Tinta Roja on Carrer de la Creu dels Molers in Poble Sec is the Argentine cabaret-themed bar-teatro founded in 1998, with red velvet drapes, antique furniture and tango shows Thursday to Sunday.
Tip: Concerts and dance performances Thu to Sun nights in the back Gardel room. Wednesday evenings run an open tango class; arrive 21:00 for the warm-up.
Address: Carrer de la Creu dels Molers 17, 08004 Barcelona
Sala Apolo is the 1940s theatre on Carrer Nou de la Rambla in Poble Sec that runs Barcelona's longest-standing club nights, including the indie-rock Nasty Mondays running every Monday since 2004.
Tip: Nasty Mondays runs 00:30 to 05:00 every Monday with indie, rock and 80s pop. The smaller La 2 venue downstairs runs parallel programming on the same nights.
Boadas on Carrer dels Tallers off La Rambla has run since 1933 as Spain's oldest cocktail bar, founded by Cuban-born Catalan Miguel Boadas who learned the trade at Hemingway's Floridita in Havana.
Tip: Standing room mostly; the bow-tied bartenders throw cocktails behind the small bar. No menu, just ask for what you want.
Ocaña on Plaça Reial is the cafe-bar-club complex that occupies a corner of the square, with a street-terrace cafe, the Apotheke basement cocktail bar and a small late-night club running together.
Tip: Apotheke downstairs is the cocktail room and runs DJ sets late; the terrace is the easy afternoon drink with the Plaça Reial in view.
Sor Rita on Carrer de la Mercè in the Gothic Quarter is the Almodóvar-styled queer-friendly bar with leopard-print wallpaper, high heels nailed to the ceiling and a different themed event every night of the week.
Tip: Monday cocktails and tarot, Tuesday open buffet for 6 euros, Thursday free karaoke with a dressing-up box. Walk-in; gets packed late.
Razzmatazz occupies a former industrial complex in Poblenou and runs five themed rooms across two weekend nights: RazzClub indie, Fuego urban, Human techno, Torax house and the rotating Pop Bar.
Tip: Doors at 01:00 Friday and Saturday; the five rooms share one wristband. Marina L1 or Bogatell L4 are the metro stops; queues are shorter at the Carrer de Pamplona 88 entrance for rooms 2 and 3.
Sala Apolo is the 1940s theatre on Carrer Nou de la Rambla in Poble Sec that runs Barcelona's longest-standing club nights, including the indie-rock Nasty Mondays running every Monday since 2004.
Tip: Nasty Mondays runs 00:30 to 05:00 every Monday with indie, rock and 80s pop. The smaller La 2 venue downstairs runs parallel programming on the same nights.
Sutton on Carrer de Tuset in Sant Gervasi has run since the 1990s as Barcelona's mainstream upmarket club, with a strict door policy, commercial house and hip-hop and a footballer-and-model crowd.
Tip: Smart dress required at the door (no sneakers, no shorts); reserve a table through the website to skip the queue. Tuset is a taxi ride from the centre.