El Cangrejo

על המקום הזה El Cangrejo

El Cangrejo — The Crab — has been in El Raval since the 1950s and is one of the oldest surviving LGBTQ+ venues in Spain. Its history runs through the Franco years (when it operated under various pretences), the transition to democracy, the AIDS crisis, and the full arc of Barcelona's transformation into the city it is today. The bar's current form embraces its heritage with affection: flamenco queer nights, drag performances, a kitsch Spanish aesthetic that is simultaneously ironic and sincere. The crowd is one of the most mixed in Barcelona's gay scene — by age, by gender, by the degree to which people have come specifically for the drag versus those who wandered in from the street. El Raval location places it outside Gayxample proper, closer to the old city and the Rambla, making it accessible to visitors staying in the Gothic Quarter or El Born who want a queer venue without making a special trip to Eixample. For anyone interested in the history of Barcelona's LGBTQ+ community, El Cangrejo is an irreplaceable stop.