4 listening bars in Barcelona, editor-picked by TableJourney. All Barcelona nightlife.

Big Bang Bar ★ 4.4

raval · Carrer d'en Botella 7, 08001 Barcelona

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 ★ 4.4

gracia · Carrer de les Guilleries 6, 08012 Barcelona

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 ★ 4.3

gotic · Carrer del Pas de l'Ensenyança 2, 08002 Barcelona

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 ★ 4.3

gotic · Carrer dels Escudellers 49, 08002 Barcelona

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.