I love Barcelona so much… and one of the reasons I love it is its effortlessly cool bar scene. Barcelona bars can be hip and edgy or chic and sophisticated, but without seeming to try – and also without feeling snobbish nor elitist. This is great for me because I love cocktails, but I’m not very cool, ha ha!
Barcelona has some of the best cocktail bars in the world, with three in the top ten of the World’s Best Bars in 2022 – and many more that are serious contenders. For this reason, I think enjoying a cocktail or a mocktail is one of the best things to do in Barcelona.
To create this is of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona, I tried quite a few places myself (it’s just one of the sacrifices I make as a diligent travel blogger) – but I also asked some travel blogger friends to give me their recommendations as well.
Table of Contents
9 Of The Best Cocktail Bars In Barcelona
1. Paradiso
The last time I was in Barcelona, I was determined to check out Paradiso, because it has such a great reputation. Paradiso has won a bunch of awards and has just been announced as number 1 on the list of the 50 World’s Best Bars in 2022!
I did my research and found out that it is not possible to reserve a table, so it’s somewhere you have to take your chances about getting in – and let me tell you, this place is popular!
The first day I was there, I got there about an hour after it opened and the queue was around the block! I didn’t feel like waiting that day, so I came back the next day promptly at the time it opened – and there was a queue even then. But, thankfully, it was much smaller and it moved fairly quickly. Within 30 minutes, I was seated inside, perusing a menu themed around outer space.
The bar is small, with an upbeat vibe driven by the cheerful staff. You can expect cocktails that have had as much thought on the celestial presentation as has gone into the mixology. I tried an Aurora cocktail, which came on a lit-up base. It was delicious – sour with just a little sweetness. My second drink was Infinity, which was sweet and velvety and complex. I loved it. Drinks were €12 each.
You can also expect a little flair bartending. No Tom Cruise-style throwing of bottles in the air, but some elaborate, coordinated cocktail shaking and pouring of drinks from great heights.
Overall, I had a really good time there, despite the queue – but I definitely recommend you get there early!
You can find (the queue for) Paradiso at C. Rera Palau, 4 in the El Born area of Barcelona’s Old City.
Paradiso’s Google rating: 4.5
2. Two Schmucks
Another of Barcelona’s bars that is on the 2022 World’s Best Bars list is Two Schmucks, which comes in at number 7.
This place seems like a strange, global mix: a cocktail bar in Barcelona, founded by a Swede and a Brit, but currently run by two French women, with a name based a Jewish-American word for fool.
The stated ambition for the bar is to be a ‘five-star dive’ bar – and the five-star part comes through in the cocktails, which are innovative and thoughtful. For example, have you ever considered blending the flavours of Jerusalem artichoke with olive oil and white chocolate?
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The dive bar part is right there in the style and the location of Two Schmucks. It is on a shabby, graffiti-plastered street in the ‘grittiest’ part of the Old City, El Raval. Once known for prostitution and pickpockets, El Raval is now hipster-central and the bar certainly fits that vibe: it is irreverent and uber-cool.
Two Schmucks is at Carrer de Joaquín Costa, 52 in El Raval.
Two Schmucks’s Google rating: 4.6
3. Dr Stravinsky
For a more intimate, discrete cocktail bar, I highly recommend Dr Stravinsky. This cocktail bar in the El Born area of Barcelona feels kind of like an apothecary, due to its focus on the ingredients of cocktails. They make all their own infusions and mixes, and the walls are lined with bottles that look like potions.
The menu here uses an interesting infographic to show the cocktails on different flavour spectrums. I ordered a ‘Fatty De Paloma’, which was spicy with a little sweetness and some lovely smokiness. It cost €11.
Like Paradiso, there’s some showy bartending on display here. I loved watching the mixologist pouring drinks from one beaker to another while twisting from side to side and mixing with lots of flicks and flourishes! It felt like the flamenco of cocktail-making. Check out this Instagram reel to see what I mean.
Unlike Paradiso, you’re not as likely to have to queue for ages and ages – though it will get busy after 7-ish.
Dr Stravinsky is at Carrer dels Mirallers, 5. It’s near lots of art galleries, including the Picasso Museum and the MOCO Museum.
Dr Stravinsky’s Google rating: 4.6
4. Boadas Cocktails
Contributed by Jason from Just Us Two Travel
Boadas is a great little bar with lots of history. As you enter, the place is very intimate and doesn’t look like it has changed much since the 1930s when it was first established.
The look is dark wood, art déco furnishings and mirrors, with bar staff, decked out in black tie, black suits, and white shirts. It is said to be one of the first cocktail bars in Spain and the oldest bar in Barcelona. The bar has been in the same family from the start.
You can order any cocktail you like, but they have a small ‘specials’ board. This changes every other day or so. Prices are around €10 per drink.
It is a great little bar with a good reputation and is always full of locals. If it’s good enough for them, then it can’t be bad!
The bar is just off La Rambla, a short walk from Plaça de Catalunya on Carrer dels Tallers. Make sure you pop in for a drink or two during your stay in beautiful Barcelona.
Boadas Cocktails’ Google rating: 4.5
5. Story
I discovered Story in a quiet corner of El Born. It is an unassuming place that feels casual and friendly – somewhere to have a great conversation with a friend, or to catch some live music. You could even turn up and enjoy a good book (they have a small collection to read).
Story serves cocktails, but also food – and the combination of both is why I think it is one of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona. With my sangria, I ordered tuna sashimi – and it was truly amazing! The tuna was tender, without even a hint of connective tissue. It was served with some punchy wasabi and thickly sweet balsamic plus parsley oil. It was sublime!
You can find Story at Carrer del Pou de la Cadena in El Born.
