On fait un apéro? Some places to have a drink before or after a meal, a casual meeting with friends!

Apéritif is a french word for a starter drink that opens a meal. Here I am giving some options to meet for vermouth (Fem Vermut) or just a glass of wine and something to nib on. During our busy day between work and obligations we can always take sometime to meet a friend over a glass and spend some quality time. 

Hotel Pulitzer, Disconnect in the city center!

This hotel is in the heart of the city, 2 steps away from Plaça Catalunya and at easy reach to the main attractions of the city. Their rooms are modern and spacious, the roof top terrace is perfect for a summer bite any time of the day and they have a restaurant that offers a lunch menu at 15 euros. They also offer access to the nearby gym and Spa with a minimum charge,the Holmes place, and offer some extra services such as bicycle rental, portable wifi or a Tablet rental so you have easy access to the maps and facilities Barcelona offers.
Perfect if you are visiting Barcelona. Check their website for more info on rates and availability: http://www.hotelpulitzer.es/en.
 If you  stay in Barcelona, the rooftop is a jewel in the city center, perfect for a drink and small plates from 12 noon onwards; the restaurant has a good Mediterranean and slow food menu. 

La terrassa del DO, your spot to disconnect!

Sitting in a terrace on a plaza, a typical thing anybody travelling to Spain wants to do. Perfect for a glass of wine and some tapas in the DO Terrace during the holidays. Good tapas, good service, unbeatable view of the majestic Plaça Reial.The terrace is part of this cute boutique hotel. A 5 star gastronomic hotel with 16 rooms, very centric and near all  Barcelona's main attractions. They have a proper restaurant downstairs with a gastronomic menu, La Cuina del DO. This week El Terrat del DO, the exclusive top floor with privileged views and surrounded by the Gothic roofs, opens its door to the public. 
La Terrassa del DO is perfect during day time and night time, for some great tapas!

It's Time for Vermouth!

In the heart of the picturesque Sarria, El Canalla, the bar with the peculiar name is your typical "bar de barrio" with a little something; a plus, a chic touch, a modern look in a retro way. A wooden counter, tapas and wine, vermut or cocktails , bistro tables , a small room inside, invites you to feel at ease. It has a more formal restaurant on top: El Villano. They belong to the group San Telmo, a group of 5 restaurants. 
 This bistro with a parisian look is perfect for a Vermut on the weekend, informal tapas with friends on their terrace, cozy time over coctails at night. 
On Major de Sarria, 95. Open everyday at 12.30am till late night. 

I love Metric! Do you?

A new concept in town, check Metric Market. This new space which is for now open in the evenings, will soon be open the full day. It has small stalls, an innovative self service with a vintage deco, wonderfully put up, a big M to welcome you, swings to sit on  and the iconic Barcelona flower tiles as the flooring. For now it is perfect for an after work, for drinks, for dinner or for special event as they have a private room downstairs. Soon it will be open the full day, from 7.30 am onwards, so it will be perfect for an informal rendez-vous any time of the day; where you get to see, choose and warm if need be, what you want  to eat.  I met Angy, one of the 4 young partners and she was so enthusiastic while explaining this new project. When you have 4 young people full of energy and ready to eat the world, you can expect great things to happen!
Av Diagonal, 505 ( between L'illa and Plça Francesc Macia).

Hipster Bar for great cocktails at Collage!

This little place in a tiny lane in the Born has some of the best cocktails in Barcelona. Collage, the art bar is cozy they have vintage deco: an antic tiled bar, colorful lamps downstairs and some cozy sofas and a piano upstairs. Their cocktails and mocktails are wonderfuly mixed, you get the classic ones and they also have exotic flavors.  They offer an afterwork everyday from 7 to 10pm with complimentary tapas while you have a drink.  Don't miss the special work from different artist exhibited over there! 
Perfect for an afterwork or a drink before or after dinner. 
Open everyday from 7pm to 3am, on the C/Conseller 4 ( behind Via Layetana). 

