Located in the Raval, this place is the place to go if you want to listen to good music in live. Moreover they offer very different kind of concerts.

Monday: jazz concert
Tuesday: Pop/rock/blues/funk jam session
Wednesday: jazz concert
Thursday: Latin concert
Friday: Flamenco concert
Saturday: jazz, latin jazz jam session
Sunday: pop/rock/blues/ funk jam session

The place uses to be kind of crowded so I would advice you to arrive in advance. All the concerts I have been there are really great and before the concert starts, you can have a beer at the bar situated just at the entrance of the place.

The atmosphere is dynamic, overwhelming and enthusiastic. A great place to spend a good night.

Details about this spot
Jazz Sí | Bars, Music | Entrance € 5.00
Calle Requesens, 2 | El Raval (area map) | +34933290020
21:00 - 00:00 daily

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Visiting Rambla del Raval is a must during your stay in Barcelona. The multicultural and diverse neighborhood El Raval shows you how Globalization brings people together from all over the world.

On its very own Rambla, Moroccan cafes, Turkish fast food places, Italian pizza restaurants, and Indian and Pakistan eateries go hand in hand, sharing their multinational clientele.

Also Catalans found their place back in this buzzing mix: cafe-bar “Les Delicies” is the perfect place for a relaxed afternoon beer (go local with Moritz beer!) and some olives, or a Cortado (coffee shot with milk) with yummy American chocolate cookies a la Catalana.

It’s also a perfect place for a cosy dinner with friends (highly recommendable: vegetarian lasagne), preferably on their terrace directly on the Rambla del Raval.

Nice side effect: watch the Arabian men and Catalan seniors having a chit-chat at sunset.

After dinner, go and chill in the lounge area in the back of this pretty cafe. Until recently I didn’t now that the 70’s Jukebox in the back of the bar is really working. Try it out and relax in the cosy sofas in the back while listening to the cheesiest music ever!

Details about this spot
Les Delicies | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (International) | Lasagne € 7.00
Rambla del Raval 47 | El Raval (area map) | +34934415714
Sun - Thu 19:00 - 02:00, Fri - Sat 19:00 - 03:00

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Sssssh…maybe I shouldn’t mention it, but the Pipa Club is one of Barcelona’s best-kept secrets - a haven of calm amid the madness that can be Plaza Reial, just off Las Ramblas.

While tourists, preyed on by prowling gangs of bag-snatchers, queue interminably for a table at one of the over-priced restaurants dotted around the square, you can take yourself off for a drink in the quirky surroundings of the HQ for Barcelona’s pipe smokers’ club, discreetly tucked away in the corner.

After you’ve found the buzzer, and walked up three flights of stairs, you’ll enter a converted apartment to find the English-style ‘Sherlock Holmes’ pub, decked with portraits, film stills and posters of the great eccentric detective, and you’ll find a small cabaret-style stage and dance space, a dining-room and a pool-table room.

As you wander the linking corridors you’ll see a quirky collection of pipes in various stages of manufacture, including a pipe that once belonged to Dalí, and a collection of old tins, pots and packets of tobacco, and you’ll find a league table of local pipe smokers. Yes, pipe smokers meet here, in the members only lounge area, to charge their pipes and puff away, hoping to be the one whose bowl lasts longest and score the points that will put them at the top of the table.

But it’s not just pipe smokers who meet here - the club hosts a range of meetings and activities. There’s a regular program of jazz gigs and tango and milonga classes. The movie actor Javier Bardem has been known to call in to chill out, as do a good few quite well-known writers.

It’s a cool, friendly, comfortable atmosphere to meet up with friends for a drink, a smoke and a chat.

Details about this spot
Pipa Club | Bars, Music | Beer € 3.00
Plaza Reial 3 | El Barrio Gotico (area map) | +34933024732
Mon - Sat 18:00 - 03:00, Sun 20:00 - 01:00

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As you may know, the Gracia’s neighborhood is full of bars and terraces at every square you can see there. So considering that Barrio de Gracia is proportionally the district with the most of squares of Barcelona is easy to understand that the biggest squares has the most popular terraces and sometimes it’s quite hard to find a table free to sit outside.

However, there’s still a tiny and cosy square known only by just a few of us. Only a local could suggest this great tip… I’m talking about the Bar Lennon, located on Lennon’s Square.

This bar situation is the key of the place. You will find there what the other bars offer, but I promise that even a glass of water gets extra tasty and it can quench your thirst much better once you’re there. Believe me, this is a great way to enjoy the benefits of Gracia without experiencing the disadvantages from its popularity.

