Boadas Cocktails

From the outside looking in, it seemed pretty dark, but once you’re inside it gives a more welcoming atmosphere. The service is great, the bartenders tell you the history of the bar and recommend you the ideal drink to match your desire. The cocktails live up to the reputation of the bar! Delicious!

Absolutely incredible historic cocktail bar of Barcelona. We popped in on our final day so we could squeeze in one final cocktail. A delicious twist on an espresso martini, a classic champs Elysée and even some samples of some in house infusions. The team are all absolutely fabulous, look forward to coming back!

One of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona, from 1933. Service is second to none. Try Sophia Loren or Boadas. Almost at top of Rambla when all the others are in El Born or Raval. 9/10

I’ve been here twice- once in 2022 and another now in 2025. Both times the atmosphere, service and drinks were absolutely wonderful. The staff are really intent on making your time there good (and if someone annoying comes up to you they make sure to tell them to go away).

Historic Cocktail bar just of La Rambla since 1933. 1st class bartenders perfecting their trade by producing delicious cocktails. I recommend the Picasso.

Fantastic little place o the corner of the famous Las Ramblas. None of your pre made cocktails here. Fantastic service from professional cocktails makers and drinks with a punch. 81 euro for 6 drinks (between 2) and left feeling merrier than when we entered.

We stopped in for an after dinner cocktail and immediately enjoyed the aesthetic and vibe here. The staff was very friendly and helpful as well. They are a true craft cocktail bar with some very highly trained bartenders, who make some fantastic, historic cocktails. They use top notch ingredients to hand make each drink and the flavors are stunning! Check them out sometime, but keep in mind that they are very small inside and can only seat about 12 people at a time.

An amazing place—step inside and you’re transported to another world. Wonderful staff, stunning ambiance, and fantastic cocktails.

We stopped here for a late night cocktail on the way back home. It's a triangle shaped bar that seems to have a lot of history - pictures framed along the wall and staff dressed in what appears to be the original uniform style. The service was excellent- though could see some frustration with some of our questions about drinks and exploring some substitutions. I felt the drink choices themselves were pretty limited and somewhat pricier for Barcelona and taste left a little something to be desired. The drink with the drop of Absinthe is described as very refreshing- which sounded like an oxymoron to me so naturally was the one I tried. It's a nice cocktail to sip on and enjoy conversation- make sure you squeeze some of the lemon garnish into the drink to enhance the taste.

We stopped in for an after dinner cocktail and immediately enjoyed the aesthetic and vibe here. The staff was very friendly and helpful as well. They are a true craft cocktail bar with some very highly trained bartenders, who make some fantastic, historic cocktails. They use top notch ingredients to hand make each drink and the flavors are stunning! Check them out sometime, but keep in mind that they are very small inside and can only seat about 12 people at a time.

Hands down the highlight of our trip. Had an awesome conversation with our server who filled us in on the history of the founder and the bar itself over the decades. We stumbled across Boadas on our last night; otherwise we would have gone several times. It is definitely a place everyone should visit if you appreciate cocktail culture. Would definitely make a great date night, too.

Had some really great cocktails at Boadas Cocktails. It's Barcelona's oldest cocktail bar! It's a small place with waiters and bartenders in tuxedos. Really nice early 20th century atmosphere...a place where you could be having a cocktail with Hemingway.

Some bartenders have attitude if you request something off menu. The bar is pretty tiny

My husband and I stopped by this place because of its' history and they carried a particular whiskey he's been wanting to try. The place is very small, tucked away in a corner off Las Ramblas. The drinks were made good and strong, older crowd, but still a good place to stop by and have a drink or two.

This was a great little cocktail bar. Super classy, very friendly, and yummy drinks - I couldn't ask for more! I loved the ambiance with the bartenders dressed in their finest and just the dark interior made me feel like I had stepped back in time. We went on a slower night so we got seats at the bar so we got to watch the bartenders do their thing - I love watching bartenders and they noticed so they even took the time to explain what drinks they were making to me! Loved it. And the free peanuts with our drinks are always a plus too - reminds me of how things should be :)

Drinks were good, a bit pricy. We got an old fashioned and mojito, very good. Small place but it had a cozy and low-lit loungy feeling.

Great cocktail bar!! The bartenders are very professional and really put on a show! Love the old school decor , and the crowd was tolerable!!

