A lifetime between paellas and tapas.
We are the family of Nuri and Jordi, three generations in the kitchen. It all started in 1962 when these two lovers opened their first restaurant in Poble Nou, Bar Núria, a neighborhood tapas bar where people enjoyed playing dominoes.
After 60 years and with five restaurants open, we continue to work like a family, with the same love for cooking and things well done that our parents (and grandparents), Nuri and Jordi, have instilled in us from day one.
And this is our story:
A lifetime between paellas and tapas.
We are the family of Nuri and Jordi,
three generations in the kitchen. It all started in 1962 when these two lovers opened their first restaurant in Poble Nou, Bar Núria, a neighborhood tapas bar where people enjoyed playing dominoes.
After 60 years and with five restaurants open, we continue to work like a family, with the same love for cooking and things well done that our parents (and grandparents), Nuri and Jordi, have instilled in us from day one.
And this is our story:
Nuri’s hands were kneading flour and water in a bakery in Sant Fruitós de Bages when Jordi fell in love with her. It was 1952 and both were young and had their sights set on the future. Eleven years later, Nuri and Jordi started their business in Barcelona, in the Poble Nou neighborhood, exactly at Espronceda street number 62. It is there where the first stone of Familia Nuri was laid. Bar Núria was the first step in a long journey that continues in our lives.
At only 24 years old and without any training in restaurant business, Nuri took over the kitchen of Bar Núria, in the Poblenou district. Everything she knew about cooking was learned from her mother and grandmother. The dining room was managed by her husband, Jordi. He was in charge of serving the customers, although Nuri always liked to get out of the kitchen to talk to them. Bar Núria was a casual bar where people played dominoes. It had a traditional gastronomic approach such as tapas and inn cuisine. Dishes such as soups, macaroni (one of the best in all of Barcelona, according to some customers), fricandós, stewed beans… were the protagonists. Both, Núria and Jordi, spent the day at the bar, with schedules that exceeded 12 hours of work per day.
After a few years in Poblenou, Nuri and Jordi wanted to give their business a little twist and moved to the Eixample district. This is how Salamero was born, in Aragó street. It was a smaller place where there was no kitchen. Nuri made grilled food and sandwiches with the same talent as at Bar Núria. A sandwich that excels for its simplicity should be highlighted, the well-known bikini, a toasted sandwich filled with ham and cheese.
But Salamero was destined to have another evolution that would be key to definitively creating Ca la Nuri. Nuri and Jordi’s children had learned from all their parents’ work for many years. One of them, Ricard, suggested that they could offer fried fish and seafood tapas and change the name of the restaurant, from that moment it would be called Ca la Nuri. The change was a success, so much that Nuri, with the leftover squid legs, made herself brave and started making paella and fideuà. The Ca la Nuri fried-fish and paella shop on Aragó street soon became too small.
Ca la Nuri’s gastronomic offer was consolidated at Ca la Nuri Eixample, the restaurant that currently has the name Terra Ca la Nuri. Ricard found a place at Consell de Cent street 377 that was available. It was a larger space and the kitchen allowed for a more suitable structure with the offer it was aimed at. Mussels, Dublin Bay prawn with onions, grilled cockles were quickly added… A cuisine of simple and delicious seafood tapas. Terra Ca la Nuri currently maintains Ca la Nuri’s roots with a traditional cuisine where you can always find good paellas.
Ricard was passionate about riding a bicycle along the seafront, one of the best settings in Barcelona. One morning while he was pedaling he saw that there was a property available, under Hospital del Mar, on the beach. After refurbishing it to his liking, Nuri took the apron and went down to the beach to watch the waves while she cooked. In the meantime Jordi stayed in charge of Terra Ca la Nuri until they both retired. Nuri retired just after turning 70, leaving a gastronomic brand of quality and good service. In 1962, the first grain of rice was added to the paella pan and, from then on, the mountain kept growing.
The seafaring soul of Familia Nuri grew with the arrival of Xiroi, on the promenade of Nova Icària. Ricard wanted to offer a more informal proposal, where to have a good time with fresh cuisine, a wide range of cocktails and good music; all while enjoying an unbeatable location in front of the sea. All these ingredients have turned Xiroi into a perfect space both to spend a good time with friends and family, as well as to celebrate large group gatherings and end the night with the rhythm of the latest hits.
Without straying too far from the sea, the family took their gastronomy to the logistics area of the Port of Barcelona, where there are hundreds of companies. At Arrozal, all these workers find an oasis of calm in an environment in constant motion, where they can enjoy paellas and a wide selection of dishes cooked on the charcoal grill. There, as in all restaurants, Nuri’s stamp continues to feed the stomachs of those who want to feel at home during their lunch break.
The Mediterranean and its magic convinced Ricard to open a new restaurant just a few meters from Ca la Nuri. Sal Mar’s terrace, just on top of the sand, was the perfect spot to savor delicious tapas and paellas, and, for the first time, get close to the flavors of other cultures. The restaurant’s recipes with a touch of fusion, and its young and cosmopolitan spirit, have made it a reference place to enjoy long table talks by the sea.
Six decades and three generations later, Nuri’s love for cooking continues growing. In such a special year, the family wanted to modernize its image with a logo that represented its trajectory and way of understanding the business. Behind each new opening, there remains the same passion and dedication as the first day, and also the same people who keep the family spirit alive. Workers, customers, suppliers and friends are part of this family that already has 60 years of history!
The family’s most emblematic restaurant, Ca la Nuri, on Barceloneta beach, was also renovated for the 60th anniversary celebration, keeping the essence of its origins but with a younger soul than ever.
The great tribute to the 60th anniversary was the reopening of the restaurant where everything started. The return of Bar Núria, the first business that the family opened in the Poblenou district, was the culmination of this anniversary full of novelties, adapting the name of the new restaurant to embrace the knowledge of these 60 years. Located on Rambla del Poblenou, Bar Nuri offers an honest cuisine based on seasonal ingredients, classic dishes from our history, and the most outstanding dishes that Nuri cooked when she opened in 1962.
Stay tuned to all news and solidarity initiatives of Familia Nuri!
Hem preparat un menú irresistible de la mà de Roku Gin, una ginebra artesanal japonesa premium.
Hem preparat un menú irresistible de la mà de Roku Gin, una ginebra artesanal japonesa premium.
Aquest diumenge ens hem desplaçat fins a la Plaça del Mar per gaudir de l’ambient i els tresors de segona mà que ofereix el Lost & Found, organitzat amb la col·laboració de Van Van Market.
Del 8 al 11 de juny hem viscut una de les edicions més emocionants del Tast a la Rambla!
