William Carballo, chef/owner of Barcelona Tapas was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is the son of a Cuban immigrant father and an Irish-American mother. He started working at the age of 13 in the Southeast side of Chicago and became a workaholic at an early age. Being independent from an early age, working full-time and living on his own, enabled him to graduate from Carl Sandburg School with honors.

In 1987 chef William Carballo decided to travel to spain and study the language as well as the local cuisine and he was immediately enthralled by the tapas, a specialty of the country. After working with two Spanish chefs in Chicago, he decided to move to Puerto Vallarta in the year 2000 to open his successful restaurant, Barcelona Tapa.

In December of the same year, William converted the roof of his house and opened Barcelona Tapas, which consisted of 56 chairs, 14 tables, a stove with 6 burners, a small refrigerator and a freezer. He worked day and night, living in the restaurant.

He began his business with 2 employees and serving only 10-25 people per day. Today, Barcelona is one of the most respected dining establishments in Puerto Vallarta. It serves more than 40, 000 people per year. The food, the service and the facilities are constantly improving.