Josep Xifré built the iconic porticos of Paseo d'Isabel II that have housed the restaurant since the 19th century

The building was commissioned by Josep Xifré i Cases. "It is said that he was the richest man in Spain, that he made a lot of money in Cuba and then went to New York, married a banker's daughter and made even more money. And when he returned to Barcelona he found that the walls surrounding the market were still there and he landed in a city that, together with the whole country, with Catalonia, was already immersed in the creation and consolidation of the industrial revolution", he explains the current owner, Francesc Solé Parellada.

It was Xifré who had the so-called Porxos d'en Xifré designed on the promenade in question, which imitate those on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. A total of eight were built: seven large ones and one more discreet one for service, and this is where the restaurant's current name comes from.