Tamara Pitelen seeks out Barcelona’s bohemian drinking haunt of old.

In one of the tiny alleyways of Barcelona’s famous gothic quarter is The 4 Cats taverna (Els Quatre Gats). Once the haunt of some of Spain’s most famous thinkers, musicians, artists and architects, patrons included Pablo Picasso and Antonio Gaudi.

In 1899, Picasso began hanging out here, aged17, and it was the site of his first exhibition. He produced the image that still features on the menu cover.

The Gats was opened in 1897 by Pere Romeu, who wanted to create a Bohemian hangout where artistic types would come to drink and put the world to rights. The venue today relies heavily on it famous former patrons to attract tourists seeking a connection with that bohemian spirit of years gone by.

That’s certainly what I was looking for when I turned up at 6pm on a Thursday evening, 110 years later. Unfortunately, the venue was almost empty, although – to be fair – no one ventures out for dinner before 9pm in Spain. Four hours later, I’d sure it would have been teeming; particularly with tourists.

Today, 4 Cats is a charming curiosity where, decoratively at least, time stopped circa 1900. The walls are full of black and white photos of the famous fin-de-siecle customers as well as original and reproduction artworks. While the restaurant and bar likes to claim “the best food and service in Barcelona”, I’ve experienced better. But for the opportunity to sit in this living museum and ponder what the walls would say if they could talk, it’s well worth the price of a “caffe con leche, por favour”.

For more information go to www.4gats.com