Snacks – All our local tips

I will talk about a very recent and exquisite surprise for your senses. Amorino is the name of one of the most delicious franchises I’ve ever tried. Its stronger points are based on a very good quality and the well cared presentation of their products even though the prices are not -properly talking- the ones I’m used to see at the same category. Yes, it’s true: This time you will pay more for that ice cream, but there’s no way you could think it isn’t worth it.

I’d like to recommend this place as a way to overindulge yourself secretly or even to find sweet presents and gifts for someone very (very) special. Please, do go and take a look at their products, especially the chocolates and candies. Don’t forget to ask for the balsamic vinegar they produce and sell proudly as a jewel. And I’m sure it is indeed.

This is the first store this franchise chain opens here in Spain and I’m sure they will expand their presence soon at some other cities, considering the quality.

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Amorino | Snacks | Icecream 3 flavors € 4.00
Gran de Gracia, 53 | Gracia | +34932188305
Mon – Thu 11:30 – 00:00, Fri – Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Located in the heart of the Barceloneta just in front of the market, you will find this small and incredible bakery. I love bread, hand-made bread and here, I found truly good bread and all types of cakes I used to eat when I was living in Paris. Everything is absolutely delicious!

After years of looking for croissant made like in France, I finally found this bakery. Even if it’s not that close to my house, I go there almost every day to pick up some bread or whatever they do since everything is so good!

They do all type of products: baguettes, campaign bread, granary breads, dried fruits bread, croissants, chocolate breads, apple and chocolate cakes…

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Baluard | Shopping, Snacks
Calle Baluard, 38 | Barceloneta | +34932211208
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 21:00

Ok, so it’s not the Ritz, and probably one of the scruffiest bars you’ll visit when in Barcelona – but it is, as they say, More than a bar. This is my very local local – you’ll find me in here at least three times a week. It’s called Oller but everyone knows it as Pep’s – after its illustrious former owner who still pops in now and then. If you look around the walls you’ll see pencil portraits of Pep.

Opened in 1929 – as you step into the bar look down at the pavement – you’ll see a plaque celebrating the bar’s contribution to city life.

It’s fairly quiet during the morning and a good place to chill with café con leche, a croissant and a newspaper.

The terrace is perfectly positioned to get the best of the afternoon sunshine.

In the evening it’s a different place altogether. Best time to go is from around 19:00 – the place gets packed with friends and neighbors meeting up for a beer, a bite and a chinwag after work.

During the evening the music is something else – switching from reggae, ska and calypso, through 70s prog rock, 80s indie, driving blues, Sinatra, Van Morrison, jazz etc etc.

The mix of local characters: writers, photographers, musicians, journalists, teachers, artisans and builders make this a lively place to meet up before dinner or going out on the town. If you like strong beer Junior will serve you draft Voll Damm, or, you could try a bottle of Almogavers – a tasty artesanal beer.

The bar is occasionally used as a set for a very well known Catalan TV series. Small bites and sandwiches available: croquetas, bombas, tortillas, cheeses, chorizo and fuet etc.

It’s such a neighborly place I’ve namechecked it in the acknowledgements of my novel After Goya.

Be aware the bar is closed for most of August.

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Bar Oller | Bars, Snacks | Draft beer € 1.20
Paseo San Juan 146 | Eixample | +34934578159
Tue- Sat 09:30 – 22:00, Sun 10:00 -15:00

Let them fry, cook and steam, but baking? No. Being all good in cheese and ham, it seems that the Spanish did totally forget about their bread.

After years of suffering white, boring and unhealthy, it took some people from Iceland to bring Barcelona the joy of baking: stylish Barcelona-Reykjavik bakari offers everything yummy and healthy; banana carrot scones, cakes, pastries, pizza, bread, quiche, vegan products, with sugar and without, everything comes overloaded with taste and good ingredients.

No recommendations, just this much: try everything! Maybe a bread is triple the price (about €6.00, price goes by weight) of a Spanish one, but be sure that your stomach is filled for half a day or more.

