Átame on Carrer del Consell de Cent in the Gaixample is the old-fashioned gay bar paying homage to the vintage drag scene, with the Gram Show led by veteran performer Patrik Transformita the headline draw.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday until around 03:00; the Gram Show with Patrik Transformita is the weekly fixture. Spanish pop heavy.
Address: Carrer del Consell de Cent 257, 08011 Barcelona
Madame Jasmine on Rambla del Raval is the queer-owned bar known as The Genderfuck House, with Almodóvar inspired decor, a mixed queer-trans-allies crowd and an activist programming ethos.
Tip: Quiet Sun to Thu, parties Fri and Sat from 22:00. Walk-in only; the room is small.
Big Bang Bar on Carrer d'en Botella in Raval has run more than 20 years as a tiny live-and-listen room, with nightly jazz, jam sessions, open mics, blues, flamenco and cabaret in a small two-floor room.
Tip: Friday and Saturday 21:00 to 00:30 is the jazz concert plus jam session slot. The open-mic Tuesday is the local favorite; arrive early for a stool.
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.
El Paraigua in the Gothic Quarter is the brick-vaulted cellar of an old convent fitted out with the 1902 modernist decor of a closed umbrella shop, programming flamenco on Fridays and jazz on Saturdays.
Tip: Cellar concerts most weekend nights at 22:00; the street-level cocktail-and-tapas bar is the warm-up. Reservations recommended.
Marula Café on Carrer dels Escudellers in the Gothic Quarter mixes a listening-and-dancing room booking funk, soul, ska, cumbia, jazz and Afro-Latin jam sessions for a 400-capacity floor seven nights a week.
Tip: Live jazz and funk jam sessions are the calling card; floor opens for dancing after the band leaves. Weekends busy from 01:00.
Bar Marsella on Carrer de Sant Pau in Raval has run since 1820 as Barcelona's oldest bar, with flaking paint walls, dust-covered absinthe bottles and the green-fairy ritual served with sugar cube and ice water.
Tip: Tuesday to Sunday from 17:00; absinthe starts at 5.30 euros and is served with the spoon-sugar-cube ritual. Cash only is faster than card.