Last updated on August 5, 2017
If you’re looking for something a little bit “different” to do whilst visiting Barcelona then the sensational El Molino Cabaret Experience should be at the top of your list.
I wanted to do something special for my girlfriend and I wasn’t disappointed with my decision to take her to Poble Sec’s El Molino Cabaret Experience, even when one of the male dancers picked her out of the crowd and held her in his arms, balancing her elegantly above his rippling, bare body…
Pre-Theatre Drinks and Tapas
I kept it as a surprise and told Rosana to meet me at Malamén, one of my favourite tapas restaurants on the ultra-trendy street of Carrer Blai. We feasted like royals on elaborate salads with goji berries and cava vinaigrette, and crimson beetroot tartar with miso mustard, washed down with smoky red wine. And as we lined up to enter El Molino, the secret now revealed, she squeezed my hand and bounced around with excitement and anticipation. It was exactly the reaction I had hoped for…
El Molino’s Cabaret Experience
We ordered a bottle of cava and gulped it down greedily as we soaked up the electrifying pre-performance atmosphere. The ruby lighting descended and I could feel my heart pounding with anticipation as the dancers’ silhouettes animated the stage.
Girls dressed in provocative white feathers and men with black leather horns – it was incredibly seductive. Each act, ranging from solo performances to group acts and death-defying acrobatics, elicited a different response in the audience, from awe to lust, sorrow to joy.
Compere Merche Mar’s comic intersections lightened the mood and rounded the show off nicely. Fair warning: Don’t sit near the front if you’d rather not be the butt of her wit and sordid jokes. She really is a star of the old-school.
In a Nutshell
Just the right amount of raunchy, and full of whole-hearted laughs, El Molino’s Cabaret Experience is everything you could wish for from an authentic cabaret show. The dancers are world-class, the venue is stunning with its multiple levels and elegant rooftop cocktail bar, where Merche Mar suggests you go to “have a drink and smoke a cigarette to calm down after the show”.
What’s more, it’s surrounded by many of Barcelona’s best restaurants and tapas bars, so you can enjoy a complete night out without even having to hail a cab. Follow with a couple of glasses of local beers and you’ve got the makings of a perfect night out in Barcelona.
Note: Due to the nature of the show I was unable to take photos inside El Molino theatre. Interior photos and videos included in this post were supplied by the staff at El Molino.
Make it Happen
Tickets: Buy tickets here from around €30 per person
Address: (Look for the big red windmill on the main thoroughfare of Parallel) Carrer de Vila i Vilà, 99, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Nearest Metro: Paral-lel (L3 Green Line) Stop is literally across the street from El Molino
Phone: +34 93 205 51 11
This is great, Ben, thank you! I´m a Florida girl (also a writer, also focused on the food culture here) transplanted to a small pueblo a couple hours outside of Barcelona. This weekend my boyfriend and I are going to the show and your information here is exactly what I needed. The one question I have that remains unanswered is how the seating works. Is it first come, first served? Should we get there pretty early? Any tips you have would be very much appreciated. Cheers!
Hola Kate, thanks for your comment! Really interesting to hear from someone living in a pueblo – I’ve often dreamed of moving somewhere more rural (outside of BCN). I’ll be following your blog for sure!
Regarding El Molino, it’s a truly great night out and I’m sure you’ll love it. Seating is basically first come first served. I think you can maybe reserve seats, but in general I think they just squeeze you in as you arrive. It’s a small place and the performers will actually greet and seat you. Get there a bit earlier if you want good seats, but it’s small enough that I don’t think it really matters where you sit.
Enjoy!
Ben