Apart from that, the personal is super friendly and helps you making your choice in this wonderland of plenty.

Everybody loves the healthy and delicious bread and that’s why Barcelona-Reykjavik opened a new great place in one of the most famous streets in Gracia (Calle Asturias, 20).

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Barcelona-Reykjavik | Shopping, Snacks | Bread € 6.00
Calle Doctor Dou 12 | El Raval | +34933020921
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 21:00

One of many pleasures in Barcelona is buying wine from local bodegas. You can often sample the wines and have a snack while deciding which wines to buy. You can buy most Catalan varieties of wine from the barrel for between 1 and 3 euros a liter. Or, you can buy individual bottles, or a case of wine or cava, often at better prices than in supermarkets.

This small, friendly and popular bodega is just a few meters from John Lennon Square and a hundred meters or so from the Abaceria Market. They stock a very good selection of wines, cavas and spirits, catering for every taste and budget. They also serve tasty bites of fuet or llonganissa (sausage), or berberechos (cockles) or simple bocadillos (sandwiches). During the winter months they also serve hot caldo (thin soup). I often call in on the way to or from the market for a beer and a snack.

They regularly have special deals on wine and cava. It’s always worth checking out the prices when stocking up for a party. And it’s always fun to just check out some of the more obscure licores and spirits, colorfully stacked from floor to ceiling.

During the Gracìa festival this bodega sets up a little bar on the street and stays open long into the night.

I maybe shouldn’t tell you this – but this is where I’ve promised myself I shall buy a Balthazar of cava to help celebrate my daughter’s graduation from Oxford.

Go on … wander in … surprise yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

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Bodega E.Marin | Bars, Shopping, Snacks | Draft beer € 1.40
C/de Milà i Fontanals 72 | Gracia
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 14:00 & 16:30 – 21:00, Sat 09:30 – 15:00

“Tourists come in and want to know, ‘Is it a jewelry shop?’ ” Carles Mampel, the multi award-winning pastry-chef genius owner often jokes. And you’ll see why. The brightly lit, pristine interior displays edible artworks in glass cabinets.

Spurred by the deserved success of their shop and tapas bar in El Born Bubó has opened a shop in the Eixample. Situated on Calle Bruc on the corner with Calle Provenza, just off  Diagonal, Bubó sells beautiful cakes, mousses and chocolates such as you never seen or tasted before. Barcelona is home to many, many adventuresome chocolatiers but, for me, Bubó takes the biscuit.

For an unforgettable taste experience stop by for a coffee and a cake or mousse, or treat yourself, or your lover, or your mum, to a little box of exquisite chocolates. And relatively inexpensive when compared with other chocolate shops in the city. Well worth a visit.

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BUBÓ | Shopping, Snacks | Chocolate covered noodle lollipops from € 0.80
C/Bruc 150 | Eixample | +34934590508
Mon 15:00 – 21:00, Tue – Sat 09:30 – 21:00, Sun 09:30 – 15:00

This friendly little bar, about the size of a lock-up or small garage.

It’s a cute place, almost like a shrine to the Costa Brava, its walls decorated with early 1970s photos and maps, and shelves packed with canned seafood, sauces and wines.

The specialties here are draft vermut and anchovies from L’Escala, and they serve a good range of cold tapas – sea-snails, prawns, ham etc. Football fans should know that the owner is a ‘periquito’ – little parrot – a supporter of Espanyol, so it may not be the brightest thing to do to go there wearing a Barça shirt!

The bar’s bigger brother – a restaurant where you can sit down and enjoy a larger meal – also called Cala del Vermut – is just 100 meters along the street. I really like this spot, a really good place for a stop-off when en route to or from El Borne.

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Cala del Vermut | Bars, Snacks | Vermut € 2.00
C/Magdalenes 6 | El Barrio Gotico | +34933179623
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 16:00 & 18:00 – 23:00

What you see is what you get! Nor fancy outfit neither gourmet extravaganza, just warm and family atmosphere, hospitality, gentle touch, interesting chat, contagious mood, great Mediterranean food and better prices.

