The best bars in Barcelona, Spain...
The cocktail bars in Barcelona are among the best in the world, especially if Gin & Tonic is your drink of choice... they serve them by the bucket load here.
- Barcelona is a large city, although still possible to explore easily by foot. It's best to plan your route ahead and use the Metro to speed up journey times if necessary
- Most Barcelona bars only fill up after midnight and close at 02:30 - 03:00, clubs at 05:00 or 06:00
- Most bars in Barcelona accept payment by credit or debit card
- Most Barcelona bars have some staff, at least, that speak good English
- Smoking is not allowed in Barcelona bars
- Generally, the locals tip by just leaving €0.20 - €0.50 or rounding up to the nearest Euro
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Dry Martini
1 ~ DRY MARTINI & SPEAKEASY
One of the most famous cocktail bars in the entire world, this Barcelona institution was opened in 1971 as a Martinería by Don Pere Carbonellni, serving only Dry Martinis. When the now legendary Javier de las Muelas took over in 1996, he maintained the essence of a classic English cocktail bar with leather, wood and brass, whilst expanding the menu with classical cocktail recreations and a famous new exclusive and innovative drinks. The result is an elegant and refined place to drink with a jazz, soul and easy listening soundtrack. An electronic counter proudly adds up all the classic Dry Martini cocktails sold since the bar opened whilst a doorway at the back of the room leads to Speakeasy, a stunning hidden restaurant which is located in the bar's storage room. Walking past bottle crates and through the kitchen, you feel like you're starring in the classic Goodfellas scene. A paired food and cocktail menu makes trying to get a table here, a must-visit for cocktail lovers.
Cocktails €10+ Beer (0.5l) €7+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Bar Mutis
2 ~ BAR MUTIS
This invitation-only speakeasy from Kim Diaz is hidden above his excellent Bar Mut tapas bar in the Eixample District. Accessed through the doors of a residential apartment block, a concierge will check to see if you're on the guestlist (you can sometimes get access without this protocol on quieter nights). Heading up the stairs, the door to a first floor apartment leads to a tiny cocktail bar where live soul, funk and jazz musicians entertain the exclusive clientelle which has included Robert De Niro, Woody Allen and Russell Crowe amongst others. Fortunately for the neighbours, the bar is soundproofed, as this is one private house party that you certainly need to visit.
Cocktails €15+ Beer (0.5l) Not known Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Mercat Princesa
3 ~ MERCAT PRINCESA
Located in the bohemian area of El Born, this huge 14th Century building has been remodelled to house an indoor tapas and alcohol market with a choice of sixteen stalls, each offering different produce and set around a vibrant seating area or individual bar tables. Open from 9am until midnight each day, make your first stop the Vins & Cocktails (wine and cocktails) bar or the Cafés & Cervezas (coffee and beer) stall. Glass in hand, you should then pay a visit to each of the other sellers to soak up that booze, including La Planxa, a meat seller with special sausages containing Gin & Tonic, Mojito or liquor. Away from the alcohol, visit Dolç & Salat (cake stall), Las Saladas (salads), Mekong (dim sum), Toque de Sal (unique rice and toast), Italiano's (pizza and pasta), Patates (roast potatoes), Japo (sushi), Pepe Fritz (Mediterranean seafood), Pinxos (Catalan snacks), Platillos (burgers and cooked dishes), Por+Huevos (a variety of dishes made with eggs), Ibérics & Formatges (Iberian ham and cheese), or Ostras! (oysters and sea food). There is also a secret restaurant, accessed from a hidden spot inside the premises, which boasts 40 seats, table service and a menu that includes a selection of dishes offered by the 16 different stalls. A true Catalan gastronomical palace.
Cocktails €4+ Beer (0.5l) €3.50+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Marmalade
4 ~ MARMALADE
Cool cocktail bar and the younger bigger sister of Milk Bar & Bistro. Better recognised by its nome de plume “Muebles Navarro”, this beautiful space is split into four areas and nods its head to its 50 years as a furniture store, with beautiful sofas, a hand carved black matte billiard table, copper clad antique walls and a stunning 4 meter tall chrome art deco bar, giving it a swinging 1950's Havana/New York edge whilst remaining true to its Barcelona roots.
