Bodega Morey: Boats on Your Plate

Just around the corner from bustling Plaça Cort a few steps lead down from street level into the cozy eatery. Decorated with model ships and other naval vintage objects. En este local se permite hacer barquitos en el plato, reads the beam above the bar. Even the guests are allowed to build little boats on their plates. Bodega Morey is one of those rare places where you feel home, right away. “Only without doing the dishes”, as owner Octavio puts it.

Look forward to a delicious best of traditional tapas. Like the popular escalivada con bacalao. The vegetable salad of eggplant and red peppers melts on your tongue and leaves a nice spicy aftertaste of garlic.

And the cod adds a bit of sea breeze. There is more from the sea, octopus salad, prawns, and boquerones, anchovy fillets marinated in vinegar. And, of course, classic tapas like frit mallorqui, tortillas, or albondigas.

Bodega means cellar vault, used as a storage primarily for wine. It has long become a synonym for wine cellar or for a small bar. Bodega Morey had been around for decades when Octavio Caballero took over a year and a half ago. And turned it in what reminds me a bit of a crew mess. Where hungry sailors come together to enjoy their meal after watch, prepared in the tiny galley.

You can stop by just for a tostada in the morning. Or join the regular crowd at lunchtime when the bodega is often packed. Relish a few dishes and a glass of vermouth. And maybe build a little boat on your plate with the bread that comes in small pieces that look like sails.