Boada’s Cocktail Bar, Barcelona

Cocktail bars in Barcelona are starting to become a dime a dozen, especially along the tourist trap street known as La Rambla. Salespeople will try to lure you in to the authentic cocktail experience among Roman ruins, Gaudi’s masterpieces and overflowing plates of tapas. But one watering hole located right off La Rambla, just a few steps from Plaça de Catalunya, sits a triangular spot with just enough room for a bar, a few stools and two shiny bartenders in bow ties.

Since 1933, Boada’s has remained mostly unchanged and serves an invisible menu of guests’ requests. Name a few ingredients and watch the bartenders create a personalized concoction on the fly.

The bar was inspired by a former Havana haunt called El Floridita. A man named Miguel Boadas, who has both Catalan and Cuban roots, opened the bar to pay homage to the Spanish influence on Cuba, and vice versa.

Now the oldest cocktail bar in Barcelona, the environ and mood evoke an era during which the world’s problems could be solved with a mojito and a smile. A warm welcome from the highly skilled bartenders in what feels like a closet-turned-bar offers a certain intimacy lacking in other modern establishments. Get there early and grab a front-row stool to watch the bartenders in action as you mingle with other patrons in what feels like someone’s living room.

Boada’s Cocktail Bar

1 Carrer dels Tallers

Barcelona, Spain 08001

34 933 18 95 92