A Great way to search for restaurants in Barcelona

My friends and I are always interested in finding new restaurants and bars in Barcelona. From funky to relaxed atmospheres, from crazy drinks to a good bottle of wine… But when we find such a place when we are out at night it will always be fully booked or we’d have to wait for at least a half an hour! So I found this perfect site where you can tell them what you are looking for tonight and they will find something exactly your taste: http://www.bcnrestaurantes.com/.

The good thing is that you can also read comments from people who have been there before which I find really useful. Take Sushi for example, I found Kibuka, a place that adds a western flavor to traditional Sushi, a causal chill out restaurant in Gracia. It is close to where I live and I love the neighborhood!

Thirsty Thursdays @ Gecko

For all of those who have yet to visit Gecko Thursdays….

This student-orientated bar was brought to us by one of our own, Eoin Gallagher. A third year student who has taken the initiative to create a great atmosphere for all University students on Thursday nights. As one of the hotties behind the bar along with other charming bartenders (don’t worry boys there are plenty of pretty ladies for you too) you are guaranteed a great night. 

Affordable drinks, great music, socializing with friends and students outside of our own classes are just a few of the perks. So, to those who don’t know where to go on a thursday night this is a great place to start before the night carries on to the different clubs around Barcelona. Waking up on Friday mornings is not always a pleasure but we always have a good laugh about it. 

Gecko is located on Carrer de Vic, a small charming street of Travessera de Gracia. Take the L7 or L6 to Gracia. Continue walking up Via Augusta until you turn right onto Travessera de Gracia. After a few meters you will turn right onto Carrer de Vic and bump into the small and under-rated bar. 

The party starts at 22:00 and lasts until around 2:30. Hope to see you all there!! 

A night in Gracia?

I am sure your priorities here in Barcelona are working, studying…but let’s not forget the “living” part of the blog!

I want to start speaking about restaurants, bars, clubs and other places where you and your friends can have fun. So the first entry about this very important topic, to be taken with the utmost seriousness, will be a general description of the Gracia neighbourhood.

You can start your night eating at one of the many ethnic restaurants, from Turkish or Lebanese to Japanese. Most of them are fantastic , although you do find some bad ones: there is this one with Egyptian decorations outside the door on Calle Verdi – don’t go there. Around Plaça del Sol you can also find many tapas bars…very cultural experience, as there will be many locals and very good food of course. You can ask for anything you want:, Patatas Bravas, Pimientos del Padrón, so on and so forth.

I like Gracia because the atmosphere is relaxed, no need for fancy clothes, you meet people, prices are normal if not cheap, and there is variety.

Remember that if you start eating at 19:00 it will be too early for BCN. Here one starts having supper after 21:00. Then once you are done eating you start “bar hopping” – go from one bar to another ordering beers, mojitos, caipirinhas or whatever you want.

Going out in Gracia is a very good way to warm up to the city, it is also a very good place to live. You are in the middle of BCN, close to a lot of places and apartment prices are affordable. There is always life, people and laughter in the streets. You walk around and you can see many different stores selling anything you’d imagine. It is a distinguished atmosphere, especially with the festivals and demonstrations that make Gracia very different from the rest of BCN. In the next few posts I will ask students that live in Gracia how life is in this fascinating neighbourhood.