BARCELONA: El Barri, Albert Adria’s dream, which he built together with the Iglesias brothers is being dissolved. The restaurant group of the Iglesias brothers which also comprises a partnership with Albert Adria that includes the el Barri group of restaurants (Tickets, Hoja Santa, Pakta and Bodega 1900) has declared bankruptcy according to Spanish press.
El Barri was Albert Adria’s dream to keep Barcelona in the international culinary limelight after the closure of the legendary el Bulli.
The future of the restaurants is not yet known. The only restaurant that is sure to remain open for the time being is Enigma, a restaurant that was created by Albert Adria and which does not form part of the partnership with the Iglesias group. He told Efe on Thursday that he did not know whether it would open this year or next year.
However, the acclaimed Spanish chef, who together with his brother Ferran Adria made many people dream with their gastronomic creations that revolutionised the culinary world, did not want to comment on the future of the rest of the group’s restaurants until a final decision is reached with his partners next week.
Spanish media have reported that the Iglesias group, which is a point of reference for Barcelona gastronomy has declared bankruptcy with debts surpassing EUR 8 million for the whole group which includes other restaurants that do not form part of the El Barri group. The group had restaurants in Barcelona, Madrid and London. They have been hard hit by huge losses in their various restaurants that were closed for a long time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Albert Adria said: “El Barri was a brutal dream which has given me a lot and now it disappears after ten years but it was worth it.”
“I do not like to settle into nostalgia but I am sure that many people who have worked with us will be able to say that they were there.
In September, el Barri had already announced the temporary closure of the restaurants and they had not opened since because travel and time restrictions did not really fit with the concept of the restaurants.
The restaurants were highly sought after particularly by foodies who were curious to get a glimpse of the past el Bulli magic.
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