Author: Leah Pattem

I’d heard about Bar Brusi before visiting Barcelona. It’s probably the most famous and archetypal no-frills bar in the city. It’s the ‘Bar El Palentino’ of Barcelona, except ‘Casto’ is a woman and she’s still going strong.

“Guess how old I am. Go on!” Honestly, I thought Montserrat was 10 years younger than she is, who’s about to turn 84.

“It’s my callos that keep me young. Not because I eat them, but because I keep making them every day,” she says. “The Polish love them!”

I’ve heard this many times before in Spain, where bar owners claim their youth and spark comes from working hard well into their retirement.

“That’s my son there, he was born in this bar, which I’ve had since 1966. You won’t find anywhere else like this in the city,” says Montserrat, to which I reply: “Or maybe even Spain”.