It’s located in the heart of the gothic quarter, at 3 minutes walk from the city hall and 10 minutes from the gothic cathedral.

Don’t miss their falafel and humus wrap.

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El Cocinero de Damasco | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants | falafel / wrap € 3.50
Templers 2, corner with Palau | El Barrio Gotico
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 23:00

You’re in the very center of the city, stood on the great square framed by the Generalitat (autonomous government H.Q.) and the Ayuntamiento (City Hall). You’re hungry but you don’t really have time for a sit-down restaurant meal or even a café-bar snack. If you stand in the center of Plaça Sant Jaume facing the Ayuntamiento and look to the right of the square you’ll see a newsagents and then just a couple of meters beyond, sort of on the cusp of the curve of the passageway that leads into Plaça Sant Miquel, you’ll see the  entrance to the tiny takeaway grill Frankfurt.

Here they’ll serve you a very reasonably priced hamburger, butifarra (Catalan sausage), sobrassada (Mallorcan pressed pork) chicken fillet, frankfurter, or bratwurst sandwich, with or without grilled cheese, onion, pepper and tomato and with or without ketchup, mustard or salsa verde, in a ciabatta type bun.

They’ll serve you a cold beer or soft drink too. Excellent value if you’re on the run. Take your sandwich and your beer and sit yourself on a bench just a few meters away in Plaça Sant Miquel. Cheap, cheerful and quick. Hope it’s not raining when you try it.

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Frankfurt, Sant Jaume | Snacks | Hamburger € 2.80
Plaza Sant Jaume 2 | El Barrio Gotico
Mon – Sat 13:00 – 16:00 & 19:00 – 23:00

Welcome to ice cream lovers paradise “Fratello” in the Barceloneta neighborhood nearby the beach!

These ice cream recipes traveled a long way from Italy to Argentina. In Buenos Aires the Italian tradition was brought to perfection and traveled back to Europe to settle down in Barcelona.

You pay before you order the ice cream and that is an easy start for a difficult decision.

Many different flavors in many different colors show you that homemade gelato can be more than vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Ever tried dulce de leche (to die for), strawberry cheese cake, crema catalana or yerba mate?

Fratello is perfectly located on your way from the city center to the sea and is probably the most delicious companion for a sunny and relaxing day on one of Barcelona’s numerous beaches.

Or just take a seat on Fratello’s terrace or on one of the public benches, enjoy your ice cream, and watch the people passing by.

But watch out! The ice cream is highly addictive and it’s very likely that once you had a cone you will end up sitting at Fratello every single day of your vacation…

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Fratello | Snacks | Cone from € 2.50
Joan de Borbó 15 | Barceloneta | +3493214839
Sun 09:00 – 01:00, Mon – Sat 11:00 – 01:00

When you go out to eat have you ever experienced that you ask for something very easy to prepare, let’s say for example a sandwich, but once they serve it you can’t help to think they deeply hate to make sandwiches? Come on! It’s just a sandwich! What I’ve done to you to deserve this?

Well, I know a place that is totally the opposite of a bad experience. At I Qué? Bar they execute their job with love and they care about what they do.

Feel free to ask anything, never mind if it’s a sandwich or one of their very exquisite and crusty pizzas, I’m pretty sure you will enjoy your meal.

It’s not a complex menu, but every time I go there I get surprised because they really know how to deliciously prepare those plain dishes. The last time I went to the I Qué? (Catalan, meaning “So what?”) I was so happy that I asked for a Tiramisu as a dessert and I think I almost cried because of the infinite happiness I felt.

Considering their constant success, in order to ensure a table for their customers at the diner time, tables are reserved for dinners from 21:00.

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I Qué? | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Meal from € 9.00
Topazi 8 | Gracia
Sun – Thu 06:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 06:00 – 03:00

A cute, fun little snack bar situated on Roger de Flor just above Aragón.

Flor, the Argentine owner, makes and serves the tastiest empanadas in Barcelona. I can honestly say, hand on heart, I’ve never tasted better meat and olive empanadas – the pastry is nice and light and fresh, and the substantial filling perfect.