Cocktails €5+ Beer (0.5l) €3.50+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Palau Dalmases
5 ~ PALAU DALMASES ESPAI BARROC
You'll struggle to find many more romantic places to drink in Europe than this beautiful baroque palace, hidden behind a big wooden door opposite the Picasso Museum. In the Sixteenth Century, the street was home to the palaces and residences of the most influential families of Barcelona. In 1700, this building became the Academy of Fine Arts where political thinkers, students and music lovers met to discuss art. True to this tradition, today the Palace offers live Flamenco shows daily at 19:30 and 21:30 and opera performances every Thursday at 23:00. Despite a long history of popularity and the most famous bailaora of all, Carmen Amaya, being born in Barcelona, the relationship between Catalonia and flamenco has never been an easy one, especially since Franco's dictatorship, and you are more likely to meet tourists here than locals. You can also choose to visit after the show has finished; the bar remains open until 01:00 (03:00 at weekends) with the antique furniture and works of fine art in the romantic courtyard transporting you far and away from the hustle and bustle of the El Born district's narrow streets outside.
Cocktails €12+ Beer (0.5l) €6+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Casa Almirall
6 ~ CASA ALMIRALL
Opened in 1860, this Modernista (Catalan Art Nouveau) bar in the popular El Raval district is one of the oldest and best-preserved establishments in Barcelona. The antique decoration recalls the relaxed, bohemian atmosphere of the 19th century with the elegance of the Modernisme era showing in the wood and marble. Little has changed in the main room since it opened whilst a second space owes more to its 1970s makeover with low tables, armchairs and cushions. In keeping with its 150 year old roots, they still serve Oliveta, a traditional vermouth, as well as the drink of choice at the time, Absinthe.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Bobby Gin
7 ~ BOBBY GIN
Opened in 1860, this Modernista (Catalan Art Nouveau) bar in the popular El Raval district is one of the oldest and best-preserved establishments in Barcelona. The antique decoration recalls the relaxed, bohemian atmosphere of the 19th century with the elegance of the Modernisme era showing in the wood and marble. Little has changed in the main room since it opened whilst a second space owes more to its 1970s makeover with low tables, armchairs and cushions. In keeping with its 150 year old roots, they still serve Oliveta, a traditional vermouth, as well as the drink of choice at the time, Absinthe.
Cocktails €10+ Beer (0.5l) Not known Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ El Xampanyet
8 ~ EL XAMPANYET
This famous tiny cava bar opposite the Picasso Museum in the popular El Born district is a Barcelona institution. Serving good but basic tapas alongside a huge sparkling wine collection including the famous Xampanyet ("champanyet"), you have to get there early to find a seat or a place to stand - drinkers normally overflow onto the street outside. Popular with the young and old alike, the tiled walls, antique artifacts and old bottles transport you back to 1929 when the bar was first opened by the same family who run it today. Palau Dalmases (see above) is next door.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ 360 Degrees Terrace
9 ~ 360° Terrace
With so many to choose from, it's hard picking the best rooftop hotel bar in Barcelona. Whilst not as plush as some of the 5 star offerings, the panoramic views from the sky bar at the new 4 star Barcelo Hotel, in the up and coming (yet still quite seedy) Raval district, take in the entire city and provide the best backdrop to enjoy a cocktail or G&T. There's even binoculars to help you spot the sights. Open, weather permitting, May - September.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ El Vaso De Oro
10 ~ EL VASO DE ORO
There's not many better places to start the evening than this long and narrow tapas bar in the vibrant Barceloneta fisherman's quarter. Opened over 50 years ago, and the first bar in Barcelona to not offer tables, there's only about enough room for drinkers to stand two-deep at the bar. They make their own range of beers, each served in tall slim glasses (a "flauta") whilst their tapas is amongst the best in the city, with dishes created using 50 year old recipes and embracing the fresh seafood from the port.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ El Bosc De Les Fades
11 ~ EL BOSC DE LES FADES
If you’re looking for an other-worldly experience in Barcelona, look no further than "The Fairies’ Forest". A magical indoor forest with cocktails! This unique cafe bar is decorated as an esoteric land of fairies and is split into four rooms; the magic forest, a fairy cave, an old tea room and a lounge. Popular with tourists and families, it's attached to the Museu de Cera wax museum at the end of La Rambla.
