Friday, April 25, 2008

19th Hole


Avinguda Pla de Vinyet 12-13 : M Sant Cugat : FGC
Tel. 93 674 8884
*** : $$$$
Warning: this bar is not recommended for tourists! The 19th Hole is not even in Barcelona, but in the nearby town of Sant Cugat, about 20mins away by train, and while it is a very charming town and many ex-pats move there after a few years in Barcelona to escape the busy city life, it´s not exactly a classic destination for holidaymakers. However, a significant proportion of the young ex-pat population work for one of the many multinational companies located in and around Sant Cugat, and so for this reason, and in the absence of a drinkSantCugat bar blog, this pub is well worth a mention. If there was an annual contest for “Best bar in Sant Cugat”, then the 19th Hole would surely triumph year after year, if only for the total lack of competition. It´s a very big and spacious bar with chandeliers, tasty tuck and a classy ambience. In the evening and on weekdays, the pub is fairly subdued and feels more like a pub-restaurant than a balls-to-the-wall boozer. However, on Friday and Saturday night from about midnight to 3am, the local Catalan youngsters come out in force and the pub is then rammed until closing time, with a DJ playing mainstream but inoffensive dance tunes. It´s not cheap, but then of course neither is Sant Cugat. If you live or work in the area, this is an excellent, and indeed the only, place to go for after-work drinks followed by a naughty segue into late-night revellry.
Paul