Just the thing for a mid-afternoon or late evening snack when chasing errands across the city. Kuk also offers a good, tasty range of veggie empanadas and exquisite little quiches and portions of pizza – or you can buy a whole pizza.

Eat in with a drink or take out. And Flor is such a sunny person, it’s a pleasure to call in – free smile with every order.

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Kuk | Snacks | Meat empanada € 1.90
Roger de Flor 167 | Eixample | +34934585722
Tue – Sun 12:00 – 16.00 and 19:00 – 23:00

Perhaps the best way to describe the Catalonian coque (English – coca. Pronounced cohcah) is this: Crusty thin and long bread as versatile and multipurpose as a pizza. It’s not a pizza at all, I know, but I need to use it as a reference because it’s much more known than coques for sure. Coques can be sweet or salted, you can eat them at any temperature. Wow! Now that I think about it, maybe astronauts should carry coques to outer space.

Indeed. Most human beings don’t know coques and pizzas represent one of the most common flavours of the Mediterranean Sea, but this fact is kept by the locals as a secret and coques mean a sort of regional proud always present in their traditions and holidays.

You should consider La Coqueria as a bank of regional secrets, a place to find a good selection of wines, cheese and sausages; a sophisticated spot to know the other side of these Mediterranean flavours you don’t know yet.

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La Coqueria | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Spanish) | Meal € 18.00
Saragossa 66 | Above diagonal | +34934161560
Mon – Sat 09:00 16:00 & 18:00 – 00:00

Maybe you have spent your last holiday savings on that sombrero in the tourist shop in the Barceloneta with your friends questioning your judgement and now, with your new found treasure, you find yourself a little short on cash.

Or perhaps you are just a frugal spender looking to make the most of your stay. It could be you are visiting Barcelona from abroad and sink your head when you look at the exchange rate.

This is the restaurant for you. Even those of you who have bank accounts where the money flows like water, will enjoy this genuine, friendly tapas restaurant in Horta. The price is low, the quality high.

Get there before 21:00, even on a weeknight, as the lines have been known to go to the end of the block. Plates of fuet, a staple food in Spain and outrageously delicious meat, are only 75 cents. If you want a cup of wine, they just leave a bottle on the table, take what you want throughout the meal and sum it all up later. No having to waive down your waiter for another cup ever again!

If you have yet to try a “clara”, half beer and half lemon. Is it healthy? Of course not. It has more sugar in it then a candy bar, but what the fuck?!

Whoever invented it deserves the an award. And who knows, after all these cheap eats you may just have enough money left over to get one more sombrero.

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La Esquinica | Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Meal € 15.00
Passeig Fabra i Puig 286 | Above diagonal | +34933582519
20:00 – 03:00 daily

Located in one of the most beautiful, romantic and hidden place of Barcelona, La luna de Jupiter is like a peaceful oasis in the crowded center of Barcelona. You can enjoy a nice tea or a glass of wine while listening to the birds chirping on the trees.

The decoration is very home style. A few tables with different tablecloths, a few chairs all different: armchairs, sofas so comfortable you almost could fall asleep. It looks kind of chaotic and first sight but the feeling of being home overwhelmed you totally after a few minutes.

They also make salads, sandwiches, and homemade cakes and maybe after eating you still can go to the Marina Maas (check the Marina Maas article) shop situated just in front of the bar.

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La luna de Jupiter | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Meal € 15.00
Placa Traginers, 8 | El Barrio Gotico | +34933196432
21:00 – 00:00 daily

Situated on one of the most interesting little streets in the barrio, linking Calle Portaferrissa with Placa del Pi, La Pallaresa has been serving locals with thick, sticky hot chocolate since 1940.

It’s a very traditional granja – or snack bar – serving light bites such as croissants, melindros and bikinis (toasted ham and cheese sandwiches). Just the place to rest your feet and read the newspaper when out shopping or just sightseeing around the barrio.

