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Location: Carrer de la Llibreteria, 16, Ciutat Vella, 08002
Venue Type: Café Bar / Historic Venue
Year of Inscription: 2024
Map
Description
Gallery
| EBG Rating: | 7.6/10 |
| Choice/ Quality of Drinks | ❤️❤️❤️ Typical broad but not deep café bar fare. |
| Style/ Décor | ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Founded 1909. Occupying the entire width of a narrow plot of land where a ground-floor, five-storey building faces Carrer de la Llibreteria . The façade stands out for structure that imitates the capcer of a farmhouse, with rustic cladding painted white and topped by a gabled roof. The access portal is centered with an eave of tables, above which there are two windows that advertise the typical products of the establishment and, above, a wooden board announcing the name of the place. The interior has two distinct spaces: the bar’s own space with small marble tables and a separate room inside. It retains the original furniture, such as the wine cabinet that extends along the wall behind the counter and a cabinet for the old coffee machine. On the left wall is a ceiling-high wooden trellis with framed pictorial motifs. |
| Atmosphere/ Character | ❤️❤️❤️❤️ The historic character gained over time and its situation right in the heart of Barcelona’s old centre gives the place a pleasant feel, partly aided by the sense of surprise something like this can still be here. While ostensibly a café, the dark wood, alcohol and lively staff, along with pub seating to the rear of the bar make it feel more like a tavern. |
| Amenities/ Events | ❤️❤️❤️ Food, snacks, limited outdoor space, newspapers |
| Value For Money | ❤️❤️ City centre prices |
| Description | 115+ years old (and counting), the sense of surprise that such a business could still be here in the heart of Barri Gotic in the modern era, with all its commercial pressures and fashion whims is a positive feeling that is sustained once you’re sat inside, with its dark wood, mirrors, preserved fittings and tavern like character elevating what is ostensibly a café into a bar. The backroom with its partitions and communal seating are handy for plotting, while grabbing the slimline tables at the front is a good place to people watch. With lively staff and a sense somehow that it hasn’t become oversubscribed or ruined by tourists – the latter being almost miraculous, it sustains a clear recommendation from us. (Added May 2024) |
