Retreat from the Ramblas — Sense of the City

Shortly after experiencing the thrill of arriving at the Ramblas (and for all its problems, there is still a thrill) you may find yourself in a sea of slightly bewildered cruise escapees. Time to retreat for sustenance, but there are no tempting propositions in sight. Don’t cave and go to one of the bars on the main drag. Bow-tied cocktail waiters, cosy churros cafes and cool terraces are just a skip away.

If you find yourself around the middle

And you can really walk no further, you could do worse than Café de l’Òpera. Opposite the Liceu Opera it’s an unspoilt, if touristy, gem from morning café con leche to late night carajillo.

duck into a traditional bar in the Gothic Quarter

A ten minute detour North from here (take the road by the Chinese dragon, near the Liceu metro), Bar del Pí overlooks a lovely church and square. Also off this square is Carrrer Petritxol, a tiny street (look up for some ancient road signs) with several of the best places for chocolate & churros, such as Granja Dulcinea.

Or a shady terrace

On the other side in the Raval is La Central de Raval, a good bookshop with a surprising terrace cafe out the back. Also on the Raval side of the street, near La Boquería market, is Granja Viader, a vintage beauty of a cafe and home to Catalan chocolate milk Cacaolat.

If your day is in serious need of rescuing, a cheeky rooftop cavá is not as prohibitively expensive as you might think at Hotel 1898’s glamorous Terraza La Isabela. Officially you need a reservation, but I daresay if you proceed confidently…Food isn’t bad either.

At the top there’s a good brunch spot…

La Esquina, near Plaça de Catalunya, is a more modern cafe serving hearty brunches and healthy-ish lunches. Their updated take on the menu del dia, where all three courses come at once, is around 16 euros.

Or George Orwell’s favourite* cocktail bar

Boadas Cocktails - the oldest cocktail bar in the city is based on Havana’s La Floridita, and is still going strong, the vintage wood-panelled decor remarkably unchanged with bow-tied waiters serving the classics since 1933. Tiny but stylish, the service is friendly and on-it, with all cocktails the same price, and no food.

*maybe. Not sure where I got this from. He liked a cocktail in this area anyway.

And at the bottom near the port…

Try Norai Raval near the Drassanes metro - the high-ceilinged social enterprise cafe in the Maritime Museum - for a cheap drink or menu del dia in an airy space with a garden. It’s run by a co-op who train disadvantaged people from the Raval.

Looking for a drink…

Carry on to the London Bar - cocktails in a classic modernista interior; even better, Bar Marsella (no website, no card machine…) is ancient, filthy, fabulous.

Or if you’re on the other (Gothic) side, head for c/d’en Rauric, which has a few lively bars, including Sub Rosa.

Or a posh dinner…

La Fonda Espanya is a pricey option, but the Modernista interior by Domènech, a contemporary of Gaudí’s, is spectacular.

For superior tapas, head into the lower part of the Raval to Bar Cañete. Expensive but worth-it, it’s a foodie haven that combines the buzz of a neighbourhood bar with the top quality and attention to detail of fine dining, but with none of the hush and faff the term suggests.

Or a cheap snack..

If you don’t mind a (possibly quite dark) walk into the lower Gothic side, picturesque La Plata is worth it. One of the last traditional tiled tapas bars, the menu is limited - anchovies (essential), tomato salad, possibly some botifarra sausage.

And of course there is Plaça Reial - beautiful square, with lamp posts by a young Gaudí. There are loads of bars, restaurants and clubs here (and not just for tourists). It used to be a dark place to keep your wits about you, so lounging around never feels quite right to me - admittedly an instinct that’s a hangover from the last century as it’s long since cleaned up. Look up to the shuttered apartments that feature in bestselling novel Shadow of the Wind, and leave via the Passage Bacardí to see the dusty old faded grandeur of a nineteenth century arcade.