It’s just a few doors up the street from Sala Parés (check the Sala Parés article), the wellknown art gallery. I often call in for a good cup of chocolate or coffee, or a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice after visiting an exhibition.

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La Pallaresa | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee € 1.10
Calle Petritxol 11 | El Barrio Gotico | +34933022036
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 21:00, Sat 09:00 – 13:00 & 17:00 – 21:00

Located in the South barrio Gothic, in one of the most typical street (calle de la Mercé) of Barcelona, you will find this very small place often surrounded by groups of people standing up in the street with a glass of wine in their hands.

There are two specialties in this bar but fair enough: fried sardines and tomato salad with onions and olives. To be eaten of course with a good glass of wine,

Inside the bar, the walls are decorated with blue azulejos (typical from south of Spain and Portugal) giving you a real feeling of being in Spain.

Everybody’s shouting, especially the waiters, everybody’s laughing and no matter how crowded the bar is, there’s always a crate left you can sit on or someone to have a conversation with.

And after 5 bottles of wine, if you are good at negotiating, they might offer you a plate of fried fish for free?

One of my favorite spots in Barcelona.

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La Plata | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Wine & tapa € 3.00
Calle Mercé, 28 | El Barrio Gotico
Mon – Sat 13:00 – 15:45 & 20:00 – 23:30

If you go to La Terrassa your first impression will be “this is a very common place but there’s still something about it” and I will tell you why: this place looks like the most of Spanish bars but if you pay attention you’ll understand how special it is.

I won’t lie to you: I go there every single day. I chose that place among a lot of bars in the same zone because of the kind and warm attention you will receive for sure. Its owner, affectionately called “Flores” (Flowers) by his frequent clients, is a very special person. He will address to you with respect, he’s a polite man who enjoys attending with a smile on his face.

Don’t forget to eat something too. You should try the typical “Patatas bravas”or the “Spanish tortilla”; I think these and other common “tapas” are better at La Terrassa than other bars in Barcelona.

La Terrassa is not just a bar but a special meeting point in that neighborhood. You will hear its frequent customers talking about sports, politics, jokes or chess.

The last discussion I heard there it was based on someone who said that he’s used to see that some hotels prepare fried eggs in the oven instead of frying them because it’s faster and cheap.

As you can understand nobody agreed with that weird claim so it was a great chance to make jokes about eggs. I bet they’re still talking about this while the guy who said that is trying to enjoy his beer in peace.

Important: Free WiFi service for costumers! You won’t find another place around offering this key advantage.

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La Terrassa Bar | Bars, Snacks | Tapas € 10.00
Saragossa 85 | Above diagonal
Tue – Wed 10:00 – 01:00, Thu 10:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 03:00

Located next to the Universitat square, one of the neuralgic centres of Barcelona, you will find all kind of traditional Spanish products like the nougat we have at Christmas time or “horchata“, an orgeat, very typical in Valencia, almond milk….

They also do very tasty ice-creams with various flavours, good cakes and they serve you all kind of coffees and juices. They do everything in a homemade style.

During lunch time they prepare good salads.

This has been one of the oldest and most traditional places in Barcelona since it opened in 1910 and it’s the only place where you can have orgeat all year long.

It’s a true reference for all the Barceloneses.

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La Valenciana | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee & cake € 4.50
Calle Aribau, 16 | Eixample | +34933172771
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 01:35, Sun 16:00 – 22:30

I must confess one of my all-time favourite hobbies is seeing people. I can’t help it, I’m very curious about people. Personally, sometimes I like to go to La Virreina square, located at Barrio de Gracia, to spy the “urban fauna” and seeing their behavior and fashion. I enjoy imagining what they do, what they think or where they’re going.

The whole place is a great scene to interact with other persons.

It’s one of my loved spots because it offers so many options. I see that place as a beginning of a great night. Sometimes I propose that place as a meeting point with my friends.

Once we’re together and considering our mood we can stay there in the meanwhile or pick a terrace from the three options of bars you can find located there or perhaps giving a hike by the area looking for some new bar or restaurant.