If you see me around do not hesitate to invite me that glass of water. I will be very glad to accept it.

Details about this spot
Bar Lennon | Bars | Beer € 2.50
John Lennon’s Square, Puig Martí 35 | Gracia (area map) | +34679566277
Tue - Sat 12:00 - 20:00

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As you can see from the posters and press cuttings plastered across the front of the bar in the photo above, this fantastic little bar, which opened in 1947 and hasn’t changed since, is being threatened with closure.

If it is closed it will be a tragedy - an absolute tragedy. Angels, the owner, is battling a trumped-up charge of excessive noise. He’s organized a petition, and friends have rallied round to organize a gig to publicize the issue.

The only noise that emanates from this cosy little nook is laughter, chatter and Edif Piaf, or French accordion music. The bar hosts occasional gigs - chanteueses and tango - but they’re never THAT loud. Ridiculous. This petit bar is my son’s favorite bar in the world (Hi Harls!) and it’s one of my very favorite bars too.

If it’s still open by the time you get here you’ll find a cosy little, arty bar, about the size of a small living room, decked with paintings, sketches and prints layered with nicotine. Angels serves his own labeled absinthe and pastis, good cold draft beer and a spread of French wines and spirits.

R.E.M. once called in to try the absinthe. How cool is that? It’s a popular haunt too for local transvestites and prostitutes. With property prices as high as they are this sort of thing happens all too often in Barcelona.

It’s too easy for property speculators to bribe neighbors to denounce a bar or restaurant and put it out of business so they can move in and clean up. It’s just around the corner from El Cangrejo (see this article) , which was also closed for quite a few months because of noise problems.

Details about this spot
Bar Pastis | Bars | Absinthe & pastis € 3.50
C/Santa Monica 4 | El Raval (area map) | +34933187980
Mon - Thu 19:00 - 02:00, Fri - Sun 20:00 - 03:00

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This place is located in an amazingly dirty and noisy street full of drunk daydreamers. But once you pass the gate you find yourself in a cosy and a little bit retro atmosphere either to eat at the restaurant, have a drink at the bar or hear good music and even dance at the lounge time.

I could not afford to have dinner there myself, but at lunch time they have a good menu at a price I would be able to pay once a month.

I personally recommend their home made desserts. Just like grandma’s!

Just when they close the kitchen, the dj session starts. It lasts until 03:00.

Details about this spot
Before | Bars, Music, Restaurants (lunch) | Beer € 3.50
Santa Monica 2 | El Raval (area map) | +34933013503
Mon - Wed 13:00 - 16:00, Thu - Sat 13:00 - 16:00 & 21:00 - 03:00

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One of the few centrally located places open for live performances of emerging bands in Barcelona!

It was opened in 1992, the year of the Olympic games, big hotels and huge impersonal malls. Fortunately it was also understood that the bohemian mood is something that gave the city its popularity.

In order to play there, bands must pass the filter of the bar manager, a frenetic indie music fan who is quite aware of his roll as a gate keeper for bands that have to struggle their way into this fortified jungle of commercial mass. No wonder there is a comedian representing the country in an international music contest!

Either a jam session or a concert, there is live music every night!

Details about this spot
Big Bang Bar | Bars, Music | Concerts € 3.00
Botella street 7 | El Raval (area map)
Tue - Sun 23:00 - 03:00

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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. Nonsmokers will likely have a tough time of it here as it’s small, not well-ventilated and soon gets filled with people and smoke.

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 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 and politicians. I’ve often seen locally prominent politicians in here arguing a point of policy, or just gossiping, with senior journalists.

If you visit between 19:00 and 20:00 you’ll likely hear a familiar voice face from Catalan radio above the lively, loud chatter. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart called in once when visiting the city. A cool, but smoky, spot for meeting up with friends before a night on the town.

Details about this spot
Boadas | Bars | Cocktail € 6.00
C/Tallers 1 | El Raval (area map) | +343189592
Mon - Sat 12:00 - 02:00

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The Bonobo bar can be more than a bar if you are with the right company and also in the right mood. Everything is fine with it but I have a theory about this place: it can accelerate your feelings somehow. If you feel pretty some night and you go there you will feel prettier after some minutes. The same occurs if you feel happy or sad, so try to use this place powers wisely.

I think the key is the company you choose to go there. That could mean the difference between a great night and a hard long night. However, you could say this happens with any place, but if you go you will understand why I’m right. There’s something special operating there, something that we’re not able to perceive until is too late, so when we realize we are happy that happiness is hard to stop.

