Bar Nido 2

A few days ago, when I was writing an entry about the Paral – Lel Central bar, I have also briefly mentioned another bar with more than cheap cocktails, and since I went there yesterday night, I thought that I should share my experience with you. The place is called Bar Nido 2, and it is situated just a few steps away from my flat. So, when I first saw it, I was very happy to have such a nice place so close to me. After all, it is quite difficult to get home after a few cocktails, if you live far away. And nobody wants to pay for a taxi in Barcelona.

Where to go to get cheap cocktails?

You will find Bar Nido 2 on Avinguda del Paral – Lel 120, which is almost exactly on the halfway between Paral – Lel and Poble Sec metro stations, both situated on the green line (L3). So the directions could not have been more simple. If you exit the metro on the Paral – Lel station, walk towards Poble Sec, and if you exited it at Poble Sec, walk towards Paral – Lel.

And how will you know, which bar is the right one? Bar Nido 2 is somehow lonely – there are no other bars near it, only one restaurant. And if you are still not sure whether you will be able to find it or not, let me tell you that there is a very big sign with the name above the entrance to the bar. Also, if you reach a barber shop, you have gone too far.

What does Bar Nido 2 offer and how was my cocktail?

For me, (almost) nothing is cheap in Barcelona. Every single day, when I go shopping, and compare the prices with Slovenia, I am amazed how expensive everything is here. Well, expensive for me. One of my flatmates is from Finland and she is amazed about the cheap life in Barcelona. So, one day, when taking a walk on Avinguda del Paral – lel, I have noticed this bar with more than amazing offer – two cocktails for six Euros. And I thought that this is cheap even for Slovenia!

Besides drinks, Bar Nido 2 also offers some dishes, which look very good on pictures, but I have not seen enybody ordering anything. They offer mostly tapas and paellas, which are really cheap, comparing the prices to other bars. So, if their quality is the same as the quality of my cocktail, I understand why nobody is ordering food there.

So, the cocktails that are included in this offer, are mojitos, sex on the beach, pina coladas and caipirinhas. After hesitating what should I order, I thought that I have not had sex on the beach for a really long time now (well, about one month, to be honest), so this was what I decided to order.

I almost forgot to mention that I had to go inside to order my drink. I was sitting outside for about ten minutes, but since nobody came out, I had to enter the bar. Also, the waiters seem not to like cleaning up after guests. There was a glass, half full with some unknown liquid (I obviously did not try, what exactly it was), so when I went inside to order, I took it there, and nobody even said thank you.

The interior is very claustrophobic, to say at least. I almost had a feeling that if I would weigh any more that I do now, I would not be able to get out of there alive. Indeed, this is probably the narrowest bar that I have been to.

When I ordered my drink, the waitress (which is an older woman) looked at me somehow in disbelief. Like I am not allowed to order this! Since she was looking at me like that for a few seconds too long, I almost wanted to show her my ID. Then, she passed the order on to a man who seems to be her husband, and then he loudly repeated my order, and looked at me to confirm the order. I was so embarassed and I just wanted to leave this place. But my desire for a good cocktail was much stronger.

So I decided to just wait there until my drink is ready. And when it was, I was a bit disappointed. I mean, I have somehow expected, judging by the appearance of this bar, that there will be no decoration on my cocktail whatsoever, but still I hoped I will get something. In the past, when ordering this cocktail, I always got at least a big piece of watermelon to decorate the glass. Well, what I got in Bar Nido 2, was a small fly in my drink. I am serious. But I did not want to refuse my drink because of that, and I did not demand a new one, because I really did not want to attract any more attention.

So, when I got the drink and tried to get out that fly, I went to sit outside again. After the first few sips, I thought that this is a non – alcoholic beverage, because I did not taste any vodka, just the fruit syrup. Then, after taking a few sips without a straw, I noticed that all vodka is at the top – the cocktail was not even mixed properly. But, did I expect anything else? Not really. So I just tried to mix it with my straw, and after doing so, it turned out quite good. At least I thought so.

When I have decided to try out the cocktails in Bar Nido 2, I was sure that I will be able to take advantage on their amazing offer. After all, six Euros is not much for two cocktails. But I have forced myself to finish the first one. Sad, but true. So, after finishing it, I had to sit down for a few more minutes, making sure that I will not throw up, and I went back inside to pay. Obviously, if you order just one cocktail, the price is higher, but I still thought that I will have to pay more than four Euros.

But no, my lovely cocktail only cost three Euros and a half. Well, this was still a lot for the not – so – tasty drink, but keeping in mind the fact that I am in Barcelona, this was more than a good deal. I am not complaining, I am just stating the facts here.

And since I can be naive sometimes, I went there again today. Why? Because I simply wanted to try if it can be any better the second time. And it was! I have even ordered the same cocktail – sex on the beach, and this time, it was like my bad experience last time never happened.

So, I sat down outside, and the waitress came out in less than a minute. Then, when I ordered, she just thanked me for ordering (which is pretty uncommon), without repeating my order out loud. I just could not believe it. However, the cocktail took a little longer to be prepared, but probably because they prepared it properly this time. Seriously, I could not believe, how different it was. Well, there was still no decoration, but the taste was awesome. I am not saying that this was the best sex on the beach I have ever had, but it was very close to perfection.

I am not sure whether this happened because they remembered me and wanted to make a better impression, or they just had a bad day last time. Whatever the reason was, I am glad that I can say my final experience there was positive. So, I will gladly go there again. I am really happy that I gave this bar a second chance!

The staff and other guests

The staff consists of only two people, and both of them are older. And, what was even more strange to me, was the fact that I was the only guest in the bar, younger than 60, during both of my visits. There was a whole group of really old people, sitting indoors, so when I entered, I felt like an idiot. Well, a baby idiot, to be honest.

And when I was waiting for my drink to be ready during my first visit, most of them were looking at me. But I did not even do anything special. Luckily, I did not have to go inside during my second visit, but it is still strange. Maybe this bar is reserved for older people and I had no idea about it? Well, I do not care.

The mood of the staff in this bar seems to vary from day to day. Once, they are happy, and on the other day, they are grumpy. I really wonder what will their mood be during my third visit.

Mojito – to – go

The staff at Bar Nido 2 obviously thought that offering a coffee to go is too mainstream, and goess, what they are offering instead? Mojito – to – go. How cool is that? I wonder if you get it in containers, that are otherwise used for coffee to go, so you can pretend that you are drinking coffee?

This is actually a pretty good idea – I could pretend that I am having coffee on my way to work, in case and of my coworkers would see me! Okay, enough joking. I have noticed this awesome offer only during my second visit, when I was going inside the bar to ask for the bill. Same as all other offers, it is written with a chalk on a blackboard. And it is not even that expensive – a 2 dl mojito costs 3, 95 €. This is definitely the next think on my list of drinks that I have to try in this bar.

Conclusion

Cheap does not neccesarily mean bad quality, but I am afraid that in this case, it somehow does. Well, if you are looking for a cheap place to have a few cocktails with your friends, this could be a perfect place for you. After all, finding a fly in your cocktail is only gross when you are alone, friends would turn this whole situation into a joke that you will not forget for a really long time. At least I hope so, but what I know for sure is, that I am never going there alone again!

As I said, the second time I went there, my experience was much better, but next time, I will definitely invite some of my friends with me!