On C/San Ramón, the backbone of Raval Sur (and until recently something of a den of iniquity), a whole city block was destroyed to 'clean up/remodel the neighbourhood' when Av de las Drassanes was opened up. So what's there now? Eyesores deemed officially protected housing. The only good thing, as Itziar González said in his magnificent reworking of the book 'Barcelona Pam a Pam', is that the new square that came out of it is called Pieyre de Mandiargues, after the French author who won the Goncourt literary prize for 'La Marge' ('The Margin', 1967), a novel dedicated to the neighbourhood.
But what's even better than that is that brothers Guifré and Diego Pellicer, after years of working for restaurants and bars like La Pubilla and Mendizábal, decided to open their own place in the very same area. Ramona is a cozy bar with a warm ambience, where you can listen to good music as you snack on smoked sardines, anchovies, olives and sandwiches. They also offer a wide variety of craft beers, which they say are cheaper than anywhere else. Try the one with a touch of passion fruit!
The place draws in a clientele of punters in their 30s or pushing 40, and a little bit hipster. Fridays welcome small-format acoustic concerts, and you can get the odd book reading/release party. There has even been a small photography exhibition of the local jazz scene. Ramona makes itself at home in the square with a couple of tables outside, and little by little is making a place for itself in the neighborhood, as a nice little local place with plenty of good vibes.