El Cangrejo Loco Port Olímpic Restaurant

The restaurant is located at 29-30 Moll de Gregal in Barcelona, a glass box facing the sea situated between Port Olímpic and Nova Icaria beach. With a surface area of 710m² indoors and 164m² of terrace, the establishment occupies a privileged position from which one can contemplate Barcelona’s waterfront, with Badalona, Maresme, and Costa Brava in the distance. Access is from Moll de Gregal, which has become a popular promenade for citizens extending from Port Olímpic park to the Poblenou breakwater. This location serves as a reminder that Barcelona is a city connected to the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, with its own history and culture that constitute an undeniable attraction.

The project’s program responds to that of any restaurant: the kitchen, the dining room, and all complementary spaces. In this case, the kitchen and dining room occupy much of the establishment’s perimeter, making the kitchen the first thing one sees when approaching the restaurant. The pots and paella pans on the burners of the central island, where the fumets are prepared and rice dishes are cooked, can be seen from outside the establishment, giving an idea of the type of food served: traditional, Mediterranean cuisine.

The restaurant entrance is at one end, after having walked along the entire front of the establishment facing the Moll de Gregal promenade. This elevation is quite simple; behind the glass enclosure is a solid wall clad in blue ceramic. The corridor between the glass façade and the wall provides access to the cold storage rooms, changing rooms, and restrooms. A vestibule-like space precedes the entrance to the establishment, where passersby stop to review the menu, take shelter from rain or heat, or meet others before entering the dining room. From the vestibule, one accesses the dining room after passing a space where fresh fish ready for consumption is displayed, showcasing the excellent quality of the raw materials offered to diners.

The dining room opens to the sea, occupying the entire front facing the beach and the horizon where sea and sky meet. A unique space, without partitions, an open area where diners can enjoy unparalleled views of the sea, sometimes calm and other times rough, and where the celebration of the meal takes place as a community.

The essence of the project is the relationship between the dining room space and the sea. The view is assured, as the entire enclosure is glazed. However, this outward vision is not 360 degrees. The interior wall separating the dining room from the storage areas is a patchwork of wood-veneered panels stained in different shades of blue, a composition intended to place the diner between two seas, the real and the abstract.

The ceiling, formed by a sequence of vaults that meet the glass enclosure, frames the outward view. The arch accommodates indirect linear lighting above the vault, keeping the light source completely invisible while the vault is subtly and discreetly illuminated. Acoustic comfort is achieved by designing the entire ceiling with sound-absorbing material. The floor is wood decking, which also contributes to acoustic comfort, as do the table linens and upholstered benches.

The simplicity of the main ideas that define the project is what could be praised about this intervention: simplicity in distribution, materials, furniture, and lighting.