"You can get a great glass of local wine served directly from one of the three barrels that line the wall at this tiny Old Town bar. Located on a busy alley, La Plata is an institution that’s been serving the same four tapas since 1945, and is always packed with Barcelonians who are willing to ignore the touristy rush of the Gothic Quarter for the butifarra sausage, anchovies, tomato salad with raw onions and olives, and small fried fish known as pescaditos. The barrels of red, white, and rosé are from the Penedès wine region, while the house vermut is made just for them by Perucchi 1876, a Catalan hometown producer. " - isabelle kliger