our delights. There are some tables with umbrellas and benches As we were nibbling our lunch, we were almost pick-pocketed here!! A shady guy passed us a couple of times, finally approached for a handout - we declined - he then tried another couple. All of a sudden, we see this watch fall to the ground & the guy starts running away, only to get beaten-up by the pick-pocketing victim - it was awful. The cops were called in & it was very chaotic - their onsite security did *nothing* of any help & was laughing at the girl in the baguette shop who had also been robbed by that very samy guy just moments beforehand Not a place to which we'd come back - too bad since the food was really nice, local, fresh, & reasonably priced ......but I'm a stickler for a safe environment........

This market is clean, quaint, and a perfect alternative to the crowded mess that is the Bocqueria market: the bathrooms are clean, the fish and seafood look fresh, everything is well lit, and it was far less crowded than Bocqueria, so it made for a positively memorable experience. Shopkeepers are more patient, they smile at you, and actually look interested in telling you about their products (if you can communicate!) than treating you as a piggy bank. Do visit and support local shops!

Un dels racons autèntics de la ciutat vella de Barcelona. A in poder comprar amb calma els productes frescos que arriben de les rodalies de la ciutat, i amb això de la globalització no tant de la rodalia. I vinc casi cada dissabte a comprar peix fresc i el que necessitem per cuinar durant el cap de setmana. Visc al gòtic i la Boqueria s'ha tornat impracticable: decenes i decenes de turistes fent fotos i tocant el producte. Un disneyland del mercats que no es mereix ni el mercader ni el client de tota la vida. Vaig descobrir que encara que amb gent, Santa Caterina esta molt menys massificat que La Boqueria. I pots trobar pràcticament el mateix, i jo diria que mes o menys que al mateix preu. I com ja comentava, si vas a comprar patates per fer un pop afeira, i també tens pensat fer un tàrtar de tonyina, pots demanar el gingebre o cilantre, que segur que en tenen

Loved the olives and fresh sardines and octopus from Rosa Marina store. Lots of jamon and cheese options and fruit is always ripe and sweet fro the various stalls. Do get the ham that's freshly sliced to order.

If you're staying in an apartment that has a refrigerator and a stove for cooking some of your own meals, this market will allow you to buy a wide range of meats, fish, and shell fish. It is a wonderful way to experience life as a local and take in the flavors that Barcelona has to offer. Be sure to pick up some Spanish cheese and spices. Also enjoy some tapas alongside some of the locals who eat at the tapas bar inside.

Great market to visit in Barcelona...outstanding experience, excellent selection of various local foods, and fun people watching. Market is a better all around experience than La Boqueria (less crowded and easier to navigate). Merchants are very friendly, many speak English and were very helpful. A few suggestions: 1. Grab some sliced fruits or fruit smoothies...really good! 2. Great fresh produce...fun to purchase and make a picnic. 3. Taste some of the remarkable and unusual jamon iberico...many will let you sample before you purchase. 4. Awesome pastries....worth a try. 5. Awesome olive oils! Enjoy the experience...great fun!

We came here for lunch on our first day in Barcelona. Overall: Everyone should visit a market like this one--combining ready-made tapas stands with a farmers' market--during their time in Spain. If you're in Madrid, Mercado Susan Miguel is the place to go to. If you're in Barcelona, skip this one and head for Mercat de la Boqueria--it's far larger, offering more diverse (and tastier) ready-made dishes. We found the selection here to be too small and too forgettable to warrant a second-visit.

Forget La Boqueria, leave it for the real tourists. If you're looking for a not-so-hidden gem come to Mercat de Santa Caterina instead. I swear even the prices are a little better here. Not to mention no crowds. This is where the true locals shop. And it has beautiful architecture to boot.

Wow wow wow. I love this place. Fish looks so fresh, love the variety of vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses. My kids got a fruit Shake. Carlos I Montse is amazing place to get fresh ibérico jamón y queso de cabra. There were so many choices. The man who helped me was so kind, and helpful. I wish we had a market like this where I live.

This is the market I recommend to go instead of the Mercado de la Boquería on La Rambla, overcrowded by tourists. Fresh products and high end food quality guaranteed. Cuines Santa Caterina within the market is my most favoured place to eat in Barcelona. http://www.cuinessantacaterina.com/ Here you can eat anything you can buy in the market. And what a Gazpacho!!!! It is worthwhile to fly to Barcelona, only to eat here.