Have you tried a “clara” before? I can’t imagine a best way to taste a clara for the first time than sat at some of those terraces located at La Virreina square, surrounded by such special neighborhood.

If you want to experience a typical Barcelona’s night away from the city`s center you should start here. A magic night is almost guaranteed.

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La Virreina’s Square | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks
Plaça de La Virreina | Gracia
24 hours daily

Every morning, I go there to have my Galician baguette and my Madeleine for breakfast. Among all the bakeries I have tried in Barcelona, this one is by far the best. That’s why it’s always crowded and the shop assistants are always very busy.

Located in the very center of Barcelona next to the Universitat place, this small red bakery has been run by the same family since 1879. The Mistral Bakery offers you all kind of homemade breads and much more: typical pastries from Cataluña like San Joan’s coca, San Jordi’s bread, sweet and salt cakes…

You need to take a ticket at the entrance and wait for your turn. If you prefer you can go to the cafeteria they have and enjoy a nice coffee with a good chocolate croissant. Or you can see too the workshop just next to the bakery where bread is exposed.

Even if it’s a little expensive, the high quality of the products justify the prices.

It’s one of the most emblematic place in Barcelona.

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Mistral | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Baguette € 1.00
Ronda Sant Antoni, 96 | El Raval | +34933018037
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 21:00

Located at Vila de Grácia square (ancient Rius i Taulet’s square) -one of my favourite squares in Gracia-, you will find a good place to try the typical flavours of Spain and Catalonia. The Nou Candanchú offers the right ambient to enjoy the best and most known Spanish tapas, seafood and other typical dishes.

I like this place despite some the most common failures it will show the day you go there. It’s strange, actually. Not every time you will be entirely satisfied and the issues can vary some days, but I promise this place worth it.

For example, in the last 2 years I have gone to the Nou Candanchú maybe 5 times, all of them because I wanted to introduce some foreigner friends to the most typical flavours of this country. Some of those times attention failed and some others it was just perfect. I’m not able to confirm that The Nou Candanchú keeps -let’s say- an “integral” quality, but I can affirm that the whole experience worth it.

My advice is simple: Ask for those dishes and tapas you know they must be prepared regularly and I’m sure you will enjoy it. Don’t forget to ask for Russian salads, patatas bravas, octopus or Spanish croquetas.

If you’re smart you will try it. If you’re lucky you will find a table. If you go you will repeat.

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Nou Candanchú | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Spanish) | Meal € 15.00
Plaça de Rius i Taulet, 9 | Gracia | +34932377362
Sun – Mon & Wed – Thu 07:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 07:00 – 03:00

After 6 years living here I have gotten to know a lot of pizzerias in Barcelona. This time I will talk about one of my very favorits. I want to recommend you the Nova Fontana Pizzeria. They offer slices of pizza so you can try many flavours.

Pizzas are crusty and delicious. Every time I go I ask for a beer and 2 pizzas, usually a “Nova Fontana” and the other a “4 cheeses” because I’m one of those cheese lovers who can’t help to enjoy the flavours and textures of melted cheese at the palate.

I know 2 other similar places at Barcelona that offer pizzas in the same way, however I think you will find the best ones at this place. It’s a great place to eat and it’s located at my neighbourhood.

What else could I say? I feel lucky and I’m happy to share this secret with you.

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Pizzeria Nova Fontana | Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Pizza € 11.00
Santjoanistes 8 | Above diagonal
Tue – Sat 12:30 – 16:00 & 20:00 – 00:00

Situated on a relatively quiet street between the lively heart of Poble Sec and the busy, wide avenue of Parallel this small bodega serves exquisitely prepared plates of tapas.

It’s a busy, bustling little place and you won’t find a seat or a table – it’s shoulder to shoulder standing-room only at Quimet i Quimet – and there’s often a small crowd on the street outside.

The bodega serves its own label Belgian bottled beers and its own labelled cava. The walls of this tiny spot are lined from ceiling to floor with bottles of beers, wines and spirits from around the world – with exotic, rarely seen, bottles of advocaat, coñacs, vodkas and whisky, and its wines are second to none.