Cocktails €8+ Beer (0.5l) €4+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ La Confiteria
12 ~ LA CONFITERIA
Used in the filming of the Woody Allen film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", this lovingly restored Modernista sweet shop next to the Paral-Lel and Funicular station is one of Barcelona's most beautiful bars. The glass cases that once housed sugary treats are now stocked with liquor and the vibe is relaxed. Open until 3am, it is popular with bar hoppers stopping by for a beer on their way to the more lively bars in the Poble Sec district or by theatre goers grabbing a cocktail before and after the show.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Boadas
13 ~ BOADAS
"The oldest cocktail bar in Barcelona" (or so they claim), at the top of La Rambla, was founded in 1933 by Miquel Boadas, a Cuban born Catalan who bravely introduced the previously unseen American style concept at a time of Republican rule. The tiny place has hardly changed since then and is now ran by his daughter, Maria. As it was back then, it is famed for its daiquiris and bow-tied bartenders. The cocktail list is also extensive..
Cocktails €7+ Beer (0.5l) €4+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Sala Apola
14 ~ SALA APOLO
Made up of two different buildings, this huge nightclub and live music venue is open everyday and offers every single type of music you can think of with occasional appearances from famous names. The main venue is a 1,200 capacity old theatre with red velvets and a high ceiling whilst the smaller 400 capacity La [2] is darker and more modern. Both venues house live music concerts with a variety of artists playing before the DJs take over at midnight until 06:00, spinning primarily indie, rock, pop, electro, garage, 80's and punk in one venue, or techno, electro, house and drum'n'bass in the other. Throw into the mix the odd night of reggae, rock'n'roll, fusion, jazz and swing plus gay nights and burlesque shows and you have the ultimate Barcelona venue.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Bodega La Palma
15 ~ BODEGA LA PALMA
This small but authentic friendly wine house is a landmark in the old quarter with more than 75 years of history. Decorated with wine barrels and bottles it's a popular place to meet. Tourists mix with locals, artists and bohemians, enjoying the home made wine and vermouth whilst the excellent tapas, “embutidos” and cheese selection enjoy a great reputation in the area.
Beer (0.5l) €2.50+ Wine €1.50+
Best Bars Barcelona ~ La Conseta Del Migdia
16 ~ LA CASETA DEL MIGDIA
Open from June to September or the rest of the year just from midday to sunset on Fridays, Saturdays and festivities, this mountain top summer bar in the woods next to the Montjuïc castle should be on everybody's "Things To Do In Barcelona" list, if not for the simple bar itself but the journey to it and the views you'll enjoy along the way. An effort to find, you'll first need to catch the Funicular from Paral-Lel metro station or the Transbordador Aeri del Port cable car from across the port. Both these take you half way up the mountain to Parc Montjuïc where, after taking in the many museums if you so wish, you then transfer to the Teleferico de Montjuïc cable car, which runs all the way up to the castle. The view from here is breathtaking and queues to enter the old military fortress, which dates back to 1640, often snake back down the hill. Not many of these tourists however will be aware of the secret bar in the forest, around the castle walls, a 10 minute stroll away (follow signs for Mirador del Migdia). It's the best spot in the city to view the sunset going down over the ocean while quaffing on reasonably priced beers and cocktails.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Abirradero
17 ~ ABIRRADERO
Opened in October 2015 by the Instituto de la Cerveza Artesana, a group of artisan beer enthusiasts who have opened microbreweries across Spain, this Poble Sec brewpub serves up over forty draft ales including twenty of their home brews. Apparently, it has more beers on tap than anywhere else in Europe. There's good tapas to match the ales and brewery tours available too.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Els Quatre Gats
18 ~ ELS 4 GATS
The story behind this beautiful Barcelona bar and restaurant which featured in Carlos Ruiz Zafón's "La Sombra Del Viento" (The Shadow Of The Wind) and Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" dates back to 1890's Paris when Pere Romeu worked as a waiter and entertainment presenter in the famous Le Chat Noir cabaret club. Seduced by this environment, he decided to create a similar establishment in Barcelona, in 1897. Two years late, aged just 17, Pablo Picasso started to frequent the place and carried out his first ever exhibition in the big room. It became a centre of Modernisme where many famous artists could display their artwork, the most prominent piece in the bar's permanent collection was a lighthearted Casas self-portrait, depicting him smoking a pipe while pedaling a tandem bicycle with Pere Romeu as his stoker. By 1903 however the bar was losing so much money, Romeu had to close it and the building later became the head quarters of the artistic circle of Sant Lluc, until 1936 when the Spanish Civil War changed everything. The historic building reverted back to its original form in 1991 when "Els Quatre Gats" reopened as a posh tapas restaurant, bar and brewery, recreating the original look. Thousands of tourists make the pilgrimmage here but don't let that put you off, it's still a must-visit when in Barcelona and you can just grab a beer, an absinth, vermouth or one of their legendary coffees, even if you don't want to eat.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Boca Chica
19 ~ BOCA CHICA
Popular wirh Barcelona's richer crowd, this plush cocktail bar and summer terrace above the posh Boca Grande restaurant, is absolutely stunning and serves some of the best G&Ts in the city. Modernista touches with candle lighting, cow hide stools and DJs until 2:30am certainly help make it one of the best places to drink in Barcelona.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Bar Marsella
20 ~ BAR MARSELLA
Arguably the oldest bar in Barcelona. This late-night absinthe bar, famously frequented by Picasso and Hemmingway, has been open in the sleazy "Barrio Chino" El Raval neighbourhood since 1820 and was featured as the arty Red Light District bar in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Tatty, crowded and even unclean, with a floor and ceiling showing the bar's age, the appeal here is the sense of history and vibrant atmosphere. Oh, and the famous "Green Fairy", which is served in a glass with a lump of sugar, a fork and a bottle of water. Hold the sugar on the fork above your glass and pour the water over it, making it dissolve into the absinthe below and turning it yellow in the process as you stir.
