Bristol shop named one of the 50 best food stores in the world

El Colmado owner David Pavon received a WhatsApp message from a friend in Greece to tell him that his shop had been named among the best 50 food stores in the world.

The honour bestowed by the Financial Times was a complete surprise for the Barcelona native, who opened his small shop on Gloucester Road in 2013.

It joins classic New York delis and Indian spice emporiums to German sausage shops on the list of the greatest 50 shops across the globe.

David said that it had always been a dream of his to open a shop like El Colmado, stocking all of the best produce from Spain that is not normally sold in the UK.

“It’s been eight years of fantastic adventure,” 41-year-old David told me on a recent Monday morning.

When I arrived, David immediately headed over the road to The Gallimaufry to get a flat white to accompany our interview, which will feature in the next episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast.

Some of the meat for sale in El Colmado, including bellota, Teruel and serrano ham – photo: Martin Booth

“The shop started as a place where you can find loads of produce that you can use to create fantastic recipes of the Spanish gastronomy.

“It’s not a place where you come and you get a dish that you would then heat up at home. It is a place where you get a lot of different products that you can then use to produce those dishes.”

David said that he and his staff are always willing to share the knowledge and the passion that they have for Spanish food with customers looking for new ideas for recipes to try at home.

David himself, who used to work as a chef at Pizza Express on Corn Street while studying for a degree in computing and IT, calls the shop his own cupboard.

He balked at my question asking him to name some of his favourite products on the bulging shelves, but did point out El Colmado’s olive oils (“one of the key ingredients of Spanish gastronomy”), paella rice, tuna and artichokes.

“I could carry on because every single product that you find here on these shelves is a product that will end up in my kitchen.”

David Pavon in front of the bulging shelves at El Colmado – photo: Martin Booth

David opened El Colmado in March 2013, with its distinctive hand-painted sign and colourful interior painted by Andi Rivas, a Bristol-based Spanish artist and designer, a few years later.

He said that Gloucester Road is an ideal location for the shop. “We know everyone, not only the traders but the local customers as well. They enjoy shopping too at all the other independent businesses on the road.

“It’s a a really nice street to be on and a really nice community to feel part of.”

David said that he was “shocked and chuffed” when his friend in Greece sent him the link to the FT article.

“Suddenly being named one of the 50 best shops in the world was quite nice. It’s always nice to be recognised.”

The signpainting and murals inside El Colmado were painted by Andi Rivas – photo: Martin Booth

Main photo: Martin Booth

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