Having a beer in Valladolid. Best bars I

Valladolid is a city that can boast about having good bars, and if we are talking about having a beer in the evening after university lessons or work, there are some worthy ones that I'm convinced you will like. In this post I will describe some of the bars of the city that, more or less, my classmates and me go to often. In order that you can get the picture of what can you find in each place, I will try to explain you in detail how they are and which are their strong and weak points with some brief notes of their prices, music, atmosphere, decoration and finally my own personal commentary. Let's start...

El aire

El aire is one of the first bars that a university student knows when arriving to the city. It is in Ruiz Hernández street, besides Plaza de la Universidad, going down stairs in a small porch. The first thing we do is going for the beers menu as the best thing of this bar is not likely its beers. They have a great variety of milkshakes and cocktails to have late in the evening and at night. Regarding beers there is not a lot of variety as more attention is put into price than into quality, so you can ask for a 6 mahou beers for 5 euros bucket. At nights it is a good place to have something to drink before going out partying. Music is up-to-date, they use to select a music channel in TV such as 40 latino or similars and the volume is the right one (at night they turn it louder and music is more lively).

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The treatment of the waiters is very good and I cannot say one single bad word about them. Prices are as I have said low. I think that "cañas" are 1€ or 1, 2€ there usually are different offers. It is a good place for smokers as there are tables and seats in the porch for those who want to be outside and smoke a cigarette while drinking a beer. The atmosphere is more for young people although in the early evening there are often older people having a coffee. In short, we are talking about a good bar in which have a drink and that can be one of the most advisable in the cold days of winter in Valladolid. I will grade it an eight out of ten.

Café Berlín

Another one of my favourites is the Café Berlín, which I'm sure many of you already know or have heard about. It is located in a pedestrian street, Calle Cardenal Cos, besides Valladolid's Cathedral. Personally, I love going there and I think that it is in a privileged place as in summer, when the heat is strong, the are currents of air through these streets close to the cathedral. The venue is a bit narrow but it is not small. What is right is that it has few tables but in the summer it compensates with the terrace that they put in the street. The bar itself has clearly bohemian vibes and in the interior there are frequent art exhibitions so decoration does not stop changing. Music is absolutely good, mixing rock and pop from some years ago with more modern music of the same genres. A good point of it is the live music that takes place from time to time and which causes the venue to get full of people.

The average age is much more old than in "El Aire" but there is still a great atmosphere and you can feel at ease. Prices are a bit more expensive since a beer is 1, 5€ and it is the same for cocktails and coffees, they are a bit more expensive than in the bar "El Aire". I think that it is a good place to go with friends, a date or a visitor and it is very cosy. Regarding the grade, I think that it deserves the same as "El Aire" since, in spite of being more expensive, is cozier and I prefer the music of "Café Berlín" so let's give it another eight out of ten.

La Tramoya

Not far from "El Aire" and "Café Berlín", there is café-bar "la Tramoya", in Librería street, in front of the lateral façade of the law faculty. It has to be said that this bar is much more interesting in spring and summer since its best thing is the terrace. Among other close bars there appears a huge row of tables that gets full of people and where you can have a beer calmly and in the shade. The bar is more for young people and it is a bit cheaper than the ones which are besides it. In the terrace beers are about 1, 7€ and in the interior they are a bit cheaper (they have terrace service, of course). They have some varied beers but it is more the intention than the result as all the names are quite known and the most popular I think that is Amstel (the beer I like the least). However you can ask for a "rare" beer" although it is bit more expensive. They always serve some crisps, nuts and, a couple times per hour they pass a tray with tapas to have a snack. They use to take little time in serving so that is another strong point of it. As it is in front of the law faculty there are always students there. It is true that is helps quite a lot that it is in Plaza de la Universidad since it is one of the main points of Valladolid where people hang out after finishing classes. For the price, the beer and because it is a more seasonal bar and what is best is its terrace, I think that we are going to grade it with a seven out ten, which is quite good.

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El Penicilino

"El Peni" is another of our top bars. Located in the Plaza de la Libertad, just besides Plaza de Portugalete and with views of the Cathedral, the Penicilino is one of the bars more visited by many different customers. It is true that there tends to be a lot of young people, but there are also many 40-age, 50-age and even retired people, especially in the evenings. It counts with a great terrace that in the sunny days gets full of people although in the winter there are also people smoking and having a drink. I have already talked about it, because of one of its star products, the sweet wine with white pastries from Portillo. Though in the evenings beers are more appealing. The price is similar to the café Berlin's, about 1, 5€ the beer and they don't have a great variety of beers but they have it of wines and other liquors. Music is fine and they put it quite low so it is a good place to chat. In the interior there are a lot of tables and some of them which are close to the wall count with more comfortable seats. In some of the walls, the paint is dropping down but I think that adds to the bar's vibes. Regarding the decoration, it doesn't have a lot of items, but it is still quite striking. The Penicilino is "a place of worship" for many people and if you are going to have visitors in the city you need to bring them there a Thursday in the evening, one way or another. It deserves another eight out of ten but very close to a nine.

El Trocadero

It's been quite recently that we have discovered the Trocadero, but the truth is that we have liked it since the first day. It is a small bar located in Esgueva street, narrow but enough to have a drink calmly. Deep inside there is a kind of tent of the desert with small tables and three-legs chairs where to sit to have a drink. It is more like a café or bar where to chat and have a beer than a place where to start the night. They have San Miguel beer and some other "rare" beers but they don't have a wide variety. The price is of 1, 6€ the "caña". The decoration (apart from the tent) is very eye-catching since there are paintings hanging on the walls that can be bought so it is kind of an art exhibition. The service is fine and amiable and there is not a lot of people usually so we could say it is a quiet bar. Many kinds of people go there, maybe more mature people than young one, but people are focused on their group. Regarding the music, I think it is too lively and it is a bit loud but it is still comfortable. It is a pity we haven't discovered it before to be sincere. I will give it a seven out of ten.

I would like to talk too about some bars located in of the, perhaps, nicer, hidden and unknown points of Valladolid, the pasaje Gutierrez (kind of a gallery with shops, cafés and bars). But I think that it deserves a post only of it, so you will know the bars of it (some of them very good ones) further on. And of course there are many other bars I will talk about in other post titled, "Tomar una cerveza en Valladolid. Mejores bares II" (Having a beer in Valladolid, best bars II). Greetings and let's go visiting bars!

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