Ca n'Àngel, one of the last bastions of Palma's legendary bars

PalmIt was 1964 when Àngel Casellas's father (also Àngel) opened one of the establishments that would become one of the authentic and legendary bars in the center of Palma. The bar, which became an institution, served coffee, pomades, and beers for no less than 56 years. Casellas Sr. opened it with two other cousins, but soon after, he was left alone at the helm of the business, which around 1973 was beginning to experience the bar's boom that would last for more than two decades. The 1980s were the best period for the business.

One of the keys to the success of this charismatic bar was the fact that it managed to attract customers to Ca n'Àngel, whether for a morning snack, a midday menu, or a drink in the afternoon until well into the early hours. Entering Ca n'Àngel was like entering a kind of refuge, like a hideaway you had to descend almost two meters from the street: cozy thanks to the wood-paneled walls, its frames filled with photographs and paintings, and the Casellas' expertise in treating the clientele, part of whom was family.

"The name comes from my grandfather, Àngel Casellas, an engineer from Manresa who set up a textile factory in Mallorca. He gave the bar its name," says Àngel, the soul of the establishment, which he has run with his brother Toni since 2009. The success of the poet's bottles. "There were a lot of people who came to have a pre-party before going to the club, and you could drink four or five per person. They played table football, pool, or cards.

"What I liked most about Ca n'Àngel was that you almost felt at home. If you were a regular, you knew the clientele, who were like the bar's family, and you already knew who would meet you, and you could do it with them alone," says RB, one of the regulars. He also remembers long conversations with Àngel when there were fewer people in the place, especially when it came to music. "You could hardly see them," he points out. "Although I usually went in the afternoon, during my time working in Palma, I often went for lunch. The menu they served was unrivaled in terms of quality and price in the area," explains the former customer.

"Before working at the bar, I worked as a salesman, but on weekends I went because it was packed to the rafters, there were four of us behind the bar and we couldn't keep up. To work there you had to be one. Super Saiyan", he comments. "Also, at that time you could smoke and my brother and I had to go outside every now and then to get some fresh air because, even though we were smokers, we were suffocating," he continues.

"Back then they could have fined us for overcrowding every week," he recalls. There were Christmas lunches held by a travel agency that could bring together more than 100 people inside Ca n'Àngel, everyone was served. Heavy metal fans, young people, older people, even rich people looking for a space where no one would bother them, everyone was respected," he points out. Hundreds of people, groups of young and not so young people, couples and clients just spent hours playing, talking and sharing a space that became unique for a few years in the center of Ciutat. ~BK_SLT_L~ There were several reasons, but above all because today the hospitality industry has very small margins, he points out. "A bar is very demanding. I remember working 19 and a half hours one day. Besides, not everyone who goes there is nice," he notes. He also points out that the number of regulations imposed today also makes it unviable. "If you want to offer prices that aren't exorbitant, you have to have a large customer base, and capacity regulations don't allow that," he believes.

Likewise, À filled him with experiences and offered him the opportunity to meet all kinds of people with a broad life background. "We are what we have lived," he comments.

However, nothing lasts forever, and Ca n'Àngel also had to make the decision to lower the barrier. "We knew we had a contract end date, but at the time we thought it could be extended and that there wouldn't be any problem. Then we thought it would be better to save up in case we had to change locations," she recalls.

But the health crisis caused by COVID precipitated the closure of the iconic establishment. "The fact that we didn't have a terrace doomed us, and despite the savings, we couldn't cope with all the months we had to close," she notes. "For someone who truly valued us, right up until the very end, I understand that the closure could be similar to heartbreak," she says. "For others, as always, everyone yearns for someone who's gone," she confesses.

"I don't know what business will replace the bar, but I know the owner has signed the sale of the entire building to a large company," he comments. Even so, nothing stops the brothers who worked at Ca n'Àngel for years, and today Àngel is an electrician and Toni is a cook. "I like it because I'm back working with my hands, and being an electrician gives me the fulfillment I need: it has a softer side and a harder side," he explains.

The bar responds:

What music used to play?

— Rock from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Guns and Roses. Some country, jazz, and soul.

What drink was most requested by customers?

— Ointment and beer, but there were years when it was mostly the ointment.

What would you say was the brand of the bar?

— The essence and character of my father, which marked the idiosyncrasy of Ca n'Àngel.

Any anecdote that makes you laugh when you remember it?

— All the people I was able to learn from during those years. It's the people and experiences we acquire along the way that make us who we are.