This place is located at a very quiet street of Barrio de Gracia and it’s away enough of the neighborhoods rhythm to be unaware by the most of locals, so not everyone will go there unless they already know it. Pay attention to this trick before going in: if you think your mood connect with these smiles you see from the outside feel free to get in. Something special is waiting for you behind that door.

Details about this spot
Bonobo Bar | Bars | Beer € 2.50
Santa Rosa 32 | Gracia (area map) | +34932188796
Tue - Sun 16:00 - 03:00

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Having lunch inside the Boqueria market is one of the well hidden secrets of Barcelona’s local people. You would not expect eating in a market hall, would you?
This is something you definitely have to try out, as the market in the heart of the city is actually hosting some of Barcelona’s best restaurants.

Have the freshest fish, home made pizzas or delicious tapas in one of the numerous little bars/restaurants such as El Quim, Pintxo or Antonio’s restaurant.

If you are only thirsty or would like to have a small snack you can buy a recently prepared fruit salad or a freshly squeezed juice.

Enter the market hall from the Rambla, have a stroll around the market and see the beautifully arranged fruits and vegetables until you arrive in the backside of the Boqueria. This is where the local buy there food. In the back you will also find the bars/restaurants where you can have a tasteful lunch.

Details about this spot
Boqueria | Bars, Restaurants (lunch) | Tapas at El Quim from € 3.00
Plaza de la Boqueria | El Raval (area map) | +34933182584
Mon - Sat 08:00 - 20:30

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I will talk about one of my favourite places at Gracia but I must confess it’s not easy for me explaining why I love it so much. It’s a bar called Café Suec and they offer nothing more than what a bar usually offers. However I know this place will surprise you in a very special way.

Sometimes it’s hard to find a table at a terrace in Gracia especially on these very hot summer days. The table you want may be occupied by some people reading the largest book possible and all they ordered was a coffee maybe 2 hours ago. Accept it… They won’t leave. Never.

They could read that book twice times under the shadow of some beautiful huge tree but it seems for them the reading time becomes especially delightful if they can make 4 persons unhappy because anyone can use that table while they’re sat memorizing a dictionary. Indeed, it’s a pity for the bar’s owner too. He would prefer you as a customer for sure.

What to do? Easy! Invite the bar owner to share some beers at the Café Suec. Who knows? Maybe you can make a new friend. It’s just a bar, it’s just a beer, it’s just you. That’s the reason I recommend this place. People who goes to the Suec know what they want and what they can get there.

I can’t help to feel it as a very cozy corner, sometimes a solution, sometimes a relief too.

Details about this spot
Café Suec | Bars | Beer € 3.00
Alzina 2-4 | Gracia (area map)
Tue - Sun 18:00 - 02:30

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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.

Details about this spot
Cala del Vermut | Bars, Snacks | Vermut € 2.00
C/Magdalenes 6 | El Barrio Gotico (area map) | +34933179623
Mon - Sat 11:00 - 16:00 & 18:00 - 23:00

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Oscar Wilde said once that “with the first drink of absinth you see things as they are not, with the second you see things as you wish they were, and after the third one you see things as they really are, and it was the worst view ever”.

So if you want to stick with the second drink of the so called aphrodisiac of the soul, with all the ritual of melting the sugar cube with the proper spoon then don’t be frightened … no harm will come to you.

Details about this spot
Casa Almirall | Bars | Absinth € 4.50
Carrer de Joaquín Costa 33 | El Raval (area map) | +34933189917
12:00 - 03:00 daily

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I found this place like most of the places I like: accidentally. That night I took my camera with me and I went to the beach following the ancient steps, like playing the role of some nostalgic witness taking pictures about all those places and moments I could enjoy once, but the weather turned off somehow.

As you may suspect I was a bit sad that night but something happened that started to change everything. I was on my knees waiting for the right moment to shoot the next picture about some lost street at El Borne when I saw two beautiful girls in front of me with this “say-cheese!” attitude so I took their picture and they came closer to check out the results. That couple of minutes we talked were enough to colorize the whole environment and the way that night was going to end.

So that night I walked, I walked a lot going back home. It took about 2 hours arriving to Gracia’s neighbourhood when suddenly there it was the second sign. I could hear a special song from the outside, so I couldn’t help to go in when I read the name of this bar from the sidewalk. “De Dues” is a Catalan expression that means like that place is owned by two girls.

