The Florentine, Poblenou: the Barcelona brunch that made us Aperol Spritz people

There’s a handful of drinks I try once or twice a year thinking I might finally like them. I’m still desperately clinging onto the hope that one day (probably hungover) I’ll finally get the hype around Bloody Mary’s and it won’t just taste like cold angry vodka soup to me. While Bloody Mary’s are still out of my taste palate’s reach, this was the place that changed my views on Aperol Spritzes forever.

For years I’ve jealously looked on in Italian bars at those fun bright orange drinks, but every time I tried them they tasted bitter where I wanted sweet and I just didn’t get it.

Enter Florentine Brunch Poblenou Barcelona.

First things first, the queue..

Brunch at Florentine was an absolute highlight of Barcelona for me! We phoned up to be informed that they don’t take reservations & to just head over whenever we liked. We didn’t realise that this meant we’d be queuing outside, but it was so worth it! We waited for around 20 minutes before being seated at the bar for a further 15 minutes and then given a table. We noticed everyone seemed to be at a similar point in their meals, and as we were leaving there was plenty of empty tables so if you don’t want to wait arrive before 11 or after 2 on a Saturday!

Top tip: no reservations means the queue is the price of entry, and ours came to about 35 minutes all in. Turn up before 11 or after 2 on a Saturday and you walk straight past all of that.

The Aperol Spritz that changed everything

I’m officially converted, I’ve avoided Aperol Spritz for years after a bad one in London followed by a bad one in Rome. Absolutely convinced it’s just not my drink. Florentine you have converted me and I am officially an Aperol Spritz girlie, you deserve their sponsorship because I’ve had about five more since we visited you and I think it’s going to be my drink of the summer.

So there you have it, the origin story of the raccoons’ obsession with Aperol Spritz. It’s our go to now, and easily our most consumed drink.

What you actually get with the brunch deal

We did the brunch deal, which seems to run all day, we ordered it at around 1pm and I couldn’t see any indicators of a cut of time. We paid for the Aperol Spritz we ordered at the bar on top of this. We kicked the meal off with a choice of two drinks, we opted for coffee and bellinis, but you could have had orange juice, tea or mimosas as well. I don’t think you could pick two alcoholic drinks but don’t let me stop you from trying!

The deal is €20.90 a head with tax included, and that gets you a main, two drinks and a dessert. Order the same food on its own instead and the Barcelona Eggs Benedict is €14.80, with the mains generally sitting between €13 and €15, so the deal has paid for itself the moment you’d have ordered a drink anyway. The Aperol Spritzes were €7 each and went on the bill separately, which is the one thing to watch if you’re ordering at the bar while you wait like we did.

Now, the food.

Then the food, oh my god the food! We were able to choose from three different types of eggs benedict, two types of omelette, an american breakfast or an american breakfast sandwich. We ordered the Barcelona Eggs Benedict and the American Breakfast Sandwich, and both were absolutely incredible! The Barcelona Eggs Benedict came with a large slice of mozzarella, plenty of pesto and a delicious fresh tomato slice. I hate overly wet tomatoes and this was perfect, it came with a side of crispy roasted diced potatoes. The American Breakfast Sandwich was shredded chicken with just enough of a kick on the softest brioche bun, topped with avocado & served with a side of tortilla chips. As usual we split both and it was amazing. If we were staying longer I would absolutely be going back here.

For breakfast dessert (yes, breakfast dessert, petition to make this the standard) we order the dolce pancakes and the banana nutella pancakes. They were beautifully soft and a perfect end to an amazing breakfast. We were worried they would be too heavy after seeing multiple large stacks of pancakes going out, but as we were on the set menu we only got one pancake each which was perfect. Of course we split this too and left very full; and very happy.

Final verdict

Worth it. 5 out of 5.

Go to Florentine on your next trip to Barcelona!

Call it €27.90 each, which is the €20.90 brunch deal plus a €7 Aperol Spritz on top. Two drinks, a main, a pancake and the discovery of my drink of the summer. We’ll take that.

The only thing standing between you and it is that queue, and about 35 minutes of it if you rock up in the middle of the day like we did. Go before 11 or after 2 and even that disappears. Worth knowing too that the spritz isn’t part of the deal and goes on the bill separately, though given how many I’ve had since, I’m not going to complain about it.

Prices are from our visit in August 2024, so give them a check before you commit.

The Florentine Brunch Poblenou, Carrer de Sancho de Ávila 173-175, 08018 Barcelona. From a bit of digging afterwards, it turns out it’s the little brother of The Benedict, which goes a long way to explaining the dog in the monocle who watched us drink.

It’s in Poblenou, which is a nicer part of town to be based in than people expect and a good bit calmer than the Gothic Quarter. We were up the road at Meliá Level Sky, and if that one’s not for you there’s plenty else across Barcelona. Go before 11, queue, eat far too much, then go and do something that isn’t eating to earn the pancakes back.

Best brunch of the trip, and the drink we’ve been ordering ever since. But hey, don’t take our word for it, go and queue for it yourself!

The Florentine Poblenou FAQs

Do you need a reservation for The Florentine Poblenou? No, and you can’t get one. They don’t take bookings, they told us to just head over whenever we liked. The queue is the price of entry.

How long is the queue at The Florentine? About 35 minutes for us all in, 20 outside and another 15 at the bar before a table. Turn up before 11 or after 2 on a Saturday and you walk straight past all of it.

How much is the brunch deal at The Florentine? €20.90 a head with tax included when we went in August 2024, and that gets you a main, two drinks and a dessert. The Barcelona Eggs Benedict on its own is €14.80, so the deal pays for itself the moment you’d have ordered a drink anyway.

Is the Aperol Spritz included in the brunch deal? No, and this is the one to watch if you order at the bar while you’re queuing like we did. They were €7 each and went on the bill separately.

Can you have two alcoholic drinks with the deal? We don’t think so, we had a coffee and a bellini each. We didn’t test it properly though, so don’t let us stop you trying.

Where should you stay to be near it? It’s in Poblenou. We were at Meliá Level Sky up the road, and there’s plenty else across Barcelona if that one doesn’t suit.

Footnote: Alex insists he loved Aperol Spritz from the very first one he tried in Italy. I have no memory of this. Even if it’s true, it didn’t become a regular feature in his hand until this brunch.

Prices are what we paid in August 2024. Things move, so check before you book.