POD "The Old Man Bodega"

What is this you ask? Oh, you know, just the entrance to one of our FAVORITE bars in Rota.

No, but seriously… it is.

This bar, affectionately nicknamed by the Americans “Old Man Bodega,” is a special little spot. (Side note: That is not THE old man standing in the doorway, just AN old man.)

“Bodega,” because it is the only spot in Rota that MAKES its own sherry wine.
“Old Man”, because, well… at any given moment the doors are open you can find at least one, if not a gaggle of old men drinking a glass of sherry at the bar.

So why is it one of our favorites? Well, aside from the above mentioned factoid, THEY MAKE THEIR OWN SHERRY, it has some great tapas. I feel obligated to inform you, however, that the tapas, not unlike the atmosphere and the weathered men silently standing at the bar, are a little rough around the edges. I don’t think the bartender/cook/server behind the counter majored in food presentation. BUT they taste great! A simple slice of fresh bread with hot-off-the-griddle chorizo or pork tenderloin. The best heaping pile of arranque (a veggie and bread based hummus- style dip) in Rota. A mound of fresh langostinos (HUUUUGE shrimp) sprinkled with sea salt. And many more.

Why else? Well, there is some sort of odd satisfaction many of us (and you know who you are) get in finding a hole-in-the-wall place where only the locals go. And this is about as hole-in-the-wall as it gets. There is NO sign. NONE. JUST a garage door that swings open and closed. In fact, shortly after we arrived, we came to this bar with friends and I was unable to find the place the very next day. I was like “Oh, come on! I KNOW it was RIGHT here!” And it was, but how was I to know? All I could see was a garage style door that I assumed was the entrance to somebody’s garage.

Much of Southern Spain is like our Old Man Bodega, and I must say, it is strangely amazing. Walk by at the wrong time… too early in the morning, siesta, a random day of the week the place decided not to open… and it’s just a garage door. What sleepy little town, right? WRONG. Walk by at the right time and the stores, cafes, bars, stands, and windows come to life! There are so many little places that you can miss! It keeps me out there exploring and taking pictures. :)

So anyway, if you ever make it to Rota, ask around about the Old Man Bodega AKA by its real name, Bodega El Gato. Find this little gem, pick any random barrel of sherry on the wall to try, order anything off the dusty chalkboard on the wall… and enjoy!

OOH lastly, I dug up a picture of our FIRST trip to Old Man Bodea from January 2010, the FIRST month we were here! Nothing fancy... just good sherry and good friends. Oh, and sweet florescent lights. ;)