So what did I do? I just connected the signs that night was giving to me and I got in, I sat at the bar, I asked for a beer and I started to enjoy the warm and cosy style this place has. After the second beer I understood why I liked ‘De Dues’ bar so much: it’s a feminine atmosphere, everything is offered in a different way. De Dues bar is the right place to discover a better night is possible. It’s hard to explain exactly how its magic works so consider this story the right sign to get there.

The magic is out there. We just have to pay attention sometimes.

Details about this spot
De Dues | Bars | Beer € 2.00
Torrent de L’Olla, 89 | Gracia (area map) | +34934161496
Mon - Sat 16:30 - 03:00

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There is a coarse Barcelona or at least there was a few years ago a coarse Barcelona, some places where only “bad people” were going. Without any doubt, the Cangrejo is one of the most emblematic places of this riffraff Barcelona.

Today, the clientele is mainly gay and the music is from the the 80’s, great for dancing and having a lot of fun with your friends. Music and decoration are totally kitsch making you feel in the best Pedro Almodovar’s movie. Moreover the star of the bar is Carmen de Mairena, a very famous drag-queen in Spain

There is a dinner and a very funny animation with a drag-queen every Saturday. The bar opens from 10 pm for people going there just for a drink and dancing.

The Cangrejo has been redecorated lately, losing part of his charm and character and the music, because of the neighbors, is lower but anyway it’s worthy to see this legendary place located in the heart of el Raval, next to La Rambla.

Details about this spot
El cangrejo | Bars | Entrance € 5.00
Calle de Montserrat, 9 | El Raval (area map) | +34933012978
Fri - Sat 21:00 - 03:00

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Located in the Raval in a very peaceful street, you will find this very small place with a few sew tables, a lot of wine barrels hanging on the walls and a few tapas to eat, mainly ham, chorizo, “fuet” (catalan pork sausage) and cheese of high quality. Products are simple but good.

The atmosphere is friendly, welcoming and quiet and the owner of the place, a guy from Guinea equatorial is one of the nicest owners in Barcelona. Always smiling and in a good mood, he really cheers you up.

This bar is one of these place I feel as comfortable in as at home. People who go there are regular customers. Very discrete place. It’s hard to find it at random.

Details about this spot
El celler d’en Frank Peterssein | Bars | Beer and cheese tapa € 6.00
Calle Bisbe Laguarda, 3 | El Raval (area map) | +34933295615
Mon - Sat 11:00 - 23:00, Sun 11:00 - 04:00

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This brewery and tapas bar is yet another great and authentic place to hang out in Barcelona.

The place is nearby the beach and very tiny but popular; it’s basically only one long bar packed with locals zipping delicious creamy and foamy home brewed beer. Ask for a “flauta” and you will also get one.

The tapas are high quality and exceptionally tasteful. Ask for “pimientos del padron” (fried green peppers), morcilla (typical sausage) and “solomillo” (juicy meat). The specialties of the house are “granjero” (toast with special filling) and “foie a la plancha” (grilled liver). The tapas differ from € 4.50 - € 15.00.

It’s fun to watch the chefs and the waiters offering a serious and efficient but also very Spanish service.

Try to avoid the “tapas-rush-hour” at around 20:00 and try to moderate you appetite. The bill might end up unexpectedly high.

Details about this spot
El vaso de oro | Bars, Restaurants (Tapas) | Tapas from € 4.50
Calle Balboa 7 | Barceloneta (area map) | +34933193098
Mon - Sun 09:00 - 00:00, Closed first week of September

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Sleep 8 hours a day, cook healthy, do the laundry, clean your house, and besides that work 8 hours a day, and still have a life to live … bull shit!

Unless you can find a way to make the days longer than 24 hours, there is no way to have a healthy and organized life and yet have time live it.

So forget about everything, just work to survive and seize every moment as if it was the last, and then rest and eat healthy during the weekends.

Hence as the Dalai Lama would say, just come to a jam session on any Tuesday in the Harlem and sing as if no one was hearing you, or come any other day to a concert and dance as if no one was watching at you, and then love as if you haven’t been hurt.

Details about this spot
Harlem Jazz Club | Bars, Music | Free Fri & Sa € 7.50
Comtessa de Sobradiel 8 | El Barrio Gotico (area map)
Mon - Thu 22:30 - 03:00, Fri - Sat 23:30 - 03:00

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Have you experienced some time when you go out to eat 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 the I Qué? Bar you will find they take their job with love and they care about what they do.

Feel free to ask anything, never mind if you ask 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.

