Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
add your own soda) in the early evening, it fills with theatregoers and local partiers later at
night.
BAR
CASA ALMIRALL
6pm-2.30am Mon-Thu,
6.30pm-3am Fri, noon-3am Sat, noon-1.30am Sun; Universitat)
In business since the 1860s, this unchanged corner bar is dark and intriguing, with
Modernista decor and a mixed clientele. There are some great original pieces in here, like
the marble counter, and the cast-iron statue of the muse of the Universal Exposition, held in
Barcelona in 1888.
BAR, GAY
BAR LA CONCHA
This place is dedicated to the worshipping of the actress Sara Montiel: the walls groan with
over 250 photos of the sultry star. Born in 1928, Montiel bared all on the silver screen in an
era that condemned nudity to shameful brazenness - hence '
la concha
' (a word commonly
used in the Spanish slang) can be read as a sly salute to the female genitalia. La Concha
used to be a largely gay and transvestite haunt, but anyone is welcome and bound to have
fun - especially when the drag queens come out to play. Moroccan ownership means you're
as likely to see belly dancing nowadays.
CAFE
GRANJA M VIADER
93 318 34 86;
www.granjaviader.cat
; Carrer d'en Xuclà 6;
9am-1.30pm &
5-9pm Mon-Sat; Liceu)
For more than a century, people have flocked down this alley to get to the cups of
homemade hot chocolate and whipped cream (ask for a
suís
) ladled out in this classic
Catalan-style milk bar-cum-deli. The Viader clan invented Cacaolat, a forerunner of kids'
powdered-chocolate beverages. The interior is delightfully vintage and the atmosphere al-
ways upbeat.
BAR
BAR MUY BUENAS
9am-2.30am Mon-Thu, 9am-3am Fri, 10.30am-3am &
6pm-2am Sun; Liceu)
What sets the Muy Buenas apart is the spectacular Modernista woodwork in its facade and
bar area. Aside from this, it's a good spot for a quiet mojito, though it can get pretty lively
