Balordi started with something simple, and not always easy: listening to yourself.

Marco and Alberto met in Ireland in 2013 while working in Google, far from home. For years they built careers in corporations and startups. Everything looked right on paper.

But one question kept coming back:

Is this really the life we want?

Like many important decisions in Italian life, the real conversations didn't happen in front of a screen. They happened around food, sharing meals, ideas, doubts and laughter.

That's where the idea for Balordi slowly took shape.

In March 2025 they opened a small urban spot near Plaza España in Barcelona. No formal tables, just a bar, a few benches and a kitchen full of energy.

At first the idea was simple: great Italian sandwiches.

But something unexpected happened.

The polpette, traditional meatballs from southern Italy, started stealing the show. Customers kept coming back for them, again and again.

Today we make thousands every month, but every polpetta is still finished by hand, every single day.

And there is a small detail we only discovered later.