This petite bar, modeled on a typical bar in pre-war Marseille, opened in 1947 and has hardly changed since.

It’s a cosy little, arty bar, about the size of a small living room, decked with paintings, sketches and prints layered with nicotine, offering chatter, laughter, Edith Piaf and French accordion music.

Ángel, the owner, serves his own labelled absinthe and pastis, good cold draught beer and a spread of French wines and spirits.

The bar hosts very intimate gigs – chanteueses and tango – there’s only just enough space for two or three slim performers. And there’s music, at around 22:30, most nights.

The clientele are a mix of the curious, the romantic, the lost, the knowing, the restless and the brave.

Go there, try it, it’s a one-off. If you’ve any romance in your soul I’m sure you’ll fall in love with the place.

Two members of the band, R.E.M. called in once to try the absinthe. It’s a popular haunt for local transvestites and prostitutes. It’s the sort of place I can imagine Jean Genet hanging out in.

It’s just around the corner from El Cangrejo.

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Bar Pastis | Bars, Music | Drinks € 3.50
Carrer de Santa Monica 4 | El Raval | +34933187980
Mon – Thu 19:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sun 20:00 – 03:00

You could wander past Elisabets a million times and never realise it’s there.

Sort out your GPS, or properly mark your streetmaps, because if you’re looking for good quality and reasonably priced food at the heart of the city, then this is a place you really need to get to know how to get to. 

This is one of my favourite year-round spots for good bites and meeting friends after work. It’s very popular with students and some of their teachers from the nearby university. A good all-day all-rounder.

Sit yourself down – order a beer or sparkling water as you gather yourself and think a way through the menu.

Then order a liter jug of beer for € 4.35. 

Then try the patatas con bolonesa “rabiatta” – chunky fried potato wedges with bolognese meat sauce – only € 2.95, and almost a meal in its own right.

Then order a plate of pebrots – little, juicy hot peppers; a plate of morcilla, cunningly sweet black pudding (blood sausage), and/or choricitos (little spicy sausages); and pa amb tomaquet (toasted bread with tomato and oil). Perhaps try a few anchoas (anchovies) and maybe order a little salad. And then you’ll be all set to explore the city at night.

Re-assemble the next morning at the same table (in the corner behind the glass screens) for breakfast coffee and pastries as you recount your adventures of the night before, and plot your next exciting day in this ‘city of marvels’.

Hot & cold sandwiches, pizzas and a good value menú del día available.

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Elisabets | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Patatas con bolonesa € 2.95
Elisabets, 2-4 | El Raval | +34933175826
Mon -Thu & Sat 08:00 – 23:00, Fri 08:00 – 02:00

Barcelona’s oldest cocktail bar, opened in 1933, is just a few steps off the Ramblas, a hundred metres or so down from the Canaletes fountain.

It’s a good central spot to meet up with friends after work before going on to another bar and then dinner.

It’s a classic art deco bar with bartenders in tuxedos who will mix you a cocktail with style. There’s no menu of drinks – but the bartenders are well-practiced at serving over 60 different cocktails. If you’re undecided just ask for the cocktail of the day.

Take a look at the sketches, drawings, photos and letters on the walls while you’re here. You’ll see drawings by Miró and a photo of Kevin Costner among portraits of locally known luminaries. It’s a popular haunt for media types, politicians and private eyes. I’ve often seen locally prominent politicians in here arguing a point of policy, or just gossiping, with senior journalists.

If you visit in the evening you’ll likely hear a familiar voice from Catalan radio above the lively, loud chatter.

A good spot for meeting up with friends before a night on the town.

Please be aware that Boadas is not a chiringuito – so dress appropriately – they are none too keen on flip-flops and beachwear. If you turn up looking like you’ve just walked in off the beach they may politely ask you to leave.

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Boadas | Bars | Cocktail € 6.00
C/Tallers 1 | El Raval | +343189592
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 02:00

It used to be said that the only thing which started on time in Spain was la corrida (the bullfight) – at exactly 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

We don’t have bullfights in Catalunya any more.

But, here, at Los Toreros, between five-thirty and seven o’clock during the week, you can choose a merienda (afternoon snack) of two tapas with wine, or a glass of beer, and bread for just €4.50.

Why don’t they chime the time of their special offer with la corrida – at 5 o’clock? It would be more poetic. Think Federico García Lorca: A las cinco de la tarde …

The restaurant offers a schedule of different special deals – depending on the time of day. So, if you time it right, you could pay as little as €15 for a selection of 7 tapas dishes.

The place is decorated with fading posters, antique photos and other ephemera celebrating bullfighting. It is a museum.

The food, tapas, full dinners and snacks, is very traditional, very Spanish, and very reasonably priced. The portions are very generous. And, they serve jugs of wine and sangría.

It’s not the sort of place to visit on your own, or as a couple, but it’s a good spot for family groups or parties of friends. Don’t forget to take castanets and sombreros.

Situated just off the Ramblas it’s convenient for the city centre, and if you haven’t adjusted to having dinner at 21:00 and later – like most locals – they’ll serve you a full dinner from 18:00 and it’s open on Sundays. 

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Los Toreros | Snacks, Restaurants (Spanish) | Two tapas with drink € 4.50
Xuclá, 3-5 | El Raval | +34933182325
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 01:00. Sun 13:00 – 17:00 & 18:00 – 00:00

Some years ago, La Verónica was a pizzeria located at… Plaza de La Verónica – so no more questions were needed about the name. However, as the Raval started to change a few years ago, they decided to move to the newly renovated Rambla del Raval. Now, La Verónica is a great option to have a pizza in a good environment in that area.

