Groucho Bar - tapas

This is another Barcelona hidden gem, buried down one of the dodgiest looking backstreets I have ever had the honour of walking down. Stray dogs, abandoned shops and young men offering passing tourists “hashish” line the cobbled street as you approach what appears to be the only bar open for 300m, the Groucho. Inside the discovery is of the homemade one euro shots - a mastery of marketing since such things pull punters from the other side of the world. The shots are strong, served on trays and come in all manner of colours and the drinkers are piling over one another to get to the bar to have such beverages in their bellies. And I mean piling on each other- although the venue has two floors it is ultra cramped and ultra hot inside. Between the shouts of crazed young drinkers you hear faint Spanish music and realise that during the day this is probably a charming tapas restaurant, turning at night into this alcohol fueled ants-nest of drinkers.

In the above picture you can see the owner peering down the lane outside his venue, he is a crazy friendly bar owner with a big beard and a fondness for young female drinkers (and who wouldnt have such a fondness?) Overall the bar service is fast but very home-grown (multiple shots are served on plates) but I really do like everything about this bar; the prices, the atmosphere, the buzz; expect perhaps for its over-crowded state and a rumour that it closes quite early - 7/10