‘Creative cocktails’ and ‘great tapas’ – what to expect from revamped bar at Chesterfield’s Casa Hotel

The Barca Bar at the Casa Hotel on Lockoford Lane has been refurbished as part of a £1m investment by its owner, Steve Perez.

Mark Thurman, managing director of Casa and the Peak Edge Hotel, said the bar needed to be revitalised, and is now the perfect space for groups and couples looking to enjoy both drinks and food.

“Barca has been open for ten years previously, and was in need of reigniting - we needed to bring a bit of modernisation to the space. The concept has changed, and we wanted to ensure that it was a place for people to meet, engage and have fun in a quality environment.

It’s an environment that’s appropriate for dining or drinking - it’s about meeting with friends and pushing tables together, or meeting as couples in our little booths. We’ve got a great team in here, they’re all young and fun and they’re really excited to have a buzz around here.

“The space really lends itself to doing that now and we’re really excited to show everybody.”

Mark said that their menu has a range of Spanish, Asian and British influences, as well as a variety of ‘inventive’ drinks with which to pair a meal.

“It’s social, street food - people can order a little bit of everything and all dive in. I think that’s really important post-Covid, meeting with people that you might not have been able to meet for so long.

“Our food lends itself to that, and it’s all fresh, using local ingredients where possible. There’s some Asian fusion in there, some classic tapas given our Spanish influence, and some good English comfort food as well.

“The cocktails are fun, creative, inventive and not gimmicky at all. They’re all made using fresh ingredients and quality sprints - they’re all hand crafted.

“There’s a great range of beers and our wine list is extensive, as it is in Cocina. We don’t have to sacrifice any of the quality down here in a more casual evironment compared to our restaurant upstairs.”

Steve Perez said: “We have, like most in hospitality, had a difficult time, but we have been hard at work refurbishing Barca Bar. We have a great team there and we will be making some amazing cocktails and tapas bar food.”

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