Café au lait ou un petit rouge at Café Turo?

Just in front of the Turo Park, this legendary place used to be Bar Turó; it is now Café Turo. It has known to adapt to the new times, this café with a very Parisian touch is perfect for breakfast with a breath of oxygen, lunch with friends, an after work drink or some tapas. Opened by Romain Fornell, the 1st chef to get a Michelin Star in Spain and France, chef of Caelis with a Michelin Star at the Palace Hotel, Café Emma, Epicerie  and Café Turo belong to the same group. http://romainfornell.com/establecimientos/#restaurants
French bistrot with Spanish tapas, all in one in this pretty place: Calle Tenor Viñas 1.  Tel. 93 200 69 53. Barcelona.

Esla Y Fred, the gastrobar in the Born!

 In the middle of the Born... This cute place makes you feel like you are sitting in the living room of your house. Elsa Y Fred, is a cozy vintage-themed gastrobar that offers you classic taps as well as some international creative cuisine. Elsa Y Fred is the title of an Argentinian-Spanish  film co-production. Elsa Y Fred is this cute place, it belongs to two Argentinians girls Camilia and Sofia; now in Barcelona from where the connection with the movie title.  They along with Ramon, the chef, have been able to create this wonderful space where you can go for Breakfast, Lunch menu, Tea Time, Dinner, Drinks or Brunch on Weekend.

Colmado! Back to the XX century!

I have mention Vermut in many occasion. Vermut is an aromatic brew made of wine with herbs, similar to Martini. It is the trend nowdays, and we have many Vermuterias openning. I like it because you can  meet someone at any time and have a casual chat and drink. Today we will go to the one on calle Provença, COLMADO. 
It reminds you of an old grocery store, and you can see everything on display. Cold cuts, cheese, olives, this degustation center has a good selection.

Perfect for an early drink, a casual dinner or Sunday vermut time. And during these cold months, it takes you back to summer.  

Papitu, vermouth time!

While walking in Ramblas, or shopping in the Mercat de la Boqueria, you may need a boost of energy. Apart from all the nice goodies you get in the market and the cafés  inside, you have on the square outside a small Kiosk and the bar Papitu, perfect for a Vermouth, a good beer on tap or even coffee. Their terrace takes quite a bit of the square and you can sit and enjoy the views of the market without being surrounded by a crowd.

LLamber, the gastro tavern in the Born.

This beautiful gastronomic tavern opened a few months back. These 2 partners from Asturias transformed an old fruit storehouse near the Mercat Del Born (which  has now become a cultural center) into this cozy tavern. Facing the Cultural center, you have the bar at the entrance. Beautiful and warm deco, an open kitchen, an efficient staff and a good wine list, in Llambert you will be able to have small bites served in a sophiscated way. In Asturian Llamber means “ to try from different small dishes”.

El Bar! The perfect place for a relaxing cup of "café con leche" or a gourmet meal!

El Bar, that’s the name of this casual, yet chic bar. It's not  your usual “bar de barrio”, even though the name may suggest it. There is a cute deco, an excellent service and some great dishes. You can have a light tapa or a gourmet dish. They are open everyday from breakfast to dinner. (Closed on Sunday nights and Mondays) You can go for a bite anytime of the day, their kitchen is open only for lunch and dinner for the moment, but you can always go for glass of wine and a sandwich! Sergi, the sommelier and co-owner will serve you wine with very a precise dedication.  Their bravas are in the list of the top 5 in Barcelona.

Bar Brutal en el Born for a glass of wine and more!

Can cisa is the wine cellar on Calle Princessa 14. They have all sorts of national and international wines. An authentic cellar with a huge variety. As you enter carry on further and you will discover the Bar Brutal, part of Can Cisa. This bar offers great wines- many ecological wines from small wineries- and tapas, prepared by Max Colombo, owner of el Xemei.(venetian cuisine in Poble Sec).

Bormuth in the Born!

