Es Carreró: the bar with slushy ointment, a fireplace, and zero fights that marked Palma's 90s nightlife.

PalmOn Palma's Esparteres Street, next to Concepció Street, it was common to see crowds of young people gathered. Sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall, the image reflected the atmosphere of an iconic nightlife spot in the Ciutat de Palma in the 1990s: the Es Carreró bar. It opened its doors on December 22, 1992, and was open for nearly 15 years. Its location in the old town and its distinctive, musical atmosphere defined the iconic establishment, which closed in 2006. The building was demolished two years later, but Es Carreró still lives on in the memories of many of the young people, now adults, who frequented it.

One of the business partners, Natxo Roca, worked there for 11 years, until 2003, and claims to have vivid memories. "Perhaps the memory of an authentic bar is better than that of a hotel you can't afford," he asserts. Roca blames "relentless" speculation for the establishment's closure and explains that his partner's parents sold the entire building so a developer could build apartments. "ARCA stopped them in their tracks, and the project was stalled for many years, until part of the building collapsed," he explains. However, the bar will always be remembered for its welcoming interior, the bar, the wooden beams, the stone arch that separated the rooms, and the fireplace.

But if we move away from the bar's tragic end, we can recall moments that defined it. Natxo says that during the 11 years he was there, there wasn't a single fight in the bar. "I understand that there wasn't a single fight after that either," he adds when describing what the clientele, which he describes as "local and Mallorcan," valued most. "It was all kinds, everyone was welcome," he says. However, Roca distances himself from the Catalanist label that was placed on him both at the bar and on his customers, and points out that the majority of the people who worked there were Spanish speakers. "We were simply authentic," he emphasizes.

The bar responds

What music used to play?

— Indie music, from Björk to The Smiths.

What drink was most requested by customers?

— Especially ointment, after so many years everyone still remembers the hailed ointment.

What was the brand of the bar?

— We went as a family, we had a fireplace and everything in winter.

Any anecdotes that make you laugh when you remember them?

— An Easter procession in which we performed a performance with a recycled Virgin Mary inside the bar. Epic.