Story’s Google rating: 4.5
6. La Terraza De Anna
Contributed by Anna from Would Be Traveller.
La Terraza de Anna by Vida Mona is a rooftop bar located in the heart of Barcelona. Guests enter through the hotel, Room Mate Anna, and take the elevator up to the top floor to reach it.
The wide drinks selection is reasonably priced for the area and features local beers, wines and spirits, as well as a delicious (and beautifully presented!) Sangria de Cava. As the name suggests, this is a sangria made with cava instead of the traditional red wine, giving it a crisp and dry edge, perfect for summer evenings.
Other than the delicious food (it’s a good option for vegetarians in Barcelona!) and drinks, it’s the view that makes this rooftop bar really special. The balcony overlooks Casa Batlló and the rest of Passieg de Gracia, visiting which is another of the best things to do in Barcelona. This makes it an ideal place to relax after a busy day sightseeing or shopping in the area.
It is best to book a table to avoid disappointment, especially if you want to claim one of the tables with a view!
To get to La Terraza de Anna, go to Room Mate Anna Hotel on C/ d’Aragó.
La Terraza De Anna’s Google rating: 4.4
7. Boca Chica
Contributed by Allison Baxley from Renovating Life.
Located in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample neighbourhood, you’ll find one of the hottest restaurants in Barcelona, Boca Grande. Connected to Boca Grande is the chic cocktail bar called Boca Chica.
Boca Grande’s reservation book fills up fast: it is an elegant and popular restaurant in and of itself. But the old Hollywood-inspired Boca Chica offers a more relaxed and fun atmosphere to indulge in the full menu from the main restaurant while imbibing head-turning drinks and people-watching some of Barcelona’s most stylish residents. The ornate bar shines with mirrors to the ceiling, beautiful woodwork, plush seating, and twinkle light-lit greenery everywhere you turn.
Signature cocktails start at €15 and do not disappoint. If you’re feeling hot, go for one of their famous gin cocktails—there’s even one that is served smoking from dry ice! Enjoy local Spanish fare with flair such as the scallops served in the shell, octopus, and pork cheeks served with potato foam and the absolute best patatas bravas around.
And don’t miss out on the dance party in the impossibly cool bathroom surrounded by hundreds of mirrors hanging on the walls and complete with DJ after midnight.
You’ll find Boca Chica (via Boca Grande) at Passatge de la Conceptió.
Boca Grande’s (the restaurant) Google rating: 4.2
8. The Roof
Another rooftop terrace bar that is worth checking out in Barcelona is called, simply, The Roof. It’s a hotel bar within The Barcelona EDITION, which is itself a stylish place in the heart of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina I La Ribera in the Old City.
The Roof has a few things going for it. Firstly, it is a stylish bar with a fresh and seasonal menu consisting of cocktails, mocktails and light eats. Try the Muay Thai Kick, made with rum, Kaffir lime-infused sake and raspberry cordial.
The second thing is that it has panoramic views across the old city of Barcelona. From the terrace, you can get a glimpse of the gothic spires of Barcelona Cathedral (one of the top sights in Barcelona) and you can look down on the colourful roof of Mercat de Santa Caterina. At sunset, you can witness the city bathed in warm light as you sip your drink.
And the third big benefit of this place is that it can be far quieter than other cocktail bars in Barcelona. Being in a hotel, it isn’t swamped with customers, so you can really enjoy your drink and the view with a sense of calm.
The Roof is on the 10th floor of The Barcelona EDITION hotel, on Avinguda De Francesc Cambó 14.
The Roof’s Google rating: 4.1
9. Grand Hotel Central
The final bar on this list of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona is another hotel bar (I really do like hotel bars; they’re often so much more chill than other kinds of cocktail bars).
In fact, the Grand Hotel Central has two bars to choose from: one on the roof called Sky Bar, and the other near the lobby. It was raining when I visited, so they had closed the Sky Bar, but the lobby bar didn’t feel like a compromise.
I sat at the bar and ordered an espresso martini. It was made perfectly: sweet but not sickly; punchy but no bitter aftertaste.
The Grand Hotel Central is right on the border between the Gothic Quarter and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina I La Ribera, overlooking Plaça De Ramon Berenguer El Gran, one of the major squares in the Gothic Quarter.
Sky Bar’s Google rating: 4.1
Map: Cocktail Bars in Barcelona
Here’s a map of the cocktail bars we recommend in this blog.
How To Use This Map: Click the tab in the top left-hand corner of the map to view the layers. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each one. If you click the star next to the map’s title, it will be added to your Google Maps account. To view it on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu, go to ‘Your Places’ or ‘Saved’, then click Maps and you will see this map in your list.
The Last Word
I hope this helps you find a great place for a drink in Barcelona. The bar scene in Barcelona is one of the ways Barcelona competes with Paris for my affections (see my post on Paris vs Barcelona for a full comparison).
If you need more tips on how to enjoy that sublime city, check out my posts about what to do in Barcelona and all about the historical Old City of Barcelona.
We will be in Barcelona in June. We will have to check out some of these locations. The map is super helpful, thanks !
Thanks for your feedback, Christina! Hope you have an amazing time in Barcelona – if you discover any more great cocktail bars, let me know!
We are going this weekend and have booked number 9! Apparently number 7 is opposite our accommodation so looking forward to the bathroom mirrored disco 🪩
Hey Tash! Hope you have an amazing time in Barcelona! And if you need tapas recommendations, check out Vinitus, which is near Casa Batllo – its a popular lunch spot, so best to come early. Also, Cal Pep in the old city is really great – a queue starts forming before it even opens to get the counter seats where you can watch the food being made (I loved it). Finally, Elsa y Fred is a cool place also in the old city. I have a couple of other blog posts about Barcelona, if you need more tips 🙂