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La Plata
Click here to view map On the street with the most tascas (old style traditional bars) in town, there is one that bridges the gap between the old and the new. La Plata is a tapas bar and bodega that dates back to the twenties but unlike all the other rather musty woodwormed bars on the street, it’s clean, comfortable and cheap. Hugely popular, with a crowd of people always outside and in and it’s few tables forever occupied, La Plata is a real institution. It only actually serves three different tapas but they each one is excellent and also quite filling. The choices are between pan tomaquet con butifarra (bread with tomato and sausage) a tomato salad with or without anchovies and the house speciality fried sardines. I fell in love with the pan tomaquet as it’s some of the best in town, whilst, though I’m not a sardine fan, even I could appreciate the salty battered delights they serve up. Each dish is around €3 or €4 which is extremely cheap considering the prices similar places charge for such basic tapas. The place is generally pretty frantic and unless you are lucky you’ll probably have to stand but another thing that makes it very worthwhile is the barrels of wine above the bar. Available in red, white or rosé the Penedes wine they serve is excellent quality and super cheap at 80c a glass. The white is crisp and refreshing, the tinto rich and delicious and the rosé is yet to be tried! The staff zip around you like spinning tops, you have to go next door to get to the bathroom and you’ll probably have to have some interaction with your neighbour but La Plata is authentic like few bars remaining in the centre of town. Having said all this, it is not an uncomfortable dining experience like, for example, Can Paixano. It is elegantly decorated with beautiful Spanish tile and different photos and depictions of the bar itself back through the decades. Recommendable for so many reasons and a very easy way to get a real feel for Catalan culture without having to pay too much.

Address:

Carrer de la Mercè, 28, 08002

Area:

Gotico

Nearest Metro:

Jaume I
Barceloneta

Bar type:

Tapas
Wine

Opening times:

Daily:1-4.45pm
8pm-12am

Happy hour:

Drink prices:

Wine: 80c

Food served:

Yes

Music played: