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The Elvis Bar in Reliegos

JustJack

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF: May/June 2023
VDLP: April/May 2024
One pleasant surprise for me along the CF this spring was the Elvis Bar in Reliegos. I've since discovered that this is a fairly well-known bar, and I think it's even included in the film The Way. But I didn't know any of that when I stopped for the night in Reliegos. I just saw there was a bar called the Elvis Bar which sounded interesting and different, and when I went by there it was all covered in graffiti. Looked like my kinda bar, but it was closed at the time (afternoon). I went back that evening and it was open, and what a great place. A somewhat eccentric owner who is a joy to watch as he serves his customers. I was the only pilgrim in there that night for some reason. I highly recommend stopping there for a beer when your in Reliegos.
 
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Anhalter said:
Agreed. Great place. Maybe not for everyone and not exactly reliable as to when it's open. I guess he just opens when he wants to. But incredible guy.
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Yeah I can certainly see how it wouldn't be for everyone, which is why I wasn't overly surprised there were no other pilgrims there. The place is quite smokey (no pesky no smoking rules in that bar!), and has a certain dive-bar quality to it.

I was also surprised how cheap it was. Only bottled beer, but from what I recall it was either 1.80 or 2.30 for a beer or glass of wine. And the owner handed out free plates of olives. No idea how he manages to make any money. But what's so great about the place is how he doesn't seem to have a care in the world. I thought he was drunk at first, but after watching him for awhile I realized he's simply one of the happiest and most energetic people you'll meet.

Pretty sure I wouldn't order food there though...
 
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I so wanted to stop there on my way but was not able to and now thanks to your post I’m no longer disappointed as I was only passing through Reliegos near 1pm and the bar would most likely have been closed (who knows. I’m going with that so not to be disappointed again). Thanks for sharing your experience there
 
JustJack said:
Yeah I can certainly see how it wouldn't be for everyone, which is why I wasn't overly surprised there were no other pilgrims there. The place is quite smokey (no pesky no smoking rules in that bar!), and has a certain dive-bar quality to it.
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Well,then he could be in serious trouble when the government officials pay his café a visit.
There are hefty fines in Spain and most of Europe for this kind of violation . I do not call them pesky rules.

Thanks for the warning.A place to avoid.
 
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SabsP said:
Well,then he could be in serious trouble when the government officials pay his café a visit.
There are hefty fines in Spain and most of Europe for this kind of violation . I do not call them pesky rules.

Thanks for the warning.A place to avoid.
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Frankly I don't think gov't officials are high on the owner's list of concerns. Google him and his bar to get a sense of who he is. And as mentioned, the bar isn't for everyone. But there are many who appreciate it for what it is.
 
JustJack said:
Frankly I don't think gov't officials are high on the owner's list of concerns. Google him and his bar to get a sense of who he is. And as mentioned, the bar isn't for everyone. But there are many who appreciate it for what it is.
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Do not need to " google " him . I know the bar and in 2011 I stopped there and sat on the terrace and ordered a drink.
Another year it was closed.

Please read carefully my earlier post. Never did I mention that I do not appreciate the place, but merely saying that when he allows smoking inside the premises he is breaking the official law. So he might be the nicest fellow in Spain but that not makes what he does right.
 
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This makes sense: the bar has a Facebook page, with a note that it was created in 2012. Also a note from Facebook that it still has no posts, although 239 people like and follow it. LOL
 
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and as I said, I'm pretty confident that he has zero concerns about gov't officials, or people that don't like the fact that he allows smoking in his bar. Not all agree on what is "right".
 
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Have experienced this establishment before it's obvious as soon as you enter that hygein is not a priority in this bar openly smocking behind counter and generally the upkeep of place not very inviting at all I'm no prude being from Glasgow have seen my fair share of rough ready bars but this place just makes me itch at thought and sight of---- hole it is.
 
