Thirsty Thursdays: My Top 5 Bars in Andorra

While this might seem like a sweeping and super fast compilation, then yes folks, that’s exactly what it is! I’m not claiming to be any kind of Andorran Bar expert but if you’re on a short trip to undermined Andorra then I hope you’ll enjoy these five cool bars, like I did. I’ve chosen bars in the three different towns I visited in Andorra (Andorra La Vella, Ordino and Escaldes Engordany). I stayed in the excellent (and backpacker friendly 😉 ) Hotel Residencia Nuria. Salut!

1. Birriria, Andorra La Vella
Situated on a poky street near the Church of Sant Esteve, Birriria is quirky, compact, cosy and offers the best beer selection in the country.

With a range of over 500 beers this is a great place to sample new beers in a room designed for beer lovers. In here I tried my first ever Andorran beers. It’s actually a novelty to find Andorran beer here. Many bars simply don’t stock it, sticking to the Spanish brand names like Estrella and Sammy Magill (San Miguel).

Price of Andorran Beer – €3.50
Location – Carrer de la Vall, 3, AD500 Andorra la Vella, Andorra

2. The Taverna, Escaldes Engordany
Boasting Guinness on tap and a decor which send you back to victorian England this seems to be the place for the relaxed old fashioned type. It’s on the main drag of Escaldes Engordany.

Price of Guinness Pint – €3.50 (ouch!)
Location – Avinguda Carlemany, 36, AD700 Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra

3. Caldea Bar, Escaldes Engordany
No need for an apology but Caldea is a leisure centre, a spa, a fitness suite and an elaborate complex designed for good health. This place is a pure fire energy and morale booster and I spent an evening in the waters, hamams, saunas and hot baths at Caldea.

I loved it. After that I headed to the bar with a view over the pool and opted for an ice cold beer. While a fruit juice might seem the healthier option here I enjoyed an ice cold Estrella.

Price of Estrella on tap – €2.10
Address – Parc de la Mola, 10, AD700, Andorra

4. Xaloc Pub, Ordino
The tranquil mountain town of Ordino has to be seen to be believed. With mountain views to match anywhere else on the planet, cobbled streets fit for a vintage or modern film set, Ordino will make you wonder why there aren’t more tourists here. Don’t get upset – enjoy the beauty for yourself then have a wee beer.

What’s even cooler the village has a load of cool perky bars to choose from! I opted for Xaloc, again the “x” in the name did it for me! The interior has stone walls and a cosy finish, you can also sit outside and drink.

Local Beer on Tap – 2 Euros
Address – C/ Major, Casa Jep del Tor, PB, Local 1, Ordino

5. Barri Antic
With an odd sounding name (simply Catalan for ‘old town’) and a constant vroom vroom of motorcycles, the cosy bar of Barri Antic is the “Bikers Bar” and Hangout in Andorra’s capital city, in the old town of course. It doubles up as a hostel and they also do good food and Guinness on tap.

So that’s a quick personal top 5 from a 3day visit to Andorra. I also visited Restaurant 120, the Taverna Italiana, the Sports Bar inside Estadi Comunal and La Mossegada. I would love to go back to Andorra and explore the entire country and check out a few more bars. It’s a beautiful place and I’ll get some more articles on it typed up in the next month or so.

Here are my videos from bars in Andorra: