Best Bars for a First Date in Barcelona

Repeatedly ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars, Bar Paradiso is accessed through a refrigerator door at the back of a pastrami shop. The reveal — pushing open a fridge to find one of the finest cocktail bars in Europe — is one of the best moments you can engineer for a first date. The cocktail programme is extraordinary. Book far in advance.

A cava bar in El Born that has been serving the same house-made sparkling wine since 1929. The azulejo tiles, the wooden bar, the plates of anchovies — nothing here has changed in decades, and that stability is exactly what makes it work. The house cava is excellent and costs almost nothing. A first drink here announces that you know the city.

One of the most celebrated cocktail bars in Spain, operating since 1978 in the Eixample. The room is polished without being stuffy — green leather, dark wood, and bartenders who treat the Martini with genuine reverence. The gin selection runs to over 80 labels. The service is impeccable and unhurried. A classic that justifies its reputation completely.

A neighbourhood bar on Carrer del Parlament with a terrace that fills up from 7pm with locals who know better than to drink anywhere else in the area. The vermouth is served properly — with orange, olive, and anchovy. The natural wine list is well-chosen. The atmosphere is relaxed and the noise level is exactly right for a first conversation.

One of the earliest dedicated cocktail bars in Barcelona, open since 1987, named for a drink that was already a century old when the bar opened. The Negroni here is exceptional — made with careful attention to balance and served with the ice that the drink demands. The room is small, dark, and good. The price is fair.

A neighbourhood vermouth bar in Gràcia where the locals outnumber the tourists by 10 to 1. The vermouth selection covers Catalan, Spanish, and Italian producers. The pintxos are simple and correct. The room is tiled in the original Catalan style and has not been renovated since 1971. This is Barcelona before it became a destination.

A cocktail bar in El Born that takes a theatrical approach to its drinks programme — each cocktail comes with a story or a context, presented with the kind of care that is either impressive or overwhelming depending on what you are looking for. The drinks are excellent regardless. The room is small and the bar team are among the most hospitable in Barcelona.

Opened in 1933 by Miquel Boadas, a Cuban-born bartender who trained at the Floridita in Havana. The room has 12 stools and has not changed since Miquel's daughter inherited the bar in 1967. The Daiquiri is exceptional. The history is present in everything from the colour of the walls to the weight of the shaker. One of the great classic bars in Europe.

An art gallery that also functions as a bar, in the Eixample. The rotating exhibitions give you something to look at and discuss. The cocktail list is competent and fairly priced. The space is larger than most bars on this list, which gives you the option of some distance if the evening needs it. Popular with a mixed crowd of artists, students, and professionals.

A vast 1940s market building on Passeig de Gràcia that houses four distinct spaces — a vermouth bar, a cocktail bar, a wine bar, and a beer hall. The architecture is extraordinary and the ability to move between spaces as the evening develops is a genuinely useful first date tool. The cocktail bar is the best of the four for a first drink.

The experimental cocktail space connected to Bar Paradiso, located near the Barceloneta. The drinks programme here draws on food science, fermentation, and unusual techniques that produce results unlike anything else in the city. The room is smaller and more intimate than the main bar. This is for a date who wants to be surprised and does not mind explaining what they are drinking.