23 Best Bars in Barcelona

"As you make your way down the hidden flight of stairs from the imposing lobby of El Palace Barcelona, it's not so much like stepping onto a different floor of the hotel as right into a time warp. With its sultry red walls and velvet-clad armchairs, waiters in black suits balancing trays of Old Fashioneds and Manhattans and live jazz band jamming on the stage, the only proof that we are, in fact, not in the 1920s is (thankfully) the absence of a thick cloud of cigarette smoke in the air. The staff at this joint really know their booze. It's the kind of spot where the words "a Negroni, please" will be met with “classic, sbagliato, spritz, or Mezcal?” There are signature cocktails too, but with classics this good, why bother? Bluesman is the kind of spot where you never know what might happen or who you might spot. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is not only a regular guest at the hotel—so much so that one of the suites is named after him—he has even been known to take to the stage here to jam with the band (or so the legend goes). While you may not catch a glimpse of the rock legend himself, you can still admire the artwork that he donated to the General Manager of the hotel as a token of his appreciation." - Isabelle Kliger, Naren Young