Spanish
Casual, Seafood
$-$$
Review
La Cova Fumada is a family-run bar beside Barceloneta’s market, with no sign outside identifying it. Open since the 1940s, it originally served breakfast to fishermen and port workers. Its name means “smoky cave,” a reference to the early coal-fired kitchen.
The bar is credited with inventing the bomba, created by Maria Pla in 1955: a fried potato ball filled with meat, served with allioli and spicy sauce. According to the family, a customer’s reaction gave the tapa its name, and the original recipe remains a closely guarded secret.
Alongside the bomba, order sardines, salt cod, small clams and seasonal vegetables such as artichokes. Much of the fish and seafood is cooked on the plancha, with the day’s selection depending on the market.
Closed Sunday
Editor’s Highlights
- La Bomba
- Grilled seafood
- Seasonal vegetable and mushrooms