Vermut hour has never fallen out of fashion but nowadays it's become trendier.  Getting together with friends on a Sunday afternoon for a drink where the syphon and appetizers are the main protagonists. Vermut is an aromatic brew made of wine with herbs, similar to Martini. Bormuth opened few months back: yes vermut in The Born.

Els sortidors del Parlament: a cool bodega in calle Parlament!

Just opposite the famous Sirvent, where you get the best horchata in Barcelona, you will find this cool place. Els Sortidors del Parlament, a rustic place that invites you to enter. Calle Parlament has become, in the last couple of years, a lane filled with fun and cute little places. You can check it here : Ronda sant Antoni and C/Parlament.

Enjoy the wonderful views at the Terrace of Hotel Mercer!

Gothic view at the Rooftop

The hotel Mercer located in an historical building is a wonderful place to stay while discovering beautiful BelleBarcelone. You can go for a drink at the wonderful terrace, which is located on the 4th floor with views over the most ancient rooftops of Barcelona's Gothic quarter.

Disset Graus, cozy "Bar à vins" in the Born!

Disset  17 Graus was inaugurated in 2012 in my favorite El Born area in Barcelona. This cozy place, with a simple yet chic design, where you can admire their shelves filled with lovely wines bottle, is a wonderful wine bar. They have more than 60 different wines, red, white, rosé and sparkling from Spain and also from France, Italy, Portugal and more. They change their wine list often. You can accompany your wine with lovely cheeses and some other small dishes.

Provençal Bardot- Cheri, the chic bistro- La Polpa, the rustic restaurant all designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violan!

On this post some of  the famous Lázaro's work on calle Enric Granados.
Lázaro Rosa-Violán describes himself as an ‘urban archaeologist’ and a ‘style hunter’. Although he studied the Fine Arts, his ability to conceive interiors is instinctual. His first project (a restaurant) was carried out in the Balearic Island of Ibiza in 1990 and in 2003 he established Contemporain, on the premise that very few bars and restaurants were executed whereby interior design, lighting, ambiance and food worked together to make a coherent whole. “The interior designer is an actor“, he has stated. “He must dress up and change roles, understand new identities and integrate them with his own.” http://www.lazarorosaviolan.com/en/lazaro

Bardot in Barcelona

Carrer d'Enric Granados is a beautiful, semi- pedestrianized street in the heart of Eixample.
Today I will take you to some of Lazaro's work in that lane: Bardot, Cheri and La Polpa. 

Lolita Taperia for some great tapas and good time in Poble Sec

 +Lolita Taperia 

+Lolita Taperia 

Some years back, if you were not staying in the area you would not think of going to Poble Sec for a gourmet evening. But now with Tickets there, the temple of tapas of the Adria's brothers, a lot is happening in the area. Tickets, with its molecular gastronomy and 41º with its spectacular 41 dishes are places you have to go and live the experience with all your 5 senses. A little further in the calle Tamarit 104, you will discover Lolita. Lolita is a great place where they serve incredible tapas. Lolita used to be Inopia some time back, owned by Joan Martinez and Albert Adria. It is now Lolita, still with Joan Martinez running it.

Bobby Gin: The Best Gin Tonic in Barcelona!

ALBERTO PIZARRO @BOBBYGIN

Sure, Vodka is supposed to be less fattening but why not enjoy a good old Gin Tonic?

It is a great when well prepared. Alberto Pizarro in Bobby Gin is the best mixologist in the world. He has won the price of "the cocktail theater and the stars" in New Delhi, and was announced the best creative cocktail maker in 2011. His winning cocktail was rum based with cocoa and a twist of orange. The finished drink was great and the drama of the presentation was unbelievable- which Alberto performed as an alchemist.

Coming back to our BelleBarcelone, Bobby Gin, in the Gracia area (see my post on calle Verdi) we are able to have great cocktails and wonderful mini dishes in a very cozy and casual atmosphere.   Bobby Gin is on carrer Francisco Giner, 47.