Sunday, December 30, 2012

Ocaña - A True Barcelona Gem

By Javier Castillo - Dec/30/2012


Ocaña-Barcelona
Image Courtesy of Ocaña
After their opening earlier last year of the Fàbrica Moritz (which I wrote about and you can read here: Make Mine Moritz, Please!), Moritz has done it again with Ocaña, a gem of a place. Inaugurated on March of this year, this 1,200 square meters work of art sits ideally in Barcelona’s central Plaza Real. Ocaña, named after the iconic bohemian artist, José  Pérez Ocaña who used to live next door, is the sort of place where anything can happen - and upon first entering you might ask yourself what this establishment was before, a squatted house, and old broom factory, a spacious art studio, or all three at the same time? It was actually an old printing 
Ocaña-Barcelona
Image Courtesy of Ocaña
press and the building dates back to the 17th century. More recently, this extraordinary space had been under construction and remodeled for the last 8 years, and thanks to the fine work of Albert Guilleumas and Mireia Campa, the fabulous interior has been beautifully restored. The owner has preserved the original attributes of the interior by restoring them and other features. The result: as you jump around from room to room, you are transported back through different periods in time and different cultures. For example, the Belle Époque period can be distinguised in one room through the defining furniture and gilded iron columns in place, and in the Apotheke Cocktail Bar you will find Oriental-style rugs reminiscent of late 19th century, as well as carved wooden panels that evoke being in the luxurious interior of an Arabian palace. No expenses were spared here, and the collection of antique furniture and artistic pieces that are scattered about all the different rooms adds to this majestic and uniquely exotic atmosphere. Now you know; if you are in Barcelona and are looking for a different place to enjoy at any hour and any time, Ocaña is the ticket.

More Information:
Ocaña
Address: Plaça Reial 13-15; 08002 Barcelona
Telephone: +34 93 676 4814
Hours: Sun-Thur 10:30 pm - 2:30 pm. Fri-Sat 10:30 – 3:00 am.
Restaurant open daily from noon.