Being OC like many, I usually plan trips ahead of time. But on that 1 rainy day in April, the Greek…read moredoughnut shop where I wanted to eat, & the location for which was the very end of a long street ("todos, todos", the helpful man said) turned out to be closed.
We ended up at Pastisseria Forn de Sant Joan, which is a bakery (slash) delicatessen, pastisseria, pasteleria, & bombonería (sweetshop) in the Vila de Gràcia neighborhood, not too far from our original destination. The moment you walk in, it becomes apparent that the place doesn't have the lively touristic-ness of the businesses on La Rambla. No human statues with body paint here, just locals.
The lady by the candies will speak to you in Catalan, 1 eyebrow raised, possibly annoyed because you don't speak the language. There's an area with a countertop table & bar stools where you could place your order for a hot drink like a cafe or a hot cocoa. The nice, elderly lady standing behind it was whistling & doing a kind of almost dance as she wiped the countertop clean. She had the same panache for life as the Conesa Entrepans cook, but she was maybe happier. As soon as I ordered a hot cocoa, she grabbed the huge, clear plastic jar of hot cocoa mix from the glass display case in front of me. My hot chocolate was nice, thick, chocolatey, as sweet as I hoped it would be, & dirt cheap. I also bought 2 chocolates for eating the next day, & they were delish, chocolatey & cheap. Easily the best chocolates I had in Barcelona.
My accidental visit to Pastisseria Forn de Sant Joan is among my most memorable. It was by accident that I found it, I'm all for supporting small local businesses, they didn't charge tourist prices there, & I loved that they gave me my order without the usual side of BS reserved for tourists. I find that my food usually tastes better this way.