Gastronomic Forum Barcelona explores the rising format of the gastronomic bar
- The show will recreate a large live bar with chefs who will show how this format transforms the relationship between kitchen and customer
- The gastronomic bar is consolidating itself as one of the business formats with the most projection in today’s restaurants
Gastronomic Forum Barcelona, which will be held from 2 to 4 November at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, will address one of the trends thatare most transforming contemporary catering: the rise of gastronomic bars as the axis of a closer, more par-ticipatory and personalised experience with the customer. The show will recreate a large live bar where professionals will be able to discover first-hand a model that brings cooking closer to the diner and turns each service into a shared experience.
The kitchen is no longer hidden. More and more restaurants are moving the bar to the centre of their establishments to bring the product closer to the customer and generate direct inter-action between those who cook and those who enjoy their proposals. What for years was a space mainly associated with service has become a stage where preparation, conversation and knowledge are part of the gastronomic experience.
Echoing this evolution, Gastronomic Forum Barcelona will bring together Albert Raurich (Dos Palillos), João Kather (Tetsu) and Martín Comamala (539 Plats Forts) in its large live bar. Through their tasting presentations, the three chefs will show how this format responds to a growing demand for closer and more transparent proposals, capable of eliminating ba-rriers between kitchen and dining room.
For João Kather, chef of Tetsu, a Madrid restaurant specialising in grilled Japanese cuisine, the rise of gastronomic bars is closely linked to the search for more human and personalised experiences. “The customer is increasingly looking for closeness with those who serve them. The bar favours a more direct relationship between chefs and customers, allowing them to explain products, techniques and preparations while observing first-hand the reaction of those who try them”, he explains.
In this way, at Gastronomic Forum Barcelona Kather will show how direct contact with the public allows the seasonality of ingredients to be valued and to transmit knowledge about their origin and quality, turning each service into an opportunity to promote more conscious consumption. Although the popularity of gastronomic bars has intensified in recent years, professionals in the sector agree that it is not a passing fad. Rather, it represents the evolution of a tradition deeply rooted in Spanish gastronomic culture.
Immersive Experience
Albert Raurich, chef and founder of Dos Palillos, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Barce-lona renowned for its unique fusion of Asian cuisine and tapas tradition, believes that this for-mat has been consolidated because it responds to a real demand from today’s consumer. “It is difficult to find a new restaurant today that does not incorporate a gastronomic bar. The customer is looking to experience more than just a meal and this format makes it possible,” he says.
During his participation in Gastronomic Forum Barcelona, Albert Raurich will share the phi-losophy that has made Dos Palillos a benchmark for this model. According to the chef, “bar culture is part of the country’s gastronomic identity, from neighbourhood bars to tapas and dish bars. The difference is that today this concept has been integrated into haute cuisine projects that find in it a tool to offer a much more complete immersion”. In the case of Dos Palillos, the entire kitchen is surrounded by a bar that allows you to closely follow every mo-ment of the service. “It’s like eating inside the kitchen”, he summarises.
For Martín Comamala, chef of 539 Plats Forts, the restaurant in Puigcerdà where he cooks alone in front of a bar that places the diner in direct contact with the creative process, the consolidation of gastronomic bars also responds to their ability to open up new opportunities within the sector. “It’s not a passing fad. It’s a profound change that is already consolidating. The bar allows many young chefs to develop their own projects in smaller spaces and show their way of understanding cooking,” he says.
His speech at Gastronomic Forum Barcelona will focus precisely on this way of working, where proximity and transparency are an essential part of the proposal. “The customer is in-creasingly looking for closeness with those who cook. Not only do they want to enjoy the dis-hes, but also to understand what is behind each preparation and connect with the people who make it possible,” he says.
Next edition
From 2 to 4 November, Gastronomic Forum Barcelona will bring together more than 450 leading exhibiting companies from the foodservice and the horeca channel at Fira de Barce-lona in a new location, Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, which will allow it to grow in sur-face area by 12% compared to its last edition. At the same time, the show will offer a con-gress programme focused on the idea of revisiting the culinary tradition, exploring how the recipe book, techniques, products and inherited gastronomic trades can become a lever of creativity and innovation for the industry.
Barcelona, September 29th, 2026