But it’s the food that makes this bodega very special – simple, but delicious foods such as cheeses, cold meats, canned seafood and vegetable patés served on bread or with bread sticks and transparent fruit flavoured jelly conserves, all lovingly arranged on the plate like an artwork. If you’re a foodie you’ll know the name Ferran Adrià – see this link – well, this bodega is one of his favoured spots for tapas in Barcelona.

It’s not a place for a meal – just a bite or two before dinner. It’s situated just a few doors up the street from Rouge (see the Rouge article) so you could make an evening of it: drop by at Quimet i Quimet for a bite with wine then call into Rouge for drinks, music and atmosphere.

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Quimet i Quimet | Snacks | Tapas from € 0.95
C/Poeta Cabanyes 25 | Poble Sec | +34934423142
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 16:00 & 19:00 – 22:30, Sat 12:00 – 16:00 | Closed August

Even in my previous lives I don’t think I’ve ever found myself in the waiting-room of a 1950s upmarket Spanish bordello, but if I had I imagine it would look and feel a bit like Rouge (think Almodóvar).

Situated in Poble Sec just off Parallel, not far from the old music theater El Molino (Moulin Rouge – get it?), and a few doors down from Quimet i Quimet (see the Quimet i Quimet article), Rouge is a quirky lounge-bar decorated with gilt-framed copies of Mannerist, Impressionist and Old Masters’ paintings.

With its eclectic collection of comfy sofas, deep armchairs, bum-numbing stools, deep red walls and low lighting I love its louche atmosphere.

It’s a good spot for a drink or two after a gig at the nearby Apollo and before going dancing. Rouge serves food – sandwiches and tasty little bites – and a range of cocktails.

Rouge attracts an interesting crowd: fashion designers, hat makers, graphic artists, songwriters, poets and film-makers. But, perhaps contrary to expectations, it’s not pretentious at all – just a cool place to hang out with friends.

The music is a discreet, cool, layered mix of lounge groove, 90s ambient and 80s synth-pop.

Friendly staff, an interesting arrray of people, a good, lively atmosphere, in a laid-back kind of way, make this a spot to remember and re-visit time and again. It’s so good I’ll probably still be visiting Rouge in future lives.

UPDATE: I describe this spot as being like a bordello – well, now it really is! Yes, the Poetry Brothel (Prostíbulo Poético), convened by Madame Eva, meets here. Poetry brothel? Clients choose a poet and retreat to a quiet nook, perhaps behind a screen, and the poet recites intimate, often erotic, poetry.

Poetry Brothel sessions are FREE, though tips are welcome. Check out: www.poetrybrothelbarcelona.blogspot.com

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Rouge | Bars, Music, Snacks | Bottled beer € 3.00
C/Poeta Cabanyes 21 | Poble Sec | +34934424985
Tue – Wed 20:00 – 02:00; Thu – Fri 22:30 – 02:00; Sat 22:30 – 04:00

If you happen to be lost in the alleys and tiny streets of the gothic quarter, as if you were looking for your way out of yarn woven across the warp in weaving, and after spining around the whole afternoon you realized you were destined to enjoy sooner or later that sense of comforting warmth of a pilgrim shelter.

Yes, once in the back of the Palau de la Generalitat, the smell of incense, the wide range of teas, the really tasty pita sardos in any of their varieties and the charming music evoke the atmosphere of an old tea shop in any Mediterranean harbor and make you forget about that palace of politicians and their struggle to secure their welfare in order to perpetuate themselves representing simple pedestrians like us throughout eternity to try to return the favor for their wealth by making our pitiful fate a little less wretched.

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Salterio | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Turkish coffee € 2,50
Sant Domenec del call 6 | El Barrio Gotico
Sun – Thu 17:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 17:00 – 03:00

The beach side of Barcelona is hosting many different cafes and restaurants, but Santa Marta is definitely the most stylish one.

