This page explains the criteria behind the selection and how much each one counts. It is public so that any shop can check why it is on the list, or why it is not.
The list is empty. No shop has been recommended and no seal appears on the map yet. We publish the criteria before making the first selection, not after.
The map has a button, «See an example», showing what it would look like once done: dishes and shops appear marked as recommended. All of that is made up and the map itself says so when you switch it on. None of those shops has been assessed by anyone.
The seal reads «Local shop · Recommended», and the two mean different things. Local shop means verifiable facts, the ones in the table. Recommended means we have also been there: someone from Guia de Barri visited, tried it and signed off on it.
A shop can meet every fact in the table and still not be recommended. The facts are the condition to qualify; the visit is what decides.
| What we look at | Where it comes from | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Own bakery, workshop or kitchen on site | the shop tells us | high |
| Years open in the neighbourhood | city council census ● | high |
| Independent business, not a chain | city council census ● | high |
| Step-free entrance | we check it ● | medium |
| Opens on Sundays or holidays | the shop tells us | medium |
| Belongs to a local retail association | city council census ● | low |
● Official Barcelona City Council data, or checked by us on the street. The rest is declared by the shop itself and we cannot verify it; we say so on its listing.
A place on the list cannot be bought. No shop can pay to appear, to move up, or to push another one out. Shops with a paid service from Guia de Barri are assessed exactly like the rest, and having one does not count as a criterion.
There are no votes or stars. We collect no reviews or ratings from anyone, neither our own nor from any other platform.
Paid placements are labelled. When something is advertising, it says so. We never call it a recommendation.
Once a year. The seal always carries the year: the 2026 one is valid for 2026 only. A shop that closes, or stops meeting a criterion, leaves the list at the next review, or sooner if we hear about it.
If you think your shop should be listed, that one of our facts is wrong, or that a criterion makes no sense, write to us and we will reply. We fix whatever is wrong.