Javier de las Muelas's cocktail institution, operating since 1978 from a mahogany-panelled room on Carrer d'Aribau that looks like it was transported from a London gentleman's club and reassembled in the Eixample. The dry martini — served in a frozen glass with the ritual precision of a bartender who has made several hundred thousand of them — is the house drink and the reason to visit. The back room (Speakeasy) serves food and more elaborate cocktails. Dry Martini predates Barcelona's current cocktail boom by decades, which gives it the authority of a place that was doing this before it was fashionable.
Location
Eixample, Barcelona
Map
Insider Intel
A dry martini — this is the house drink and the bar has been perfecting it since 1978. Specify your gin and your ratio. The classic cocktails are all excellent. The Speakeasy restaurant in the back offers a different (seated, food-paired) experience.
Early evening (7-9pm) for the aperitivo ritual — a martini before dinner is the Eixample way. Later for the full bar atmosphere. The Speakeasy in the back opens for dinner.
Carrer d'Aribau 162, Eixample. Diagonal or Provenca FGC metro. Cocktails €12-16. Reservations recommended for groups. The mahogany interior is the real thing. Since 1978. Cards accepted.