Unless you’re obsessed with Mancunian indie music you might not think of a trip to a Manchester-themed bar on your trip to Barcelona as being judicious use of your precious time. There are plenty of similar bars in England, most of which are as dirty, ragged and out of date as the musicians from that era are today. 

However, I always have a morbid fascination with how other countries interpret British culture and the combination of being able to do that over a beer, along with it being in a convenient location at that point in the evening, made it worth a try.

Manchester is based down the warren of narrow back streets in Barcelona’s attractive and rather atmospheric Gothic Quarter. In the past locating it might have presented a challenge but anyone now should find it with ease.

The sign sticks out on your entry to the tiny square, and on entry step down to the bar area and you’ll find a fairly small and lively space, decorated in the fashion a lot of bars thought was cool back in the late 90s and early 2000s, which now seems oddly quaint.

The bar largely serves cheap beer and cheap cocktails, although on our visit nearly everyone was drinking Heineken as it was on sale for pennies. Being on holiday, we naturally didn’t see the need to take such drastic measures. There are some decent bottles including imported German beer and the standard Barca lagers on tap, all of which are cheap themselves. A better option might be their boozy Caipirinhas.

Naturally, the music is pretty good, though don’t expect it to be all strictly Mancunian, they were playing a range of British indie, punk and psych music from the 70s all the way up to the mid 00s.

The general atmosphere is good because its inhabited by a mainly local crowd, and manages to be busy and vibrant while still having available seating.

There’s no point going over the top about it. Manchester certainly isn’t doing anything unique but it’s a good option for a cheap beer or cocktail and a hang out, to enjoy some music and be on your way.