Details about this spot
I Qué? | Bars, Snacks | Meal € 10.00
Topazi 8 | Gracia (area map)
Sun - Thu 06:00 - 01:00, Fri - Sat 06:00 - 03:00

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This excellent Japanese-Brazilian fusion restaurant-lounge bar is situated on the very edge of El Born.

The first thing you’ll notice as you approach the door are the big fat carp swimming on the floor - you have to walk over the fish when you enter.

Watch as your steps create ripples in the pool and the fish scatter in all directions. Kids (like me!) love it, and keeps them amused during the short wait for food. And, when tired of the swimming touch-sensitive fish you can watch a large-screen projection of life under the ocean. Amusingly the undersea scenes are cut in with a live feed from the kitchen - so you can watch the expert chefs prepare your sashimis, tempuras, makis and sushis.

The food here is excellent. A very good friend (Hi Krystyna!) who loves Japanese food, and has probably visited most Japanese restaurants in the city, eats here every Friday lunchtime. The lunchtime set menu is only 12 euros and worth every cent.

Good, lively, very friendly atmosphere. And, though the restaurant only opened at the beginning of the year it has already gained a deserved reputation for excellent food, friendly service and good value. If going in the evening you’ll probably need to book ahead or be prepared to wait for a while.

Details about this spot
ikibana - Japanese | Bars, Restaurants (Japanese-Brazilian) | Daily menu € 12.00
Passeig Picasso 32 | El Borne (area map) | +34932956732
13:00 - 16:00 & 20:00 - 02:30 daily

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Perhaps the best way to describe the Catalonian coque (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.

Details about this spot
La Coqueria | Bars, Restaurants | (Spanish) | Meal € 18.00
Saragossa 66 | Above diagonal (area map) | +34934161560
Mon - Sat 09:00 16:00 & 18:00 - 00:00

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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 (see this article) shop situated just in front of the bar.

Details about this spot
La luna de Jupiter | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Meal € 15.00
Placa Traginers, 8 | El Barrio Gotico (area map) | +34933196432
21:00 - 00:00 daily

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This café-restaurant is situated on the top of the National History Museum in the harbourside building called Palau de Mar.

It enjoys one of the most interesting panoramic views of the city. From the terrace you’ll get a different perspective on the city.

It’s a good place to meet up with friends for a coffee on the terrace and a good spot for a 3 course menu del día.

The Museum occasionally hosts special events and conferences but generally the café-restaurant is never over busy - it’s very rare you’ll have to queue. And it’s considerably cheaper than the swanky restaurants stretched along the paseo below - you’ll likely get as good a meal, a much better view of the city, and save yourself 30 euros.

The café-restaurant is remains open after the museum closes at 19:00 pass through the main door, head for the escalator to the second floor and take the lift to the terrace.

Details about this spot
La Miranda del Museu | Bars, Restaurants (Spanish) | Lunch (incl. wine) € 9.90
Placa Pau Villa 3 | Barceloneta (area map) | +34932211746
Tue - Sat 10:00 - 23:30, Sun 13:00 - 16:00

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Probably La Musaranya [The Shrew] is the place in Barcelona I visited most often in my life. It was always a great meeting point for my friends and I and we had tons of different reasons to choose La Musaranya among the many options we could find at Gracia. Its prices, quality, ambient and attention they were the most important motives to consider this place as one of our most favourite common bars and restaurants.

La Musaranya has new owners now and the original concept has changed a little. It’s a pity that some of their sandwiches [Oh! Those delicious "Musaranyas" and hamburgers I will never try again... *Snif*] and tapas disappeared from the menu and now they’re replaced by pizzas from Italy and Lebanon [?].

I have not eaten there again but I plan to do so very soon because there’s something I still like about this place and it’s the spirit and free smile the new personnel offers. I must insist: La Musaranya has what any other place needs to be a great place and it’s still a good spot to enjoy some tapas and beers with a good company.

I will try those pizzas, so stay tuned…

Details about this spot
La Musaranya | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas and Pizzas) | Meal from € 10.00
Asturies, 17, 08012 | Gracia (area map) | +34934155270
Mon - Sat 08:00 - 01:00, Fri - Sat 08:00 - 02:30, Sun 10:00 - 01:00

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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 shouting especially the waiters, everybody laughing and no matter how crowded the bar is, there’s still a crate left where 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 really favorite spot in Barcelona.

Details about this spot
La Plata | Snacks, Bars, Restaurants (Tapas) | Wine & tapa € 3.00
Calle Mercé, 28 | El Barrio Gotico (area map)
Mon - Sat 13:00 - 15:45 & 20:00 - 23:30

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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