Cocktails €5+ Beer (0.5l) Not known Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Xix Gin Corner
21 ~ XIX BAR & GIN CORNER
Based in a 100 year old dairy in the Poble Sec district, this is without doubt one of the best gin bars in Barcelona. With excellent gin based cocktails, a two hour G&T Tasting Course and over 100 different gins to choose from, most of which are also available to buy in the bar's Gin Corner liquor store next door, there's no mistaking the dedication to the drink of this establishment.
Cocktails €7.50+ Beer (0.5l) Not known Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Terrat
22 ~ TERRAT
Opened in 2014 and offering fantastic 360° views of the city, the posh 5 star Mandarin Oriental Hotel's rooftop terrace bar is open to non-guests from 6pm to midnight, April to October. Whilst the drinks are not as sophisticated as the hotel's fantastic Banker's Bar on the ground floor (below), the views and Barcelona sunshine more than make up for it.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Bormuth
23 ~ BORMUTH
Opened in the bohemian area of El Born in 2013, this friendly neighbourhood bar offers intimate spaces to enjoy the vermuths on tap, bottled cask beers and natural fruit cocktails alongside great value tapas. Beautifully designed, old wooden spaces are complemented by exposed brick walls and marble tables with a couple of seats outside letting you enjoy the atmosphere of the area.
Cocktails €7+ Beer (0.5l) €4+ Wine €3.50+
Best Bars Barcelona ~ One Ocean Club
24 ~ ONE OCEAN CLUB
This elegant cocktail bar and terrace at the OneOcean Port Vell private members club offers an all-day venue to enjoy a place to drink by the waterside. With a top restaurant, gym, spa and unrivalled views of the elite super yachts, this is a lifestyle destination like no other in Barcelona. The hand-crafted, blue-tiled bar, designed to echo the ocean, offers a range of local and international cocktails. Alternatively step outside onto the terrace to appreciate the views as the sun sets on the Barcelona skyline. For entrance you need to be a member, or a guest of somebody who is. Membership is limited to the owners and captains of boats moored at Marina Port Vell, or persons interested in nautical activities and recommended by another member.
Cocktails €10+ Beer (0.5l) Not known Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Duquesa de Cardona
25 ~ LA TERRASSA DEL DUQUESA
The terrace cocktail bar at the plush Duquesa de Cardona hotel is the perfect refuge to escape from the hustle of the city at anytime of the day and watch the harbour over cocktails. A thirty strong Catalan wine list and an attractive Gin & Tonic carte compliment the view of the Mapfre Towers at the Port Olimpic, the Moll de la Fusta, the charismatic Barceloneta quarter and the luxury yachts arriving and departing the harbour. Open 11:00 - 23:00 daily.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Ideal
26 ~ IDEAL COCKTAIL BAR
This historic cocktail bar was founded in 1931 and is currently run by the third generation of the Gotarda family. Decorated like an old Scottish Highlands hotel bar from the 1950s, it is popular with an older, more sophisticated crowd who come here for fantastic cocktails, the ninety malt whiskies and forty gins. The white suited barmen offer a sweet Pina Colada, made like in the Caribbean, with real coconut milk especially imported from Puerto Rico but the house special is a Mojito, invented during the 1982 World Cup, and made with a special rum, ginger ale and orange twist.
