Les Gens que J’aime Cocktail Bar, Barcelona

Up and down Barcelona’s famous avenue known as La Rambla, cocktail bars attempt to lure in tourists and tempt them with ludicrous prices for mediocre beverages. But a few blocks uptown lies an underground watering hole that strips away the fancy façade and treats its guests with an old-fashioned cocktail scene.

As you descend the stairs from Carrer de Valencia in the sprawling neighborhood of Eixample, you’re forced to duck under a low ceiling before you even enter, almost feeling as through you are crawling into a speakeasy or pub. A second set of stairs takes you into Les Gens que J’aime (French for The People I Love), a small square bar where velvet couches and glass tables sit low to the ground, surrounded by vintage mirrors and chandeliers that add a touch of elegance. Couples canoodle and groups of friends chat amid the candlelight in the dim space where the actual bar extends along one wall.

Nearly any cocktail imaginable is up for creating and consuming, but the bartenders have their own menu of custom quaffs as well. The delight of Les Gens que J’aime is its absence of pretention, and even more so, its absence of tourists. For a first date, pre-dinner cocktail or respite from the crowded streets, duck into Les Gens que J’aime and drink your worries away.

Les Gens que J’aime Cocktail Bar

286 Carrer de Valencia

Barcelona, Spain 08007

34 93 215 68 79