Boadas is on one of the main tourist drags in Barcelona, so I expected I'd receive decent service; I couldn't have been more mistaken... Sitting at the bar, the only bartender working at that time completely ignored me, until I finally managed to get his attention and ask to order a cocktail. He then acted as if he were doing me a favor, and put across a totally unwelcoming, unfriendly vibe... When the G&T I ordered finally arrived it was not only unimpressive, but also ridiculously overpriced! If I'm going to pay top dollar for inferior cocktails, they can hold the attitude next time - this place is one and done for me :-(

The drinks and service were excellent. They had bar snacks. Great little cocktail bar.

The best Dry Martini in the world--as my Catalan friend said who travelled around the world.

"LOL, wut?!" is my only reaction to the ratings for this place. CLEARLY the people who have rated this place high have never had a good cocktail in their lives and have never been to a proper cocktail bar with real mixologist. First, this place has no menu which is actually my favorite type of cocktail bar, but it only works when you have creative mixologists who know how to make drinks. If you don't have that, it's a disaster. I informed the bartender of my taste preference at the moment: "I'm currently into rye whiskey and mescal and prefer spirit-forward drinks". Hoping for something interesting that intrigued me, I got a Mescal Negroni and a Manhattan. Seriously?! If I wanted that, I woulda just ordered a Mescal Negroni or a Manhattan. I basically gave the guy a HUGE playing field to play on and he stuck to the dugout. Whatever. Both of the drinks he made me should have been stirred, not shaken. Now they weren't shaken, per-se, but sloshed from glass to glass repeatedly basically mimicking a shake. Oh, and the drinks weren't measured, just free-poured. A good, craft cocktail, even the classics, is all about _balance_ and balance can only be achieved with precise measurements. The measurements were clearly off because a.) his sloshing method of mixing spilled a ton b.) the drinks were poured WAY too high making it impossible to pick up or even touch without spilling c.) there was always leftover in the mixing, sorry, sloshing cups and d.) I didn't have to fight my girlfriend over the Mescal Negroni, one of our current favorite drinks, because it was gross. Strike two. For our second round (not sure why we thought this was a good idea other than the fact it was late and we had walked a mile to get there) we ordered a Black Manhattan and a Tommy's Margarita. My logic was, just order a drink you like rather than leaving it up to a "mixologist" who had no creativity. I wasn't too surprised when I had to explain the ingredients of a Black Manhattan, but was shocked to learn they couldn't make a Tommy's Margarita because they only have a pre-mixed sweet and sour mix for their margaritas. Uhh.. what? Gross. Strike three, you're out. I realize how pretentious this review sounds. If you think I sound like a total pompous jerk, then this review is not for you and go to Boadas and have a great drink and come back and rate it a 4 or 5 just like everyone else that doesn't have a clue about cocktails. To be honest, I'm jealous of folks like you sometimes. However, if this review resonates with you, you are the person I wrote this review for. You get drinks and I don't want you to waste your time and be disappointed like I was. You're welcome. :)

Tldr.. Didn't live up to expectations, reminds me of a chain restaurant quality of mixed drink. Maybe it depends on which bartender you get (we had 3 different bartenders this visit) . Since this is a classics bar I went with a classic daiquiri for my first drink. It was served over crushed ice with a nuclear red maraschino. I did not identify the type of rum, other than it was clear. What I thought was lime juice came from a plastic cheater bottle, which I'm thinking now may have been some sort of sour mix. I did not enjoy it. GF requested a spirit forward Gin drink, stirred and was served a decent dry martini with an olive, just not very innovative. (they really don't stir anything here, they embrace the "thrown" technique which apparently was popularized by the original owner - which is fine in my opinion, as long as the final product is decent and consistent). Regretting not ordering an old fashioned on my first round, I opted for it for my second. I was served something that I would assume is on the menu at Applebee's or similar chain restaurants. I got about a tsp of table sugar, some angostura, club soda, an unidentifiable whiskey, another nuclear red maraschino, orange and lemon slices (not peels) , served on the rocks. I did not enjoy it. Giving the bartenders the benefit of the doubt, I asked my GF to ask them (in Spanish) what brands they used for the martini. The bartender replied something along the lines of "I don't know, I didn't make it, and the other guy who did isn't here anymore" - so maybe each bartender does things a little different here, and we just had poor luck this time. I was pretty much done with this joint by this time, but I convinced the GF to order a Negroni, essentially on of the most difficult classics to mess up, just for a point of reference. I thought maybe we were served spring break versions given that we are relatively young Americans and I do not speak Spanish. Everything here is free poured - which again im (kinda) OK with if it's consistent. He poured the last bit of Gin out of the bottle, and we both felt like it looked like a scant pour. It arrived and we both thought it to be unbalanced on the sweet side. The bar is cool (vintage) on the inside. The bartenders are well dressed and polite enough, however ours did not speak English (or at least chose not to) which could be troublesome if your multilinguistic capabilities are lacking such as mine - luckily for me, I optioned my companion for the conversing.

What a great bar. I cover cocktails and food for several publications and I was deeply impressed by Boadas. If you're looking for artistic preparation and creative cocktails (a-la Aviary and Nightjar), head to Paradiso Pastrami Bar or Bobby's Free instead. Boadas claims to be Barcelona's oldest cocktail bar, and they specialize in classics well done and unfooled around with. We ordered an Old Fashioned and a Negroni, and both were extremely well balanced. There's no menu, but don't let that intimidate you -- the bartenders will be happy to help you find a cocktail based on your tastes and preferences. Remember, though -- they're about classics. Don't arrive expecting to be surprised with a truffle and candied apple martini or anything like that. If you're looking for simplicity, quality, and plenty of history, Boadas is definitely worth a visit.

A great spot for a classic cocktail while in Barcelona. We grabbed a drink before heading off to dinner, and it was fun watching the bartenders work.

Great little spot with amazing cocktails with guys dressed in tuxedos serving them! Stop here

Historic old school cocktail bar. Tuxedoed bartenders, walls covered in pictures and awards, and a small crowded room. Open for 80+ years. Classic cocktails, we had an above average pisco sour and a stellar old fashioned, both were made with care. Worth a visit for a round or two.

I had already read about this place in Yelp. But ran into it by coincidence since it was like 50 meters from our hotel. Going to Boadas is like going to a movie bar. Its vintage...classic ambiance, bartenders in their tuxedos and old pictures on the walls. The service was outstanding. The bartenders really know how to mix and give great conversation. My wife said her cosmopolitan was the best she had ever had. I went back the next night. Would definitely go back when visiting Barcelona.

One of the coolest places in Barcelona. Don't go expecting top shelf liquor but every drink is made to perfection based on the century+ worth of experience that is behind the bar.

What a legit bar. Apparently, Boadas is the oldest bar in Barcelona and I can see why. The decor is classic.... a big wooden bar with carvings the back bar area.... dark wood.... bar stools... limited seating (but enough). This place was shockingly not completely slammed at around 8 pm despite being right off the congested Rambla. The drinks are made in a way I've never seen before.... they pour everything into a container with ice and then pour it from the ice container to an empty container a few times... my description isn't doing the coolness of this technique any justice. Anyway, the husband had a manhattan... very good. I had a couple of drinks... a champagne cocktail that was just slightly sweet and tasty and one of their cocktails on special which was essentially a manhattan with a slight difference. They gave us an assortment of nuts to munch on while we drank. The prices were average (8 euro ish per drink... also a pleasant surprise). I would highly recommend checking this place out.

Superb, career bartenders. They know their stuff and the drinks are impeccable. They will ask what you are in the mood for and serve you exactly what you need, even if you don't know what that is. They do. Drinks are not cheap, but neither are they weak. One is enough to get your evening started.

First off, my perception of expensive is not what I was charged here. A bar that starts with high quality ingredients and know how is worth it! It took me bit to find this little gem but I am so glad I persevered. Trendy bars have gotten so loud and complex that they have forgotten about the basics, just make a good drink and give me time to drink it! I was not rushed. I had a Negroni made to reflection, with no mincing on the alcohol. Traditional bar tenders, full of locals. Will be back!

Stopped in for a quick drink before going to dinner. Looked like a historic bar, with lots of atmosphere and history. Classic decor.

A cozy little bar with great drinks and friendly bartenders. Great for a relaxed night out. Definitely worth a visit!

Just had the best Gin Tonic ever in Boadas! The crew is very nice and they always try to do their best for your perfect cocktail! Me gusta! :)

A cool little spot with some history and great drinks. The bartender made me a pretty good Old Fashioned, and my husband ordered a Manhattan. The bartenders are surly here, so just be expecting that. All in all, a good place to stop for a drink-- nearby La Ramba, but still tucked away from the scene there.