If there’s one thing the city of Barcelona stands out for, it’s the large number of bars it has to offer. You can find them in all possible styles, from the most classic to the most modern and groundbreaking.
Depending on the type of bar you’re looking for, you can find them open from lunchtime (from 1pm onwards) until midnight. But if you’re looking for late-night bars, you’ll find them open from 8pm until 3am.
It’s difficult to say which are the best bars in Barcelona, the list would be very long, and it depends on the tastes of each person and is a subjective matter. Below, we’ll tell you about the meticulous selection we’ve made of the best bars in Barcelona, from our point of view.
The best bars in Barcelona for young adults
El Bosc de les Fades
This is a magical and special place, where you can have a bite to eat and a few beers and/or wines, wrapped in a decorative setting of trees, nature and gnomes that will make you feel like you’re in a fairy tale. It is located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, next to Las Ramblas. If you feel like continuing your sightseeing tour, the Wax Museum is right next door.
Location: Passatge de la Banca, 7
Les Gens Que J’aime
For the more romantic and love-struck, this place has an intimate and quaint aura. With a cool blue music atmosphere, you can enjoy everything from beers to spirits and cocktails.
Location: Carrer Valencia 286, Barcelona
The best tapas bars in Barcelona
Bar Roma
If you are looking for good quality food, this is the place for you. They offer a good selection of tapas, as well as the dish of the day and homemade desserts. The salad with homemade pickles, Perelló peppers and vitello tonnato sauce is a spectacle. Another top recommendation is the veal milanesa sandwich with tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise on bun bread.
Location: Carrer de València, 104
La Monroe
This is the bar with the perfect combination: Spanish tapas and vermouth. This cosy restaurant with rustic and original décor is known for its delicious Spanish and Catalan tapas, prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients. From patatas bravas and nachos to salmorejo with aubergine and grandma’s croquettes.
Location: C/ Plaça Salvador Seguí 1-9
La Flauta
This traditional pinchos and flautas bar is famous for its quality small plates. The atmosphere at La Flauta is warm and cosy, with dim and mysterious lighting, yet cool at the same time. They offer a large selection of seafood and as everything is prepared fresh to ensure maximum freshness. We recommend that you book in advance, as it tends to fill up!
Location: C/ d’Aribau, 23
The best cocktail bars in Barcelona
Paradiso / Pastrami Bar
The World’s Best Bars list considers this to be one of the best bars in the world. It started out as a clandestine creative cocktail bar, so today its access is a bit peculiar. Behind the hidden door of a snack bar, you pull open a wooden cooler and a door opens into a cocktail bar. Inside, an elegant wood-panelled cave awaits you, run by Giacomo Gianotti, who received the award for best cocktail maker in Spain in 2014.
Sips Drinkery House
Another bar on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2023 list. The venue is dark and elegant, ideal for a date. It offers a great list of elaborate and cool cocktails, with unique flavours that will leave you speechless, such as a Crypto, which you drink by putting your nose in an olfactory zone, similar to a cracked egg, with a base of gin, clarified kiwi and Calvados Armagnac. Quite an extrasensory experience!
Location: C/ de Muntaner, 108
Dr. Stravinsky
The owners of La Confitería took over the old Nus bar and have turned it into a very funny place full of surprises, from distorted mirrors to amphorae with water surrounded by the liqueurs they use for their cocktails. These are totally crazy, Dr. Stravinsky’s inventions will surprise you!
Location: Carrer dels Miraller
Boadas
A life-long classic, now 90 years old. Opened in 1933 by Miguel Boadas, a Cuban who wanted to recreate a branch of his Florida in Barcelona, this iconic bar on La Rambla remains true to its essence. Here you’ll find imports from Cuba and Europe that revolutionised the history of cocktails and classic cocktails that were at the forefront in other eras, such as the Bambú.
Location: Carrer dels Tallers, 1
