Las Muns

Let’s talk about the empanada. It is, quite possibly, the most perfect delivery system for protein ever devised by man. It’s portable, it’s self-contained, and when done right, it’s a beautiful, flaky middle finger to the soggy, overpriced sandwiches that plague most modern cities. In the glass-and-steel canyons of Sant Martí, where the tech workers of 22@ and the shoppers of Diagonal Mar collide, Las Muns is doing something that shouldn't work on paper but absolutely does in the gut. They’ve taken the humble Argentinian street staple and given it a tuxedo, without losing its soul.

Walking into this spot on Avinguda Diagonal, you aren't going to find a dusty, wood-paneled tavern with a gaucho playing the guitar. This is modern Barcelona. It’s clean, it’s efficient, and it smells like baking dough and ambition. It’s a far cry from a smoke-filled corner in Buenos Aires, but the moment you see the trays of golden-brown crescents, you realize the priorities are in the right place. Each empanada is marked with a 'repulgue'—that distinctive braided seal—that tells you exactly what’s inside. It’s a code for the hungry, a visual menu etched in wheat.

The food here is a protein rush to the cortex. If you’re a traditionalist, you go for the Ternera Picante (Spicy Beef). It’s not a burn-your-face-off heat; it’s a slow, rolling warmth that builds with every bite of tender, well-seasoned meat. But the real magic of Las Muns is their willingness to get weird. They offer a Thai Chicken filling that would make a purist weep and then immediately ask for seconds. It’s got that lemongrass-ginger-coconut funk that has no business being inside an Argentinian pastry, yet here we are. For the plant-based crowd, this isn't an afterthought. The vegan options, like the caramelized onion or the pumpkin with goat cheese (for the vegetarians), are handled with the same respect as the cow.

Is it a chain? Yeah, it’s a chain. In a city like Barcelona, where we worship the 'authentic' and the 'ancient,' a brand can feel like a sell-out. But let’s be honest: consistency is a virtue. When you’re starving at 3:00 PM and you need a high-quality, affordable meal that doesn't involve sitting through a two-hour service with a surly waiter, Las Muns is a godsend. It’s one of the best cheap eats Barcelona has to offer in a neighborhood that is increasingly dominated by overpriced hotel restaurants and mediocre food courts.

The service is fast, the music is usually bumping just enough to keep the energy up, and the product is undeniably good. It’s the kind of place where you grab a box of six, walk ten minutes down to the Platja de la Nova Mar Bella, and eat them with your hands while watching the Mediterranean. No white tablecloths, no pretension, just good dough wrapped around good fillings. It’s honest food for a dishonest world. If you’re looking for a life-changing culinary epiphany, maybe look elsewhere. But if you want a damn good empanada that hits the spot every single time, you’re in the right place. It’s a reliable, high-quality fix in the heart of Sant Martí, and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.