Cocktails €10+ Beer (0.5l) €10.50+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Tandem
27 ~ TANDEM COCKTAIL BAR
This old school cocktail bar opened back in 1985 and has since become world famous for being one of the best bars devoted to the cocktail that can be found in Barcelona for quality and service.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Quimet y Quimet
28 ~ QUIMET & QUIMET
This popular but tiny standing-room only tapas bar in Poble Sec, just off Parallel, is lined from floor to ceiling with bottles. They boast a large gin collection as well as their own label cava and Belgian beer. The seafood tapas is to die for. Just expect to eat it whilst stood up. Closed Saturday evenings and Sunday.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Ale & Hop
29 ~ ALE&HOP
Cool bar and restaurant dedicated to the cult of craft beer and tasty healthy food. This is the ultimate place for beer lovers to visit in Barcelona with ten taps serving different beers every week, including at least one Amber, Pale and Indian Pale Ale, as well at least one Lager, one wheat beer and one Stout or Porter plus local craft beers and a large selection of International bottled beers.
Beer (0.5l) €4.50+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Les Gens Que J'aime
30 ~ LES GENS QUE J'AIME
Spot the cellar like entrance on the Carrer de Valencia (next to the Majestic Hotel), and make your way down the stairs to this dimly lit red velvet basement bar for one of the most atmospheric bars in Barcelona. Dating back to its time as a jazz club in the 1960s and decorated with vintage photographs of Charlie Chaplain, Marilyn Monroe and other stars from the past, it boasts a resident tarot card reader who, if you understand Spanish or French, will tell you your fortune in the candlelight.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Banker's Bar
31 ~ BANKER'S BAR
The cocktails at the plush 5 star Mandarin Oriental Hotel are amongst some of the best we've tried in Europe. The decor is also impressive with a sleek, black bar counter, black leather chairs and soft lighting surrounded by bank deposit boxes on the walls and ceilings, offering more than a nod to the building's former use. Some of the safes are apparently still used to store bottles purchased by returning customers. Whilst here, you may also want to pay a visit to the hotel's new rooftop Terrat bar, which offers amazing views and sunshine if not as impressive drinks.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Ohla Bouteque Bar
32 ~ OHLA BOUTEQUE BAR
Right in the centre of the city, with views of Via Laietana avenue, this cool cocktail bar at the 5 Star Ohla Hotel is one of the most fashionable bars in Barcelona and offers fantastic cocktails. Headed by International award-winning bartender Giuseppe Santamaria, the drinks are as impressive as the beautiful building in which it is housed, previously a department store and once the palace of the First Prince of Barcelona.
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ 33 45
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Tinta Roja
34 ~ TINTA ROJA
Amongst shabby takeaway shops on a small backstreet you'll find this quirky Argentine Tango bar and arts space. Decorated in red velvet drapes, dark woods, candle light, erotic paintings and restored antiques, it's split into four spaces including the main cabaret style theatre, an over-the-top take on a 1940's Buenos Aires dance hall. which plays host to dance performances. The bar offers cocktails made from the Argentine liquor Caña Legui as well as Argentine wines and tapas.
Cocktails €7.50+ Beer (0.5l) €4+ Wine Not known
Best Bars Barcelona ~ Bonavida / Photo: Facebook bonavidabar
35 ~ Bonavida
This friendly cocktail bar from multi-award winning Italian bartender Simone Guido can be found right in the centre of Barcelona, close to both Plaza Catalunya and Paseo de Gracia. Having been crowned the Best Bartender in Spain at World Class 2012, amongst other titles, you know that you are in safe hands with some of the best cocktails in the city, and a mighty fine gin collection and nice tapas too. Open daily from breakfast until 02:30 (03:00 Friday and Saturday)
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Best Bars Barcelona ~ Old Fashioned
36 ~ OLD FASHIONED GIN TONIC & COCKTAIL BAR
Whilst it may not be as historic nor aesthetically pleasing as many of its adversaries in the city, this tiny modern cocktail bar in the lively Gracia district offers some of the best cocktails in Barcelona and is well worth checking out if you have a taste for high quality bespoke drinks. The attention to detail from the friendly bartenders is highlighted by the premium liquors used, together with the large collection of bitters and garnishes displayed on the bar.
Cocktails €8+ Beer (0.5l) €3+ Wine Not known