Atrapatapa

Before I moved to Barcelona, I have heard of numerous tapas bars that you can find in this city. And after a further investigation (since I am quite a foodie), I have found some online articles, saying that some bars in Barcelona, offer free tapas with every drink that you order. But I did not quite believe it. Until I arrived to Barcelona, of course. And one day, I had a cocktail in a bar, called Paral – Lel Central, and I could not believe my eyes when I got some free tapas with it. It really was just a few bites, but enough for me to figure out that free tapas are not a myth, but a tasty reality!

So, I decided to visit those bars and see if you can really get free tapas with every drink in each one of them. What I did, is simply type 'bars with free tapas in Barcelona' to google, and I was amazed when I discovered that two of them are situated just a few minutes away from my flat! So, I got dressed, checked their location and left for what I thought is going to be a culinary adventure. My first bar for today (which had mostly bad reviews on Trip Advisor, but I did not really care), is called Atrapatapa, and it, sadly, did not meet my expectations at all. So let me tell you more about my experience in Atrapatapa.

Since it is Sunday, me and my friend have agreed to go out for a few drinks, and we have decided to meet close to the Urgell metro station. So, this was a perfect opportunity for me – to sip a drink while waiting for my friend.

Where to go?

Bar Atrapatapa is situated on Carrer del Comte d'Urgell 77, just a few hundred meters away from the metro station Urgell, which you can find on the red line L1. At the metro exit, all you have to do is find the street Carrer del Comte d'Urgell, and walk until you arrive to the Atrapatapa. You cannot possibly walk by Atrapatapa without noticing it. After all, there are not many bars and restaurants on that street, so you will easily be able to spot the right one.

There is also a huge sign with the name Atrapatapa above the entrance, there are several signs on the street, that are displaying what kinds of food are they offering.

How does Atrapatapa look like?

Since it was a bit chilly today, I have decided to sit inside. Also, there was a not so good smell outside, so this was another reason for me to hide inside. The part outside is actually nothing special, so I did not miss anything by sitting inside. Also, not many people are walking on this street, so if you like people – watching, this is not a place for you.

But still, the part outside is well protected from the wind – meanwhile I was inside, they put one of those nylon walls around the tables. It does not look very good, but it is effective, which is all that matters.

The interior is much smaller than I expected. From what I have read online, this place can be very crowded, and therefore, I imagined a big dining room inside. But what you see inside, is much different – there are only a few tables, a bar and a few playing machines. Nobody was playing, of course, since there were only a few guests outside.

Honestly, I was quite scared to go to Atrapatapa since it was Saturday night (well, evening) because I have imagined that I will not even be able to order anything because of the crowd.

And I have no idea where the crowd went, because I was the only guest inside.

The decoration is poor, to say at least. A painting on the wall, and that is it. There is also a TV, where they were displaying some TV show at the time I was there, and there was no sound. But at least the music background in the Atrapatapa bar was nice – they were playing some really beautiful Spanish songs. Thanks to the modern technology, I have Soundhound on my phone, so I was able to actually identify a few of them.

Free tapas? Look elsewhere!

I have ordered an Estrella beer for the beginning, because I have not had one yet since I have arrived in Spain, and from what I have read online, it is enough to order a beer in this bar in order to receive your free tapas.

The beer that I got, was not as cold as it should be, but it was still drinkable. When the waitress brought me the beer, I was about to ask her about the tapas, but she left too quickly, and I really did not want to shout after her.

But when my beer was almost finished, I went to the bar and asked whether I will get those tapas or not. And guess what she responded? She said that they are out of ingredients. And it was not even eight o'clock. Oh, well. And she said it in a very rude voice.

Considering the fact that Atrapatapa is open daily from early in the morning to midnight (or even more on some days), I think that they should approximately know, how much ingredients for the tapas to prepare.

So I had no other choice than to order one more beer and wait for my friend, who still did not arrive. The second beer was a bit better, because it was much colder than the previous one. And just when I have finished it, my friend has arrived, so two Estrella beers are all that I got to try in Atrapatapa today.

The cat

So far, I have visited two Cat Cafés. Those are bars, where you can pet cats and this is awesome. Well, Atrapatapa is not a cat café, but they do have a cat, which is walking freely inside the bar! And since I love cats, I was able to lure it onto my lap.

At this point, I would almost say that the cat is almost friendlier than the staff in this bar. And when I took it to my lap, the guest, who came in to pay the bill at that moment, looked at me and shook with his head, just like I was holding a piece of trash. I almost said something to him, but sadly, I cannot argue in Spanish. But he gave me the impression that I offended him with petting the bar cat. Sorry.

What about the Atrapatapa staff?

I was somehow surprised when I entered this bar. I am not sure why, but I have expected a spanish staff. So why was I surprised? Because boh waitresses were chinese. And when they were not serving the guests, they were shouting really loud at each other, both standing at the opposite sides of the bar. Not a very calm environment to have a drink, right? But it still was not that bad.

Also, the staff, sadly, does not speak English. Well, I was ordering and asking questions in English, but the waitress was responding in Spanish. Luckily, I was able to understand what she was saying, but still… In such a multicultural city as Barcelona, everybody that works with people, should have at least basic knowledge of English. After all, a lot of tourists are coming to Barcelona, and it is a bit weird to order something, without being sure whether the waiter understood you what you were trying to tell.

A bitter conclusion…

I was really disappointed when I was leaving the Atrapatapa bar. After all, I was really looking forward to trying their tapas. But, as it has happened several times before, when I was looking forward to something, it did not happen. And I promised myself that I will give this place a second chance and visit it again. Maybe not during the weekend, but someday during the week. I am sure that my experience will be much better next time. I am not saying that it was very bad today, but hey, it can always be better! But, after all, I was not completely disappointed. After all, the cat that I got to pet inside the Atrapatapa, somehow put me in a much better mood! (Maybe this is the reason they have the cat?)