I decided to go here instead of Mercat de la Boqueria because of all of the reviews I've read that this is a good alternative and it's a lot less people. The vendors close around 3pm, so make sure you get here before then. The restaurants in this market are still open after 3pm, but if you want to purchase items from the vendors, you will need to get here before then. As far as pricing goes, I don't have a basis for that since I didn't visit la boqueria. But this is a good alternative. Just remember, it is small though.

I find this to be a cross between where locals buy their groceries and like a farmers market. There are independently run booths with meat, fish, spices and cheeses. You will also find fresh fruits, gifts and many other misc. items. We stopped by at the local coffee shop inside the market for some coffee "the flavor of the day". The coffee was good but the service was not exceptional, overall it was fun shopping and browsing the different booths. Adjacent to the market they have a restaurant with huge dinosaur reptiles. This seems like a fun stop if you have kids the appropriate age to enjoy the scene. We attempted to eat here and the menu items looked alright but the service was extremely slow. It appeared by looking around that there was not enough personnel to handle the customers. They were jammed packed but many people seemed to be awaiting service. We decided to leave but if you have time it might be worth the wait. The 5 star is for the market not the restaurant.

This market has everything, from the best fresh fruit juices to the most obscure meats (goats heads, brains, etc). The fish selection is incredible and the whole market is just clean and fresh. It feels like a very reliable and consistent place to buy your food. I entertained myself for quite some time just strolling through the market, looking at all the food, watching the experts at work. Drooling over the olives, mesmerized by the fish, tasting the cured meats and testing the artisinal oils. If I were a local you better believe that I'd shop for all my food here at the Mercat de Santa Caterina. [sigh] If only.... Better than la Boqueria? Not sure. Different? Definitely. And in a great way. Can't wait to go back.

Another cute market in Barcelona that isn't as popular as La Boqueria Mercat. We stumbled upon it as we roamed around in the area and it is smaller and much quieter, but has the essentials to for grocery shoppers. There are a lot of little shops on the outside too and seating of the market. They also have small restaurant stalls inside too if you choose to lunch/dinner here. If you're looking to avoid crowds, this is the market to visit.

I have read many things about this market and decided to give it a shot. Upon walking in there were food vendors everywhere. We went at the prime lunch time, so it was packed. You could barley move around and check out all the vendors and what each food station had available. I was also super hungry and extremely indecisive when it came down to choosing what food I wanted. So I started to order something small from each vendor. This was the best plan. A little something from each counter, ending with a glass of wine. There are no places to sit, well hardly any, so don't think you are going to come here to relax, have a seat and a 3 hour meal. It's more of a quick place to jump around and try different types of food. There are also a lot of homeless people walking around outside of the market, so be mindful of what you're doing as it's easy to encounter some of them and they are not the nicest people. Check this place out and have a great time trying different foods!!

Much quieter than La Bocqueria! Stopped in on a Friday morning. Nice to see the locals shop there. I ended up finding some lovely SAFFRON for a fraction of the price in the US. Makes a great gift.

My fav local market in Barcelona. Fresh meat, veg & fruit. Best place for ham and cheese.

Much nicer layout than the large Mercado. Not packed like a bunch of sardines with all the other tourists. You can actually go up to counters and talk with the vendors. Visited September 2016

Pretty much the same as Boqueria Market but a lot less crowded! It's a bit away from where the crowd is at Las Ramblas, but all the products are just as fresh and as plentiful. It's a lot cleaner here too, probably because there aren't as many people. Prices are comparable. I would recommend coming here! There's not a lot of already-cooked food though, so don't come here looking for lunch or dinner; it's more of a grocery place!

This market is an amazing experience, much nicer than La Boqueria. Why? It's much less crowded with tourists, with more or less the same type of stands. Also, in general the merchants tend to be a lot more patient and friendly (with the exception of one old lady who sternly told me, "No toques!!") Our apartment in Barcelona was just a few streets away from this covered market. What to do: 1. Grab some macedonia (a plate of sliced fruits- €1-1,5) or a fruit smoothie ( €1,5-2) while you stroll through the market 2. Taste some jamón ibérico (my favorite is pata negra) and manchego cheese. Don't be shy, most of the proprietors will let you try some before buying. 3. Buy some fresh produce. I had a Barcelona fig, and it made me cry with tears of both joy and sadness. Joy because it was the most juicy, sweet fig I've ever had; sadness because there was no way I would find a similar fig in the US. That's the Mediterranean for you. Tomatoes are good too. 4. Eat some pastries or prepared foods. I had a really good empanada with jamón in it- pricey (€2) but worth it. 5. Buy olive oil, balsamic, and/or wine for your friends. They have a huge selection in one of the stores here.