News
Xerta closes in Barcelona and Joaquim López shifts focus to catering
Xerta and Kintsugi are closing at the Hotel Ohla Eixample following the hotel's change in culinary direction. Joaquim López will focus on Xerta Catering, as the restaurant leaves behind eight years with a Michelin star.
The restaurant at Ohla Eixample says goodbye after more than a decade and eight years with a Michelin star
The management of Hotel Ohla Eixample informed Joaquim López that they wanted to change their culinary offering and would no longer require his services. The contract was not renewed and the Xerta restaurant has closed after a little over a decade in Barcelona.
Kintsugi, the other restaurant at the hotel run by López, has also closed its doors. In other local news, DondeGo published a report on the disturbances recorded in Barcelona.
Two concepts featuring products from the delta
Xerta brought the cuisine of the Terres de l’Ebre to the Catalan capital in a fine dining format. It earned a Michelin star six months after opening and kept it for eight years.
Kintsugi, added to the hotel’s offering in 2023, brought delta ingredients to Japanese dishes. Among them was delta eel nigiri: a culinary connection between Barcelona and Tokyo.
From Xerta to Barcelona and back to catering
Joaquim opened Xerta with his brother Fran, chef at Villa Retiro, a restaurant in Xerta (Baix Ebre) that also holds a Michelin star. The brothers parted ways professionally on good terms in 2019 and Joaquim continued running the Ohla Eixample location; years later he added Kintsugi.
To stand out in Barcelona, the brothers focused on the flavours and traditions of their region. Their menu included duck and eel, as well as caixetes, a bivalve mollusc with a flavour reminiscent of razor clams and oysters. They also prepared clotxa, a hollowed-out bread filled with herrings, onions, tomatoes and roasted garlic, and xapadillo, sun-dried eel.
The next step for Joaquim López
The closure marks the end of a period of more than ten years and of constant travel between Barcelona and L’Aldea (Baix Ebre), where López lives. The chef has expressed sadness at a farewell he did not want, but has chosen to look ahead and get through this difficult time as quickly as possible.
He will continue with Xerta Catering, the company he has been running for years, which offers services throughout Catalunya.