What the press says about us

The idea behind Barkada was to keep regulars happy and serve the tastiest bites to the people of the neighbourhood that hosts them. And so it went for a while, until they became famous. Hardly surprising, because the product is always top quality: the meat cooked exactly to your point; house-made sauces with their own signature —do not miss the secret, one-of-a-kind burger sauce—; and brioche buns that meet the meat halfway, never too much and never too little.

The story took an unexpected turn when a video went viral comparing them to a famous burger chain in California. Customers from everywhere started coming in to try the place and see this Californian recreation, Barcelona-style. It goes to show that you do not have to rush to go far: when you do things well and little by little, unexpected rewards always come. Barkada had no intention of becoming an international reference.

The story of Barkada BCN Burguers was not born from a marketing strategy or an expansion plan designed in an office. It was born in a family, in a neighbourhood, and during a difficult moment. During the pandemic, Godofredo Holgado Magboo lost his job after an ERTE and decided to turn uncertainty into an opportunity. He did it alongside his sons, Darrel and Daven, who today are part of a project that started almost as a local bar and ended up attracting customers from all over the world.

«We are a family that has been in the neighbourhood forever, not influencers or YouTubers, that opened a burger joint», explains Darrel Magboo, co-founder of Barkada BCN Burguers. The sentence captures the spirit of the business. The family was born in the Philippines, grew up in Barcelona and, after living in areas like El Raval, finally settled in Poble-sec, where they opened a small spot on Carrer de Blai. That first place had only two tables inside and a tiny terrace. It was, in essence, a neighbourhood bar serving coffee, sandwiches and simple plates.