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JohnLloyd said:
His name is Sininn, if I recall.
I had a great time there in the autumn of 2018.
And "The Way" was playing on a battered old TV in the corner too.
Perfect.
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JustJack, thanks for the update, this is excellent news.
My first visit most welcome after walking in sub-zero (C) temperatures from El Burgo back in 2008. Toots & Maytals’ Monkey Man playing full volume. The smoking indoors thing was irrelevant as there was a wood stove in the middle of the room that didn’t have its flue fitted properly, billowing acrid smoke.

Good to see from John's pic the same fixtures – particularly the haunch of Jamon and old knife, used for peeling off a fine strip for anyone he found sufficiently agreeable at the time (always involved a little Spanish conversation first). Health and Safety I hear you ask..
And yes, that old VHS recorder continuously playing the Way. Was worn to a haze back in 2018.
In 2018 the bar was closed in the day, but we came back in the evening. A lot of alcohol, smoking and general partying going on with many pilgrims very drunk. Sufficiently so for two (apparently respectable ones) who had been flirting with each other since Burgos to finally start getting intimate right there. Meanwhile a group of the local men looked on at this tableau chaotique in silence, agog, like tribe-seeking social anthropologists who couldn’t quite believe their luck.

I walked passed in the day time last year, disappointed that it was closed. Sat for a while outside and noticed how a lot of the wall paint had peeled away and how much of the previously joyous and irreverent graffiti had lost its life and colour. Looked like it might have been closed for good. So great to hear Sininis is still doing his thing.
Buen camino, in whichever way you choose..
 
JustJack said:
Not all agree on what is "right".
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Yes, and laws are there for a reason. If you're a scofflaw libertarian you might disagree, but there is harm from tobacco and squalor. That's what licensing is for

The guy might be the nicest person in Spain, but hearing stories like this I've never been inclined to patronize the place.
Of course YMMV. I walk the Camino for peace and quiet, and I hate noisy boozy gatherings with a passion.

But this definitely me chuckle:
peregrino_tom said:
Meanwhile a group of the local men looked on at this tableau chaotique in silence, agog, like tribe-seeking social anthropologists who couldn’t quite believe their luck.
Click to expand...

Glad I wasn't in the same albergue room as the two of them.
 
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Wonderful anecdotes of a colourful Camino character.
 
When I passed through late last year he was closed because of Monday or something, but I did bump into him near the little shop anyway, we had a little idle chat, great guy.
 
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Yes my wife and I loved the place! It is a must see place for a cool one on the way to Leon. I hope to get back there someday.
 
I had such a good night that i would not have got back into the refugio except for a pilgrim standing outside having a late smoke
 
I personally loved the place when my family and I stopped in; a very unique, quirky place and I found the experience entertaining. The owner was very energetic and happy, and gave us free slices of that ham on the counter with our drinks. The place was clean, but I recall the bathrooms were "out back" somewhere. Here are my two pictures from 2017. I'd stop in again.
 
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Bending topic a little. Bar Elvis was closed in September 2022, but Reliegos was one of my favorite Camino towns. We stayed at albergue Tu Camino and ate at Bar Gil with the wind and the cats. The Meseta town has a Wild West flavor with the stark streets and the bodegas. Sounds like the Bar Elvis fits in. Shall we call it gritty?
 
I remember ordering food there and was not unhappy with it. Also, my and my son's passing through is marked with marker somewhere in the bar. I wanted to look for it when I passed through Reliegos this Camino but they were closed.
 
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JohnLloyd said:
View attachment 152472

His name is Sininn, if I recall.

I had a great time there in the autumn of 2018.

And "The Way" was playing on a battered old TV in the corner too.

Perfect.
Click to expand...
Better not blink, the segment is about 2 seconds of the main characters walking into/around the front of the bar. I found a Spanish dub for free on YouTube I watched waiting for the bar to open at 6pm but Google erroneously listed lunch hours.
 
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