Paradiso: The Barcelona Bar You Enter Through A Refrigerator

During Prohibition, hidden bars called speakeasies popped up throughout the States to give people a secret place to imbibe when drinking was illegal nationwide. While alcohol has long since been (re)legalized, the thrill of searching for a hidden bar entrance behind a bookshelf or giving a secret password to enjoy a cocktail lives on. While these modern establishments are by no means actually secret, the speakeasy style still lends a bit of intrigue to your drink experience.

PDT (Please Don't Tell) in New York City, for example, asks patrons to enter through a phone booth located inside a hot dog shop, Thrillist points out. London's appropriately named Ladies and Gents, meanwhile, can be accessed through a public "loo." And in Barcelona, you can find Paradiso — also known as 2022's winner of The World's Best Bar — by walking through a refrigerator door located within a Pastrami shop.

Gimmicky entrance aside, Paradiso offers a drinking experience full of surprises, from the "Dali-esque" construction of its bar to the twists and turns on its innovative menu (per World's 50 Best Bars).

If you're looking for a packed party experience, like you'll find at some of Barcelona's infamous clubs, Paradiso may not be the place for you. The bar prides itself on a limited capacity that allows patrons to fully experience what Paradiso is known for: the artistry of its drinks, Conde Nast Traveler explains.

Paradiso builds on the artistic traditions of Spain, such as surrealism, with mind-bending drinks that use elements like smoke, fire, and ice to build a dramatic — and tasty — drink experience. One popular drink, for example, is the Super Cool Martini, in which bartenders form an iceberg in a glass out of "supercooled" water that is separated from infused gin during a specialized distilling process (via Overproof). Another drink, Al Dia explains, involves smoked sherry wine served in a round dish and is meant to represent our ancestors sitting around an ancient fire.

Paradiso's pastrami shop entrance is mirrored in its food offerings, too (per CN Traveler). You can enjoy deli favorites like bagels, pulled pork, and smoked mackerel.

And if one hidden entrance isn't enough for you, Paradiso has another "secret" for its patrons. The bathrooms are more than what they appear to be; you can also access another sub-bar behind a mirror (via The World's 50 Best).