Last updated September 2022
I lived in Salamanca for three wonderful weeks earlier this year so I can say with certainty that it has many unique, beautiful things to see and do and I hope to be able to write about them soon. However, for today I will only focus on two of its bars.
Salamanca, as well as being well-known for its history and beautiful buildings, has a reputation for its night-life, so it comes as no surprise that it has some very interesting, unusual bars. I am only writing about two of my favourite bars as I want to give them the attention they deserve. There are a lot of themed bars that I didn’t try so I can’t judge if they are worth going to or not but they looked great from the outside! Three weeks were not long enough for me to try all of them!
While walking around the city I saw a Marvel/DC bar; a Futurama themed bar; a couple of pirate themed bars and a bar with statues of monks outside. And of course there is also an Arthurian inspired bar, called Camelot. I have it on a good authority that this is a good place to go out in. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get there myself. If you go then please tell me what you think, so I can see if I really missed out or not!
Niebla
Niebla is situated very centrally, in the square of the Augustian monastery, very near Monterrey Palace. Its beautiful wooden door attracted me to go inside and the interior did not disappoint. The bar has an impressive selection of spirits, whiskeys, gins, rums and more. After perusing the extensive drinks menu, a fun game is to try to find where some of the bottles are on the shelves. My sister and I had a hard time finding some of the Irish ones – Bailey’s, Jameson and a lot more!
With all this alcohol to choose from, you would expect that I went for a complicated cocktail but you would be wrong. Perhaps I should have tried one of their complex, artistic, creative cocktails but I opted for a coffee instead. Before you get too disappointed, let me quickly add that it was POPCORN coffee. Maybe where you come from this is common but for me it was completely new and I LOVED it! I am not even the biggest fan of popcorn so that really tells you a lot. It tasted a little like a popcorn milkshake with coffee, or a popcorn frappucino. It was really refreshing! My sister had a cocktail and that was really good. Both were very well-presented.
The décor of the whole place is impressive, it’s a mixture of cozy and elegant with a lot of wood, plants, comfortable couches and plenty of interesting things to look at. Even the barman’s uniform was elegant and stylish! I was a bit worried that such a chic place would be expensive or a bit posh and that I shouldn’t go in in the everyday clothes I was wearing. I needn’t have worried, Salamanca did not let me down; we received a warm greeting and the service was perfect. There was no pretentious atmosphere; it was just cozy and comfortable. And it was not expensive, no more so than any other bar. We even got some nuts with our drinks!
By the way, niebla means fog in Spanish!
Address:
Calle Bordadores, 14, Salamanca
Opening times:
Sunday to Wednesday: 15:00 – 02:00
Thursday: 12:00 – 02:30
Friday and Saturday: 15:00 – 03:00
Website:
Social media:
Café Bar Hdez y Fdez/ Hernández y Fernández
This bar is also well worth a visit! I was tempted to go inside by the pictures on the windows that reminded me of those by the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. The inside is even more exciting than the outside! Entering the bar is like entering a fantasy land, a little bit of an exaggeration BUT there is a train full of popcorn, a movie projected onto a wall and comfortable, plush red chairs to lounge on. And there are two more rooms in the back – another very nicely decorated bar with a very interesting machine (see photo below) and an elegant garden room.
The service is wonderful here too, there was a warm welcome waiting for us. We ordered at the bar and took our drinks to the table. We were also given a bowl of nuts and a bowl of sweets! If you are a fan of unhealthy treats then this is the place for you: alcohol, popcorn and sweets! I was only there the once so I don’t know if the popcorn from the train is free but I think it might be, I saw someone just help themselves to some. If anyone goes then please let me know, this is important information!
There is an extensive drinks menu here too with a wide array of liquors and spirits. There is only a small selection of wine and beer. If you fancy beer or wine then it is probably better to go a more typical bar. Also, if you are hungry and feel like some tapas or tostas (these are little pieces of bread with ham or fish or tortilla on the top. They are very typical in Salamanca and are small but tasty) then it is better to go to a more traditional bar. Fear not, there are lots of these around!
This bar is very central, it is located in a small square just off Calle Zamora, very close to Plaza Mayor.
Address:
Plaza de la Libertad, 10, Salamanca
Opening times:
Sunday to Wednesday: 15:00 – 01:30
Thursday to Saturday: 15:00 – 03:00
Website:
N/a
Social media:
These two were my favourite bars but I’m going to share photos of other bars I would have liked to have tried, just in case you get the chance to try any of them!
I hope you enjoyed my post and stay tuned to hear more about my favourite places in the beautiful city of Salamanca.
