Bohemian former village above Diagonal, narrow plaças, vermouth bars at noon and the Festa Major in August that fills every street with hand-decorated bunting.
La Pepita in Barcelona's Gracia is the writing-on-the-wall counter where the croquettes and the tuna tataki built a Friday queue that runs into Sunday.
Signature: Croquettes, Tuna tataki
Order: The ham croquettes and the tuna tataki with avocado.
Tip: No reservations. Pile in at 12:30 or 19:30; bar walk-up easier than table.
Bar Bodega Quimet in Barcelona's Gracia is a corner-bodega vermouth bar with tin sardines, anchovy boquerones and house draught vermouth poured cold.
Signature: Olive vermouth pour, Anchovies
Order: Vermouth on tap with two olives, anchovies on the side.
Tip: Open daily lunch and early evening; closed mid-afternoon. Cash easier than card on busy days.
Maitea in Barcelona's Gracia is the long-running Basque pintxos counter with a back-room txuleta-fire grill, popular for the after-work tapeo turn.
Signature: Pintxos counter, Txuleton
Order: Six pintxos and a Rioja Crianza by the glass.
Tip: Bar pintxos walk-up; book the grill room ahead. Closed Sunday and bank holidays.
Onna Coffee in Barcelona's Gracia is the Costa Rican-born roaster's first cafe: their own farm beans, filter setups and a small daily-bake counter.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Tip: Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00. Closed Monday. Outdoor terrace seats are quieter than the bar.
Pastisseria Montserrat in Barcelona's Gracia is the corner-bakery on Travessera de Gracia: stuffed croissants with cheese or chocolate, Catalan sweets.
Tip: Open daily from 07:30. The cheese-stuffed croissant is the morning order; Catalan classics like panellets in the All Saints Day window.
Worth the queue: Stuffed croissants and Catalan sweets
Right Side Coffee in Barcelona's Gracia is the Diluvi-corner roastery cafe pouring single-origin pour-over and espresso, with their own roastery a 10-minute.
Tip: Open daily. The Diluvi corner seats four at the counter; the back wall has plug sockets.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Onna Coffee in Barcelona's Gracia is the Costa Rican-owned roastery cafe pouring only their own farm beans, filter, espresso. Open tue-sun 09:00-17:00.
Tip: Closed Monday. The cuppings on Saturday morning are the way to see the full Costa Rica range.
Sources from: Costa Rica
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Syra Coffee in Barcelona's Born is the takeaway-window specialty-coffee chain Yago Giner started in 2015: filter, espresso, mostly walk-up window service.
Tip: Open daily. Mostly takeaway windows; the Born flagship has six stools at the bar.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, Filter
Mercat de la Llibertat in Barcelona's Gracia is the cast-iron-roofed market that anchors the neighbourhood: 60 stalls, mostly local trade, less tourist-heavy.
Tip: Closed Sunday. The Saturday vegetable run is the busiest; mid-morning Tuesday is the quietest.
Festa Major de Gracia takes over the streets in Barcelona's Gracia each August: hand-decorated streets compete, every corner becomes an outdoor bar and grill.
Tip: Every street has its own decoration theme and bar. The Carrer Verdi and Carrer Joan Blanques are the food anchors.
Heliogàbal in Gràcia has run since 1995 as a 66-capacity room booking jazz, folk, songwriter, poetry readings and experimental music sets in a corner bar with red walls and a wooden bandstand.
Tip: Concerts most nights from 21:30; the Tuesday jazz session and the Sunday poetry-and-music night are the longest-running fixtures. Arrive early for a seat.
The rooftop at Hotel Casa Fuster sits atop the 1908 Domènech i Montaner modernist building at the top of Passeig de Gràcia, with an outdoor pool, signature cocktails and panoramic views of Sagrada Família and Tibidabo.
Tip: Day passes for non-guests are limited; book the cocktail-and-pool slot directly via the hotel. Cava and Spanish tapas anchor the menu.
The Original Old Fashioned on Carrer de Santa Teresa in Gràcia is the 30-seat speakeasy from Bruno Rodrigues, with one of Spain's largest bourbon and rye lists and fifteen variations of its namesake cocktail.
Tip: Tuxedoed bartenders serve theatrical builds in smoking treasure chests; the Pappy Van Winkle pours are the splash. Walk in early for a seat at the eight-stool bar.
Soda Acústic on Carrer de les Guilleries in Gràcia is the listening-leaning small-room bar booking experimental jazz, manouche, Balkan, Mediterranean and Latin acts five nights a week plus a Thursday jam.
Tip: Thursday jam session is free and runs deep with young Gràcia jazz musicians. Weekend bookings sell out; reserve a seat ahead.