A tiled cava bar on Carrer de Montcada that has been serving house cava and anchovy toasts since 1929, operating from a room so beautiful in its unrestored simplicity — hand-painted tiles, marble counter, barrels along the wall — that any renovation would be an act of vandalism. The cava is house-made, cheap, and poured with the indifference of a bar that knows you will drink it regardless. The anchovies on bread are the essential food order: silver fish on toast, consumed standing at the marble bar while the room fills with the noise of a crowd that includes both tourists who read about it and neighbours who have been drinking here for decades. Closed Mondays and Sunday evenings.
Location
El Born, Barcelona
Map
Insider Intel
House cava — it comes from the barrel and costs almost nothing. Anchovy toasts (boquerones). Olives. This is not a place for a complicated order; the menu is short and everything on it has been served for nearly a century.
Early evening (6-7pm) before the room becomes sardine-packed. Lunchtime is calmer. Closed Mondays and Sunday evenings. The Carrer de Montcada location means the Picasso Museum is next door.
Carrer de Montcada 22, El Born. Jaume I metro. Cash preferred. House cava €2-3, tapas €3-6. Closed Mondays and Sunday evenings. No reservations — walk in. The room is small and standing is the norm. The tiles are original and magnificent. Next to the Picasso Museum.