Juan and Fede, lifelong friends from Mendoza, Argentina, decided to leave everything to start a new project: Mangrove. The new premises, located in Muntaner, is authentic and original, preparing Latin-Mediterranean cuisine with a young and careful spirit.
Both owners are passionate about cooking, and they show it in all of their creations, full of Latin flavors. Their dream was to turn Mangrove into a place where one could eat well and enjoy good coffee at the same time. For that reason, they decided to turn to the hot and burnt world of coffee, offering specialty expresso and thus creating a complete experience that combines cafeteria, bistro and brunch concepts.
The central idea of this restaurant is healthy and quality food, cooking without any processed product and prioritizing local, seasonal and fresh ingredients to offer the best product. They want to go beyond diets, looking for balance and health as well as raise awareness around choosing healthy options as opposed to sticking to bad habits.
You can enjoy Mangrove all day long. In the morning they open early to serve breakfast and brunch with a variety of options. At noon, they have a menu with a wide variety of healthy and delicious proposals.
And, as if this were not enough, from Thursday to Saturday they open at night, offering a variety of tapas dish that always follows the Latin / Mediterranean concept. All the dishes are marked to prevent intolerances and there are also many delicious gluten and vegan options.
A classic brunch item right now is the eggs benedict, which they make with fresh salmon and preserved grablax style with liquor, herbs, sugar and salt. But in Manglar, apart from having the most typical dishes, they seduce us with new and suggestive reinventions, such as Eggs 63: a bean stew, with two poached eggs made at 63º, an avocado mousse, roasted tomatoes and black sausage from the farm.
Another brunch plate is scrambled eggs with seasonal vegetables and avocado mousse, a 100% tasty dish.
The menu features dishes such as a barley stew with roasted pumpkin, beetroot, kale and vegan cheese.
Some delicacies that are on the dinner tapas menu are pickled carrots, cooked at low temperature with vinegar and spices, candied on the griddle and served with house ricotta carrot, orange and turmeric sauce. Another option is the tongue of organic beef with rabigote, herb sauce, capers, boiled egg, kimchi, sauerkraut and corn.
Many of their dishes are accompanied by a repertoire of breads homemade with organic, integral flour … just like the cakes, a Buenos Aires delicacy.
What is the best way to wash all of this down? We suggest a sugar-free lemonade with mint and ginger made at Manglar. There are other beverages available such as natural juices, lemonade, cold press coffee, smoothies and combos (a fermented drink).
Calle Muntaner, 124, 08036 Barcelona
Hours: Monday to Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. / Thursday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 8:30 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Average Price: 15-20€
Text: Maria Acero
Photos: Andrea Invierno