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tours, check their email and generally chill
out. It’s solidly tourist-orientated, with
footy on the TV and run-of-the-mill tapas,
English breakfast and burgers are
available – even so, it’s more relaxed here
than in the rowdy stag-friendly “Irish pubs”
nearby, and is probably the most like an
English pub that the city has to offer.
Mon–Thurs & Sun 9am until 2am, Fri &
Sat 9am until 3am.
El Raval
For locations, see map, pp.66–67.
Almirall
c/de Joaquin Costa 33
T
933 189 917;
M
Universitat.
Dating from 1860, Barcelona’s
oldest bar – check out the
modernista
doors and counter – is a venerated leftist
hangout. Not too young, not too loud,
always good for a late-night drink. Daily
7pm–3am.
Benidorm
c/de Joaquin Costa 39
T
933 178
052;
M
Universitat.
Imagine … if your elderly
aunt turned her parlour into a bar, dimmed
the lights, and invited all her young friends.
That, in a nutshell, is
Benidorm
, just a little
bit cheesy and none the worse for that.
Daily 7pm–3am.
Café de les Delícies
Rambla de Raval 47
T
934 415 714;
M
Liceu.
One of the first
off the blocks in this revamped neighbour-
hood, and still perhaps the best – cute and
cosy, mellow and arty, with a summer
terrace and food for sharing. It feels more
like someone’s house than a bar, especially
out back in the homely no-smoking lounge.
Daily except Wed 6pm–2am, Fri & Sat until
3am; closed 2 weeks Aug.
La Confitería
c/de Sant Pau 128
T
934 430 458;
M
Paral.lel.
This old
modernista
bakery and
confectioner’s with a carved wood bar,
murals, chandeliers and mirrored cabinets is
now a popular meeting point. Mon–Sat
8pm–3am, Sun 7pm–2am.
London Bar
c/Nou de la Rambla 34
T
933 185
261;
M
Liceu.
Opened in 1910, this well-
known bar attracts a mostly tourist clientele
these days, but it’s still worth looking in at
least once. There’s no longer any live
music, and the big-screen TV at the back
and the wireless Internet smack of “just-
another-bar” syndrome, but nothing can
dull the exuberant
modernista
decor (nor
the authentic old town sleaze just up the
street). Tues–Sat 7pm–4am; closed two
weeks in Aug.
Marsella
c/de Sant Pau 65
T
934 427 263;
M
Liceu.
Authentic, atmospheric, 1930s bar
– named for the French port of Marseilles –
where absinthe is the drink of choice. It’s
frequented by a spirited mix of local
characters and young trendies, all looking
for a slice of the old Barri Xines. Mon–Sat
10pm–3am; closed 2 weeks in Aug.
Muy Buenas
c/del Carme 63
T
934 425 053;
M
Liceu.
Arguably the Raval’s nicest tradi-
tional watering-hole, with a restored
modernista
interior and eager-to-please
staff making things go with a swing. A
long marble trough does duty as the bar,
and the beer’s pulled from antique beer
taps. There are also tapas and meals.
Tues–Sat 9am–3am.
Resolis
c/Riera Baixa 22
T
934 412 948;
M
Liceu/Sant Antoni.
The team behind
Ànima
restaurant rescued this decayed,
century-old bar and turned it into a cool
hangout with decent tapas. They didn’t do
much – a lick of paint, polish the panelling,
patch up the brickwork – but now punters
spill out of the door on to “secondhand
clothes street” and a good time is had by
all. There are superior tapas too, so if you
only come to one bar in the Raval, come
here. Mon–Sat 11am–1am.
Zelig
c/del Carme 116
T
934 415 622,
W
www.zelig-barcelona.com;
M
Sant
Antoni.
The photo-frieze on granite walls and
a fully stocked cocktail bar make it very
much of its
barri
but
Zelig
stands out from
the crowd – two Dutch owners offer a
chatty welcome, a tendency towards
1980s sounds and a slight whiff of camp.
Tues–Sun 7pm–2am, Fri & Sat 7pm–3am.
Sant Pere
For location, see map, p.74.
Casa Paco
c/d’Allada Vermell 10
T
935 073
719;
M
Jaume I.
The
barri
’s signature bar
is this cool-but-casual music joint that’s a hit
on the weekend DJ scene – the tagline “not a
disco, just a bar with good music” says it all.
There’s a great
terrassa
under the trees, and
if you can’t get a table here there are half a
dozen other
al fresco
bars down the traffic-
free boulevard. Meanwhile, the associated
Pizza Paco
arcoss the way (also with its own
terrace) means you don’t have to go
anywhere else for dinner. Mon–Thurs & Sun
9am–2am, Fri & Sat noon–3am, Oct to March
opens daily at 6pm.
BARS AND CLUBS
|
Bars