La Champañeria (Can Paixano)

I had attempted to go to this bar our first night in Barcelona. After wandering around for a half an hour, my group decided to give up, and get dinner instead. The second night, I was determined. I had looked up and memorized directions from the Barceloneta metro stop. I was a little hesitant to wander down a dark, disconcertingly empty alley, so I would recommend going with a group. Despite all hesitancy, that is where it is located. The bar extends from the door where you first walk in almost all the way to the back wall. There is no room to sit down. There is no room to even move. This is a definite hot spot, drawing all sorts of people of various ages and backgrounds. The inability to create any sort of space between you and your neighbor actually does wonders for conversation, meeting people, and experiencing the atmosphere. This was one of my all time favorite experiences of the four months I spent abroad. I went with a group of six and we each took turns buying rounds. I struck up a conversation with a local and struggled through a spanish-italian-catalan dialect, using anything I knew to get my point across. Maybe it was because La Champañeria made me feel like I was absorbing a completely different culture which was one of my goals as an abroad student. Perhaps it was simply because I had never experienced anything like that before. Or maybe it was because they required you to buy food every time you bought a round (the foodie in me was in paradise). This place is a must visit if you make it to Barcelona.

I was dragged here by a friend who lives in Barcelona. A must see he told me. Absolutely! Tucked away - this really is a hidden gem. The deal here is you must order food while you drink. Food basically being simple burgers and tapas. I described it as "a sausage sizzle with champagne". A wonderful contradiction . Anything goes here in terms of dress, and when you're done you throw your serviettes on the floor. Adding to the complete contradictory nature of this place. Glasses range from less than a euro but don't exceed 2 euros. Bottles are offered from 4-5pm and are significantly cheaper if you buy to take away. Expect to be ignored at the bar and fight the crowds. In Barcelona - that's typically a sign that the place is worth waiting for.

I loved this place! You can feel the real Barcelona. Very interesting people and - best of all - the drinks are great and cheap!

La Champañeria if a fun little hole in the wall place. They offer four different types of cava that are all delicious. Before 5pm you can order bottles of cava for around 5 euros and after 5pm you can get glasses of cava for just 1 euro. Each time you order a drink you also must order food. You can get anything from cheese plates to ham sandwiches and the food is all delicious. It is a really fun atmosphere and it becomes very crowded starting around 7pm. The one drawback to La Champañeria is that there is no seating and when it is busy, it gets so crowded you almost can't move and must be careful not to spill your drink as people shove their way up to the counter. Regardless of the close quarters, it is a great place to go with friends for cheap drinks and food. Try pushing your way to the back where sometimes there is a bit more room and a place to set down your glass. I recommend trying rosat cava and the delicious sauces they have available to put on the sandwiches. .

I love can paixano a.k.a. la champaneria. It is a crazy experience, that is for sure. This is a tiny hole in the wall (i'm almost being literal here) that is packed wall to wall with people. Normally I don't like a crowd but this is part of the fun here. It is a really old bar and is always (I mean, ALWAYS) extremely packed, but the staff is extremely efficient. Your only choices for drinks are pink cava or white cava so you don't need to spend a lot of time figuring out what you want. You can get food, but you are limited to about six choices. I would recommend that you order something when you go there. My husband had a chistorra sausage sandwich and it was freaking incredible. Definitely go here if you can.

La Champaneria may be difficult to find, but hopefully the swarms of people overflowing out of this champagne and tapas bar make it a bit easier. Thankfully the menus are located high above for everyone to see, as long as the hanging slabs of meat are not in the way. It definitely gets crowded in a hurry! My best advice is to arrive way in advance, way before 7pm, to really enjoy your experience there—although participating in the massive hoard of La Champaneria is also an experience in and of itself, so you might just have to go there a second time.

Finding La Champañeria was almost as hard as making my way through the standing-only, hidden gem! It's hidden on a little street, and there is no sign or anything indicated you've made it to the restaurant, other than the meat hanging from the ceiling! Upon arriving, it was obvious that the place was lively and busy; it was actually a little overwhelming! We got there right as the crowds filled it, and it was close to impossible to push our way through the crowd! Local Spanish speakers and traveling English speakers alike congregate around the long bar and group in the narrow spaces to get a taste of the cheap, delicious tapas. The hanging menus looked like they were in Catalan, but my best bet was to point at what somebody else was having and get the same thing! Going to La Champañeria was definitely an experience, and I plan on going back when it isn't as crowded to really enjoy the food!