Molly's Fair City

Barri Gòtic, Barcelona –

The slogan “There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t met” – borrowed from Irish bard W.B. Yeats – fits Molly’s Fair City to a T, as the pub is certainly one of the best places in Barcelona for making English-speaking friends over a pint or two.

Outgoing regulars from the British isles prop up the bar from early evening onwards, while a diverse and boisterous international crowd swells their numbers as the night progresses, the Guinness flows, and the speakers churn out crowdpleasing hits from the 80s to the present.

The downstairs area, with its typical wood-paneled Irish pub décor, is split into a long, narrow bar in one room and a small salon with TVs tuned to sports in another.

A more exotic vibe prevails upstairs in the cocktail lounge, where guests enter through gauze curtains and take their place on one of the banquettes or sofas, softly lit with Oriental lanterns.

Though the patrons here may switch their pints for piña coladas, the mood is no less festive, making Molly’s an excellent choice for a lighthearted night on the town.