Rockade, the new eighties bar that was born in Bilbao and now triumphs in La Latina

Juan Marchante (Bilbao, 1972), a decorator by profession, has been dedicating himself to the world of restoration for 30 years.

As in most cases, the business that he shares with other members of his family, Sweet and Drink, a group that includes several premises, the organization of events and catering services in his hometown, suffered the consequences of the pandemic. .

The confinement caught the Basque businessman alone at home and with plenty of time to think.

To get out of boredom, he began to fantasize about what his ideal bar would be.

"Since dreaming is free, I started to think about what my unreal bar would be like, the one that I could never open," he explains. His unbridled imagination led him to think of a place with an eighties spirit with Moroccan rugs,

,

, Indian tables,

and good music from the 80s. "The project incorporated everything I like , but with the certainty that it would never materialize. "

However, after the confinement, Marchante told his brothers and a friend (his business partners) what he had in mind and, "surprisingly, they found the idea so good that we got down to work." In November 2020 opened in the Alameda Downtown Recalde of Bilbao, a short walk from the Guggenheim Museum,

, the original and groundbreaking bar-restaurant of your dreams that combines

(street food) from all corners of the world a playful atmosphere, arcade machines and music by the Rolling,

, Eurythmics,

or Supertramp. The decoration (which he carried out himself) incorporated, of course, everything he had imagined and much more.

Despite the difficult times, the bar was a success. "People came from Vitoria, San Sebastián and from the outskirts of Bilbao just to get to know the place and live the experience. So we thought that the concept was exportable and that in Madrid it could work." Eleven months after the opening in Bilbao, last October they inaugurated

(calle del Almendro, 9), in the heart of the La Latina neighborhood.

The bet was a bit risky, since they decided to settle in a pedestrian street, little traveled and with little commercial activity a few steps from the Plaza de la Cebada, but they were lucky.

"We did not want to open in Malasaña, for example, which is full of bars, but in a place where people went on purpose because they want to know the experience, and not that they entered the premises by chance when passing by; La Latina we thought it was the perfect neighborhood. "

Word of mouth has done the rest and, in two months Rockade Madrid has become

, where it is quite difficult to get a reservation on weekends (it is not necessary to do so during the week).

Trip to the eighties

According to Marchante, people come to eat their

, to drink good beer and cocktails and to listen to good music, but, above all, "they come to live an experience that takes them to an authentic bar like the ones there were in the 80s" .

machines

the same ones that were in arcades 40 years ago, represent one of the added values ​​of the original two-story venue: six

machines

and another seven arcade

including the legendary

the

or two armchairs for car racing, which the businessman bought online. "Many parents bring their children to play while they wait for food. The games cost between one and two euros, but we spend that money on their maintenance; they are old and a technician has to come to check them every day," explains Marchante .

The machines and the

, chosen by Nacho Gómez, one of the club's partners who plays every year at the BBK Live festival, are not the only thing that recreate a

in Rockade; also the careful and eclectic decoration. To the aforementioned Moroccan rugs, Chinese lanterns, Indian furniture, and Missoni Home fabrics and papers (a visit to the toilets is a must), add Star Wars memorabilia on the shelves and walls plastered with iconic movie posters such as

or

album cover pictures, like one from

or

photographs of legendary actors such as Humphrey Bogart or Marilyn Monroe and thousands of bottle caps of soda and beer that will make the nostalgic ones want to return again and again.

Gastronomy

One of the objectives of the Basque businessman when opening Rockade was that the cuisine primase raw material of high quality, but at the same time be affordable to all budgets, so he opted for

. According to its owner, "in Rockade you can have whatever you want and when you want", thanks to its extensive opening hours (every day, from 4 to 2 hours), to a varied proposal of international dishes to eat with your fingers - ranging from chips with guacamole, hot dogs and hummus with pita bread to hamburgers, tacos or arepas-, to a good assortment of drinks (with and without alcohol) and wines and an extensive

national and international, of which 14 are pressure (between 3 and 8 euros).

"All the food is homemade, we make it here, including the arepa dough," says Marchante.

For the more funky night owls, you can't miss a grapefruit gin and tonic, a mojito, a rockade (house cocktail) or some other signature drink.

Data of interest:

Where

: Calle del Almendro, 9, Madrid.

Hours

: Monday to Friday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.

(Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, until 2.30 a.m.).

Saturdays and Sundays, they open at 1:00 p.m.

Average price

of a dinner or lunch per person, including drinks, about 20 euros.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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