GELATERIA LA PALAU
Story of an Ice Cream Shop
This is the story of how La Gelateria Palau was founded, the famous ice cream shop located in the centre of Barcelona, in the Ciutat Vella district.
Nachete, as we have always liked to call him since we were little, studied hospitality in Barcelona for four years and then completed his work placement at the Hotel Hesperia Presidente.
After graduating, he worked for a year at the then-famous restaurant Bitxarracu, until the great opportunity of his professional life presented itself and he could not turn it down: opening his own ice cream shop with his brothers and sisters.
As we explained on the main page of this website, the name Palau did not come from the shop being located just opposite the Palau de la Música — it is one of the family surnames that carries an entrepreneurial spirit.
Palau olive oils were, over a hundred years ago, internationally renowned for their outstanding quality, and now the family wants to continue that tradition of adding real value for the customer — only this time with a different kind of treat: ice cream from Italy.
At first none of the siblings knew exactly how to run an ice cream shop, but with a modest initial investment to renovate the premises — which were quite dilapidated — they took the plunge.
What follows is a full photo report on the evolution of the renovation. Enjoy.
State of the shop before renovation:
As you can see in the photos, the shop had potential thanks to its great location and size, but a lot of work was needed before it could look like a place that invites people in to eat ice cream…
Renovation and fit-out process:
Nacho and Javi spent almost an entire month working 12 hours a day on the premises against the clock to be able to open in mid-July 2015, with invaluable help from many friends and acquaintances. The aim was to offer ice cream as soon as possible so as not to miss out on the summer trade, since that is when the most tourists pass by outside.
Renovated and open to the public:
Finally, after solving all the problems that arose throughout the renovation — and there were quite a few — they managed to open the ice cream shop on time, offering a wide range of flavours in both tub and cone format. They also added the famous Horchata drink and granitas in various flavours to their repertoire.
Renovation for the 2nd anniversary:
Two years later, after a great deal of hard work and learning, the time came to reinvest the profits back into the shop. Javi, along with the team from D.Project Barcelona, gave the ice cream shop a complete makeover, bringing it up to the standard expected of a venue of this kind in such an important location in the city.