Offering fancy tapas, guacamole and delicious salads served by their friendly staff, this cafe/bar/restaurant is an exception in the line of overpriced and very touristic eateries in Barceloneta, Barcelona’s neighborhood right at the sea.

Sit down and enjoy a refreshing Clara (beer with lemonade), or the specialty of the house, the Italian inspired Spritz (ask for Aperol, not Campari!) while watching the sea and the surfers (drinks for 3,50 – 10 Euros). You can linger the whole day at the same table, breathing the fresh sea breeze and after sunset you just continue inside the cozy bar.

They also offer wifi internet which is a perfect solution for those who want to check their mail or have to work while enjoying a delicious apple cake.

Sometimes Santa Maria is hosting DJs. Don’t miss to hang out at the bar while listening to their funky tunes.

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Santa Marta | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Drinks up to € 10.00
Carrer de Grau i Torras 59 | Barceloneta | +34691236801
10:00 – 22:00 daily

The Teatreneu is a big place. Actually it is big enough to develop a bar, a restaurant for smokers and non-smokers, a small terrace and an alternative theatre without interference between all these activities.

Let’s talk about the restaurant. The concept is pretty simple: it doesn’t matter what you would like to ask for eating, every dish worth exactly the same and just the drinks would affect the final receipt. It’s a great place to meet with a group of friends, there’s space enough for almost everyone.

The theater offers what bigger places perhaps wouldn’t present attending commercial interests, even though the Xavier Fabregas hall is not as small as you can imagine. Some of them are quite good!

You don’t need to leave the place to discuss the actors, the scenery, the direction or the general performance of the show. Before or after the playing you can drink or eat something at L’Escenari restaurant.

The Teatreneu is a place you need to be acquainted with it if you love theatre, food and Gracia.

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Teatreneu Café -Theatre | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Theaters, Restaurants (Med) | Meal € 12:00
Térol, 26 | Gracia | +34932853712
Mon – Fri 19:00 – 01:30, Fri – Sat 19:00 – 03:00

Located in la Barceloneta, the old fishermen neighbourhood, this is the best place to go for vermouth on Week-ends.

This more than one century old bar makes you feel like you were travelling into the past: wooden tables and wine barrels all around the walls. Old stylish waiters, kind of raw but funny and spontaneous. One of them looks exactly like……Robert de Niro, Spanish version. This guy is always messing around with the customers making you feel very comfortable.

It has a noisy and young atmosphere. Not a sophisticated place at all. The appetizers are also very good. I would advice you to have a variety of seafood with a bottle of vermouth. The best place to go to after going here: straight to the beach…

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The Electricitat | Bars, Snacks | Vermouth & tapa € 7.00
Calle Sant Carles, 15 | Barceloneta | +34932215017
Tue – Fri 07:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 22:00 Sat 07:00 – 15:30 & 19:00 – 23:00, Sun 07:00 – 16:00

This welcoming bar-restaurant, with its bohemian vibe and quirky art and decor, has become one of my favorite places for meeting up with a friend for a drink, a bite and a good old chinwag. There’s no TV blaring away in the corner, no slot machines and no crap music. But there is good, reasonably priced food and drink.

The owner is an artist-photographer and the collection of artwork is worth a closer look. The rooms at the back are cosy and intimate, ideal for project meetings or just gossip.

Try one of their sartens (small frying-pans) of provolone cheese, served with breadsticks, or chorizo or morcilla (black pudding) with scrambled egg – delicious. They also have a tasty range of larger meals, such as ciervo (venison). The menu is refreshingly different – and the wines are good too.

And, a real bonus, they serve probably the best gin and tonics in the city. Honest. Even if you don’t try one – just watching the bar staff prepare them is fun.

If you’re interested in architecture then another bonus is that Salvador Valeri i Pupurell’s magnificent Casa Comalat is just a hundred meters away, on the opposite side of the street.

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Úbeda | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Spanish) | Sarten € 5.00
Còrsega 339 | Eixample | +34934152537
Mon – Thu 07:30 – 00:30, Fri – Sat 09:30 – 13:00 & 20:00 – 02:00