Bodega Lo Pinyol

When it first opened, Lo Pinyol was a small store selling oils and soaps, as its original signage can attest. Today this sign is preserved as a decorative element, seeing as back in 1943, the site was transformed into a wine cellar, quickly becoming a favorite among neighborhood residents, who knew they could rely on it for excellent vermouth and wine casks. The next generation of proprietors took over the business in 2013, and soon embarked on a comprehensive renovation that would bring the establishment into the modern era, without losing the essential spirit of its glorious past. It’s precisely because of this that Lo Pinyol remains today one of the best spots in the city not only for enjoying a vermouth or fine wine, but for taking some home with you, too.

To accompany its wines as well as its vermouths, Lo Pinyol offers up a wide range of housemade tapas that pair perfectly with the drinks and soothe the absorption of alcohol. Among the items on the menu are croquettes, patatas bravas, finger sandwiches, and cheese boards. In the old days, vermouth was the standard drink of choice and local favorite before American cinema introduced the concept of beer as the everyday drink. To that effect, part of the charm of this classic bodega is its respect for lifelong traditions, not to mention the warm and attentive service that gives this establishment not just customers, but ardent fans.

Another element that sets Lo Pinyol apart from the rest is the library, perhaps the bar’s most special corner, working to foster the love of reading through a dedicated space where customers can thumb through books on site or even take them home, and come back another time with a book of their own to donate. The spirit communicated by the lending library, together with the establishment’s decorative oak barrels, high ceilings, marble tables, and classic bar has made this bodega once again among the most vibrant spots in the neighborhood.