Marico̲n Ghetto̲, Barcelona

About Marico̲n Ghetto̲

Maricón Ghetto sits on Carrer d'Aribau at the edge of the Gayxample, a self-styled 'ghetto-friendly' bar with an industrial-chic room, neon signage and graffiti-covered bathrooms. It plays a double role over the course of a night: early on it's a seated cocktail bar that puts out free olives and chips with your drink, then the furniture clears around midnight and it turns into a compact dance floor running pop, trap and reggaetón. Saturdays bring a salsa night and Sundays a bingo. It's one of the more playful, less polished stops in the neighborhood, an easy place to start a night before the bigger Eixample clubs fill up, and close to three metro lines so it's simple to move on from. The crowd skews young and mixed, the pours are reasonable, and weekends stay open until the early hours. Good for a first or second drink when you want somewhere with a bit of attitude rather than a velvet rope.