The Best Jazz Clubs in the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona

This popular venue Jamboree is renowned as one of the best jazz clubs in the city and has live performances every day of the week featuring top-rate jazz musicians from around the world. Located on the Plaça Reial just a stone’s throw from La Rambla, the venue opens its doors at 8pm and attracts a mixed crowd of local music lovers and travellers. After hours, the club transforms into a nightclub, so you can keep dancing until late.

Tucked away on a side street of the Gothic neighborhood, Harlem Jazz Club is everything you might expect of an authentic jazz club: a relaxed atmosphere, an intimate venue, serious musicians and a reasonably priced bar. This is the kind of place you can easily come to on your own, as the audience is usually composed of serious jazz buffs who are here first and foremost for the music. If jazz music is the venue’s speciality, you’ll also catch some fantastic funk, blues, Latin and even reggae performances here, so be sure to check the program for details of the evening’s show.

Not your typical jazz club, Craft Barcelona is first and foremost a tapas bar with a fine selection of craft beers. However, at weekends Craft Barcelona hosts live music sessions with local artists. What’s more, on Monday nights there’s an acoustic blues music jam session, while on Thursdays there’s a more general jam session open to all musical styles. In short, this is a great option for someone looking to listen to some live music but in more of a laid-back bar atmosphere rather than a full-blown music venue.

Don’t be fooled by the name, Marula Café is not the kind of place where you’ll get a hot drink. Opening at 11pm most nights, this mid-size venue is halfway between a nightclub and a late-night bar with great live music. The program of gigs is one of the most diverse in Barcelona, with indie music, Latin, funk and hip-hop performances throughout the week and weekend. If you’re a fan of experimental jazz, Latin jazz or funk jazz, then the Marula Café is certainly worth a visit, and even the jam nights are guaranteed good listening.

‘Cocktails, tapas & live music’ is how El Paraigua describes its offering, and indeed that’s just what you can expect from this venue. El Paraigua stands out for its cool décor: on the ground floor you’ll find a retro-style café with marble-top tables and old-fashioned cash register. Step down into the basement and you’ll be greeted by the stone walls and vaulted ceilings of the cocktail bar, which is also where the live music takes place. While not exclusively a jazz bar, there’s a strong preference for anything jazz, blues, Latin, funk and soul.

Located on one the most famous squares in Barcelona, the Plaça Reial, Ocaña is a modern bar and eatery with a funky décor and lively atmosphere. The kind of place that manages to attract locals to an otherwise rather touristy part of town, Ocaña has regular live music performances with some fantastic jazz performers, playing everything from classic jazz to gypsy jazz. Be sure to grab a cocktail in the Apotheke bar in the basement – the cocktails were designed by top mixologist Mario Grünenfelder.

While Robadors 23 isn’t so much located in the Gothic Quarter as in nearby El Raval, it’s too much of a fantastic music venue not to get a mention here. Unpretentious and very much a locals’ spot, Robadors 23 is an intimate venue where you’ll be as close to the performers as you are the audience. The program is varied, and you’ll be able to hear top performances by local gypsy jazz, flamenco and soul performers.