The place, always carefully lit, has a comfortable layout and nice white tables. At night it’s even nicer to see the combination of white and red in the environment. But the seating arrangement is not the only reason for choosing a restaurant: they make crispy, light-crusted pizza for sophisticated palates.

You won’t find only your regular pizzas but a selection that mixes great cheeses and local flavors like Jamón Ibérico with silky mozzarella and a nice tomato sauce. Careful with their spicy oil – it is, spicy. I would personally recommend the Pizza Veronica with apples. They have a lot of choices for vegetarians and also for dieters with creative salads.

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La Verónica | Restaurants (Pizza & Salads) | Pizza+Beer +/- € 15
Rambla del Raval 2 | El Raval | +34933293303
Tue – Sun 13:00 – 01:00

I hadn’t been truly introduced to the great charms of a gin tonic until a friend of mine took me to this bar. Located in a small street, I was amazed at how crowded a place with one type of liquor (namely gin) could get. Turns out there was a reason for it…

La Pesca Salada recovered for the night-crawlers one old store where they used to sell fish – specifically, salted cod. Maybe in the interest of preserving the original heritage took the owners to turn the place into a spectacular voyage into Captain Nemo’s terms: the ceiling resembles fish dermis and you can see a huge sardine can hanging over your head.

Other than the spectacular decoration they serve unique Gin Tonics – with a large menu to choose from. They pride themselves in offering brands no one else in Barcelona pours, both the gins and the tonic water. I’ve tasted a few, but I’m nonetheless faithful to a classic blend of Hendricks with cucumber and rose petals.

Just for laughs: there’s a small safety sign that says that only 15 people should be accepted inside. This is never the case. And don’t miss the opportunity to go to the bathroom in an old refrigerator…

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Pesca Salada | Bars | Hendrick’s Gin Tonic € 8
La Cera 32 | El Raval | +34686265309
19:00 – 02:00 daily

Partying the whole night long just beginning the week might sounds quite irreverent, but it happens in.

And now that nasty Mondays are not free a new sprout has grown from his brother in arms, the crappy Tuesdays! More indie and Electro Pop though but still filthy.

Apolo is in the tiny and fragile border that separates mainstream clubs from the underground indie scenery, but still not that spoiled though.

Its one of the last icons alive in downtown Barcelona where you can ride undaunted music sessions, now that authorities consider a gambling den or lousy jointevery place where you can enjoy a sip of authentic bohemian mood.

Behold… the bar prices are not that indie though. Hence its better to go to one of those bars in the Gothic Quarter offering a happy hour until 22:00, stuff yourself with mojitos and then start marching in single file to Apolo around 23:30.

Try to be there before 00:00, because afterwards the line would go around the block.

Whoever wants to escape from the main room psychedelic Dance-Rock sessions: there is an alternative at La [2] de Apolo: electro & Fidget House with a Hip Hop flavor.

There’s the Canibal sound system on Wednesdays, Powder room on Thursdays, The Nitsa club everyday Friday and Saturday… and if a burlesque experience is what you are looking for: go to Taboo at 22:00 some Thursdays and Sundays (check schedule).

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Apolo | Bars, Music | Entrance & drink without flyer € 10.00
Nou de la Rambla 113 | El Raval | +34934414001
21:00 – 06:00 daily

Discover and enjoy the sights and the spirit of Barcelona by the freedom and pleasure of  riding a bike.

It is a real and authentic way of getting to know the city, its people, colors, smells and noises. Stop and stay wherever and how long you like.

By bike you’ll discover a lot more places, and enjoy a much more intense experience. It also makes you feel better about the tons of ice cream and tapas you had the days before, and you can enjoy a cold beer or a sangria on the beach with a clean conscience.

The Bikes are high quality classic models, the prices are very decent by offering a great service; the staff is friendly and is always pleased to help you.

Renting a bike for 2 hours costs 6 euros, for 24 hours 15 euros, for 2 days 25 euros and for a whole week 55 euros.

For 21 euro they also offer guided tours that show you in only 3 1/2 hours the historical details and the fascinating experiences of the day to day life and the symbolic places of Barcelona.  The meeting point is right in front of the Hard Rock cafe on Placa Catalunya. Tours start daily at 11:00 and from April to October also at 16:30h.

Always lock the bike to a pole or a fence…Otherwise it won’t last for long.

The company also sells beautiful Dutch 2nd hand bikes now!

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Barcelona Rent A Bike | Art & culture, Relaxing | Bike 2 hours € 6.00
Calle Tallers 45 (inside the passage) | El Raval | +34933171970
09:30 – 20:00 daily

Finding a good vintage store in Barcelona is not easy- it seems that Spanish people are not really into the idea of wearing other people’s old clothes.

Luckily there is one street that saves the recalling of old spirits – Calle Riera Baixa. Door on door, second hand stores offer everything a vintage lover’s heart desires: boots, sunglasses, 70s summer dresses, jeans, bikinis from the 40s…Here you’ll find the good old dress for good old fun!

The best shopping day is saturday because all the second hand stores put their clothes and furniture outside on the street.

When tired from shopping, you can also find a beautiful old cafe in the same street: stylish in its old spirit- just like you.

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Rierra Baixa | Shopping
Calle Riera Baixa | El Raval
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 14:30 & 17:00 – 20:00

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 bread, 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).

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Barcelona-Reykjavik | Shopping, Snacks | Bread € 6.00
Calle Doctor Dou 12 | El Raval | +34933020921
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 21:00, Sun 10:30 – 15:00