Four of the five nightlife venues located on the ground floor of the old Pallarès oils building, between Pere IV and Pallars streets, in Poblenou, have already closed their doors. The night of February 7 was the last opening of three of these establishments, the Open Bar, the Bb+ and the D9, while Hijos de Caín precipitously closed its doors after a false ceiling collapse. Only Bar Coyote remains in operation.
A chain closure in the old industrial building
The property, acquired by Hotels Sallés, concentrated five nightlife venues on the ground floor. As of today, only Bar Coyote remains open, although with activity conditioned by the state of the roof. Its manager, Eduard García, maintains that the business cannot open when it rains intensely due to leaks, a situation that he assures has been repeated about 20 times in the last year and a half.
The managers of the closed establishments and of the only one that remains open denounce an alleged case of real estate harassment since the building passed into the hands of the hotel chain, which has an adjoining hotel. In that context, they affirm that in December 2024 the fiber cement roof of the building was removed without installing any subsequent protection and that the roof was also perforated.
"They have left us without a roof and they have perforated it and when it rains water falls, a lot of water... they are mafia tactics" - Eduard García, manager of Bar Coyote
The leaks and the detachment of the false ceiling
The complainants link the dampness caused by the entry of water with the detachment of part of the false ceiling in Hijos de Caín, an incident that led to the sudden closure of the premises. In the case of Bar Coyote, the Bombers have determined that there is no risk of detachments, although that does not prevent the problems of leaks every time it rains heavily.
García estimates at around 60,000 euros the accumulated losses due to forced closures on rainy days. Despite this, he keeps the premises open. "It's out of pride and self-esteem," he assures.
An open conflict in the courts
The property has not wanted to make statements publicly about this conflict. It does deny the accusations of alleged harassment and maintains that Bar Coyote and the rest of the establishments have occupied the premises illegally after their rental contract was not renewed. The conflict is judicialized.
The progressive closure of these businesses affects one of the most well-known nightlife spots in the area, within the zone that has been identified for years as the Triangle Golfo. From Bar Coyote they lament that with closures like these, nightlife activity is lost in the neighborhood and reproach the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona for lack of interest in reversing the situation.
"By day, the neighborhood is very beautiful because of the offices but in the afternoon it is dead" - Eduard García, manager of Bar Coyote
Division in the neighborhood environment
While the managers of the premises denounce the economic impact and the loss of nightlife, among part of the neighborhood the reading is different. The neighbors celebrate the closure of the establishments and maintain that, despite the reduction of premises in the area, the nuisances continue. The old Pallarès oils building thus remains with a single business open and with a dispute still pending resolution in the courts.