El Mercat: A Taste of Spain

El Mercat—new to Vancouver and flourishing—is a new Spanish Cuisine concept with unmatched authenticity in its products and recipes.

Love Spain? Have a soft spot for Barcelona? Revel in the rich and lively flavours of authentic Spanish cuisine, tapas, and gourmet food? El Mercat is going to change the way you think about eating in Vancouver.

El Mercat’ means ‘market’ in Catalan, which is spoken in Catalonia, the capital of Barcelona. This name is the restaurant’s inspiration because it brings together a delicious diversity of foods from all corners of one of the world’s richest and healthiest cuisines.

“When you take a bite of a Spanish dish, it is like savouring the thousands of years of its rich culture and history, the tradition of the rural ‘La Mancha’ of Don Quixote, and the modernity of the cosmopolitan Barcelona, the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean and the rainy coasts of the Atlantic,” says El Mercat’s chef, Jonathan Sanz. “It is Dalí and Picasso; it is the innovation of ‘El Bulli’ and the raw, fresh, and authenticity of its hundreds of food markets.”

Let your tastebuds wander with Jamon Iberico croquetas, tortilla de patatas, or Sant Esteve canelons, and experience the ultimate grand finale with a delectable Basque-style Cheesecake, which was a finalist in Vancouver Magazine’s Made in Vancouver.

El Mercat is Chef Jonathan Sanz’s vision of bringing the quality and the richness of Spanish cuisine to the Vancouver market. Jonathan is a renowned chef from Barcelona who has worked to some of the best restaurants in Spain, including the two Michelin star restaurant Sant Celoni.

“I moved to Vancouver in 2017 because of a pleasure trip to Canada I made the year before,” he says. “I felt in love with the spectacular beauty of Vancouver, deciding a year later to set my new home more than 8000 km away from Barcelona. Now, I want to share a piece of Spain to my new beloved city, bringing the most authentic Spanish cuisine directly to your table.”

Right now, El Mercat functions in a commissary kitchen and is fully digital, which means customers can order online for pick-up or delivery. Because it is a business that appeared as response to the pandemic it doesn’t yet have a physical location, but one is coming soon.

Menu items are available individually, or discover El Mercat seasonal boxes, themed around special events and bringing Spain to your table. “Our current menu box is called Spanish Summer and it’s a selection of the best products of Spain with strong storytelling around the idea of a long-distance road trip to Spain as a response to the pandemic restrictions to travel,” Sanz says.

Ready to learn more? Visit elmercat.ca to browse the menu and learn more about El Mercat’s story. Ready to delve in? Head to elmercat.ca/store to place your order.

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Website: elmercat.ca
Address: 401 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC V6A 2P8
Phone number: (604) 394-2073