9 Best Nightlife in Barri Gotic, Barcelona

This tavern-esque basement spot hosts everything from open mic nights and comedy shows to jam sessions and monologues, and has dozens of handcrafted beer on offer, as well as a small food menu. There's a small outdoor terrace if you need a breath of air. 

This restaurant's stunning Moderniste facade, an exquisite vintage cash register, and other delicate reminders of its former incarnation as a turn-of-the-20th-century umbrella shop—is usually enough to lure newcomers inside for a closer look. For night owls, the real attraction is downstairs in the exposed-brick club, offering first-rate cocktails and often live music.

Located on a narrow tree-lined street with twinkling lights, this pocket-size club attracts patrons of all ages for live jazz, swing, rockabilly, and blues alongside creative cocktails in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Most concerts start around 10 or 11 pm.

In the heart of Barcelona’s former Jewish Quarter, this rustic charmer serves a wide variety of hearty national wines paired with regional cheeses, meats, and tapas. The antique carved-wood furnishings and candlelit setting makes for an atmospheric respite from the area’s chaotic pace.

Resembling a prim parlor lounge with touches of kitsch, this cozy bar bistro with plush sofas, gilded mirrors, handmade knickknacks, and tastefully worn tapestry wallpaper has been a favorite hangout for young expats for more than a decade. Best known for its legendary brunch, night time here tends to be less crowded and more intimate. Try the Michelada, a dramatic alternative Bloody Mary reserved for the strongest constitutions: Corona beer mixed with hot sauce, Worcestershire, and tomato juice.

In a trio of ancient mansions on buzzy Plaça Reial's southern flank, this venue is dedicated to Jose Peréz Ocaña, a cross-dressing artist, LGBTQ activist, proud bohemian, and dominating figure of Barcelona’s post-Franco, alternative-culture explosion. Ocaña also has an underground club with live performances and the fiercest drag queen hostesses on the square.

Situated in an upstairs apartment, this somewhat secret bar is decorated in Victorian-style, with wood-paneled rooms and ornate chandeliers, but serves contemporary premium spirits. Enjoy a creative cocktail in a nook by the window overlooking Plaça Reial. It's technically a members club, but visitors are generally granted access in the evenings. 

A mainstay of the decadent nightlife centered on Plaça Reial, this long-running music club has never fallen out of fashion—in fact, it attracts new fans just as the old ones bow out. With a firm focus showcasing up-and-coming indie talent, the venue offers a way to discover new favorites in moody neon red surroundings.