24 Best Bars in The Eixample, Barcelona

The natural wine craze has taken Barcelona by storm and nowhere has a funkier natty selection or more delicious seasonal dishes to accompany it than Bandini's. Try a local pet-nat from Catalonia---which happens to be one of the world's leading natural wine-producing regions---and whatever fresh, in-season veggies are on the menu.

Bohemia meets the Moulin Rouge at this intimate, below-street-level bordello-inspired bar with turn-of-the-20th-century memorabilia like fringed lampshades, faded period portraits, and comfy wicker sofas cushioned with lush red velvet. There's usually jazz playing in this laid-back spot where guests linger over reasonably priced cocktails (whiskey sours are popular).

Conceptualized to celebrate wine culture at its finest, this spectacular space, aptly called "Wineworld" in Catalan, features a ritzy wine bar complete with tablet wine lists, a cavernous culinary space, a reference library, a vertical garden, and the pièce de résistance: a vast cellar housing a mind-blowing 3,500 vintages from around the world. Small plates of regional jamón and inventive riffs on classical Catalan cuisine complement the vino. Wine tastings, both traditional and creative, are held regularly for groups or individuals looking to become oenophiles.

Opened by a trio of vermouth aficionados, Morro Fi (loosely translates as “refined palate”) began as a food blog that morphed into a bar determined to educate people about enjoying vermouth (they even produce their own brand) with select tapas. The result? Locals and the odd expat routinely spilling out into the streets, drink in hand, while indie music blares.

When it comes to wine, the team at Pepa really know their grapes, and they excel with natural wines, though there's also vermouth and artisanal beer if you're in the mood for that. The food is excellent, too, and it's all served in an old converted library.

There's a reason SIPS is considered one of the best bars in the world, drawing from a menu influenced by seasonal ingredients and using state-of-the-art techniques to mix a range of classic recipes and signature concoctions. Those in the know head to the back room, which seats just 14 people, for a truly immersive cocktail experience.

You'll find this exuberant Caribbean spot sizzling with salsa, son cubano, and merengue from the moment you step in the door. From 10 to 11 on Wednesday, enthusiastic dance instructors teach bachata for free. After that, the dancing begins and the dancers rarely stop to draw breath. This self-proclaimed "Caribbean cultural center" cranks out every variation of salsa ever invented. There are regular live concerts, and on Friday and Saturday, the mike gives way to animated Latin DJs.

This sleek megaclub, which was reborn as part of the L’Illa shopping center, boasts the best sound system in Barcelona. A smaller space puts on concerts of emerging and cult artists—the Nigerian singer-songwriter Asa, local soulsters The Pepper Pots, and Gil Scott-Heron (in one of his final performances) among them. When gigs finish around midnight, the walls roll back, and the space ingeniously turns into a sweaty nightclub.

The only thing bitter about this place is the name. Excellent cocktails and friendly service are what keep guests coming back to this cute neighborhood joint in trendy Sant Antoni. 

This gay hub combines a wide range of resources, from films and darkrooms to Internet connections, and a lounge.

An homage to the traditional English martini bar of decades past, this stately spot by local mixology maestro Javier de las Muelas is paradise for cocktail aficionados seeking expertly mixed drinks.

You won't find a more welcoming or upbeat cocktail lounge in Barcelona and, better still, the drinks are excellent. The best seat in the house is at the bar for great chats with the friendly staff and views of their artistry at work. Make sure you order a Calypso with your face printed on it (you'll understand when you see it). 

This busy LGBTQ+ bar, decked out in quasi-religious memorabilia, attracts locals and visitors of all persuasions, tastes, and age ranges.

In a space ideally located on Barcelona’s exclusive shopping avenue, Passeig de Gràcia, the acclaimed Torres wine dynasty offers an ample selection of their international wines and spirits to accompany delectable Mediterranean fish or meat dishes such as the signature oxtail in Sangre de Toro red wine sauce. The dark, modern space is adorned with walls of stacked wine bottles, and strategic lighting illuminates the natural wood tables.

Luz de Gas, an ornate 19th-century theater, offers everything from live performances (mostly world music and Latin) to wild late-night dancing (expect soul and standards).

For more than a decade, this “secret” basement bar, in an area otherwise dominated by student pubs and tourist traps, has had a rotating lineup of international acts including blues, soul, jazz, flamenco, swing, and pop. The space resembles a 1940s cabaret, with a brass bar, spotlit photos of previous acts, and red banquette-style seating.

Just off Vía Augusta above Diagonal, this nightclub and disco (dating from 1985) is a perennial Barcelona favorite that keeps attracting a glitzy mix of Barcelona movers and shakers, models, ex-models, wannabe models, and the hoping-to-get-lucky mob that predictably follows this sort of pulchritude. Hip-hop, house, and Latin make up the standard soundtrack on the dance floor, with more mellow notes upstairs and in the coveted Altos Club Privé (or "VIP section," to the rest of us).

This friendly LGBTQ+ bar in the heart of the "Gaixample" neighborhood opens in the morning and stays busy until late. Expect strong drinks and a fun, eclectic crowd of locals, visitors, and fabulous drag queens.

A musical LGBTQ bar with billiards tables, this mid-Eixample hub is a clearinghouse for all persuasions and tastes, with women often outnumbering the men, pool tables or not.

Music described as "humana" (suggesting no teeth-rattling techno) keeps Sala B filled with the mid-twenties and thirtysomething set until 5 in the morning on Friday and Saturday. Just above the Diagonal near Luz de Gas, this veteran nightspot is an offshoot of the parent club as evidenced by the shared website. Concerts and DJ music for dancing alternate at this comfortable club designed for semicivilized nightlife.

This snazzy, high-ceilinged vermuteria has guests lining up to sample a generous selection of more than 40 vermuts served with traditional tapas. From bitter to earthy or aged in a barrel, the classic aperitif is the star attraction though other offerings include wine, beer, and juices.

If there's anywhere you should dress up to get past the door, it's here. If the international see-and-be-seen crowd converges around the seaside clubs below Hotel Arts, their local equivalent come to Sutton. The club is segregated into several bars and dancing areas, playing R&B, hip-hop, house, and the occasional live performance. Not as happening as in its mid-2000s heyday, it still merits a visit, if anything to enjoy the festive atmosphere. Sutton is like a Vegas club in Barcelona: it may not be classy, but it's always entertaining.

This grown-up cocktail lounge in the midst of busy Eixample is the ideal spot to take refuge from the chaos outside, cozy up in a big leather armchair, and order an expertly prepared classic drink from one of the waistcoated, bow-tied servers. 

The interior of this Alice in Wonderland–like venue of checkered half-walls, a marble bar, and contemporary objets d’art rarely seen on ceilings is the first clue that you’ve landed somewhere special. Beyond that, with 50-plus flavors of gins and infusions, and a lounge-friendly 3 am last call on weekends, Xix turns conventional cocktail drinkers into card-carrying gin lovers.