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The Cartagena bar that invented the Café Asiático faces an uncertain future
Bar Pedrín in El Albujón is looking for a new owner as the current manager prepares to retire after more than 80 years
If you have lived in or around the Cartagena area, you’ll have heard of the café asiático. A coffee famous in these parts that was invented in Bar Pedrín in El Albujón, Cartagena. This family-run bar has been serving the drink for more than 80 years, but with the current manager preparing to retire, its future is now uncertain.
The café asiático is a strong coffee with condensed milk and Licor 43, plus foamed milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a few coffee beans on top. Bar Pedrín is often called “the cradle of the asiático,” and while the recipe has been copied across the region, few places match the original.
Cartagena has been an important port since Roman times, bringing in trade and exotic ingredients from around the world. You can see some of that in the local coffee, not just the café asiático. Condensed milk became part of the coffee culture in this area, and Licor 43, the sweet orange liqueur made in Cartagena, is a local product. These ingredients have helped give the local drinks their distinctive flavours.
Bar Pedrín was opened in the 1940s by Pedro Conesa, known locally as Pedrín. Since then, it has been passed through several generations of the same family, becoming more than just a place to grab a coffee. It also runs a lottery office that has handed out major prizes over the years!
The challenge now is finding someone to take over. Many young people are choosing different careers, and few are interested in running a traditional family bar. The motorway has also diverted traffic away from El Albujón, so the bar no longer sees as many passersby as it did when the main road went through the village.
Over the years, Bar Pedrín has had some famous visitors, from the actor Paco Rabal to the musician Manuel Cárceles and footballer José García Murcia. Their photos still hang on the walls. But for most people in the village, it’s never been about famous faces. It’s a place to meet, have a coffee in a bar that has been part of the village for generations. The Cartagena City Hall recently added a sculpture nearby to celebrate the café asiático and the man who created it, a reminder of how much the bar and the drink mean to the area.
The bar is now on the market, along with the house next door. The hope is that a new owner will step in and carry on the family tradition, keeping Bar Pedrín open and serving the café asiático for years to come!
The world of Spanish coffee EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about cafe culture in Spain
Address
Punic Wall Interpretation Centre, Calle de San Diego, s/n 30202 CARTAGENATel: 968 128 955
Oficina de turismo de Cartagena
Cartagena tourism information
Where to find basic tourism information and information about historical sites and places to visit in Cartagena, Spain.
Cartagena has a wealth of historical sites, including the Roman Theatre Museum, Archaeological Museum, ARQUA Subaquatic Archaeology Museum, Panoramic lift, Civil War Air raid Shelter and Military and Naval Museums, as well as Tourist Bus and Tourist Boat which ferries visitors across to the Fuerte de Navidad.
There is one main Tourist Information Office and 2 tourist information points, the main one being in the Muralla Púnica Interpretation centre in Calle de san Diego and the other next to the Civil War Air Raid Shelter and Panoramic lift.
The office in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the easiest place to pick up a map if you've come into the port from a cruise ship, and has a few basic 
leaflets, but not a lot else.
The information point for the Puerto de Culturas attractions is by the Panoramic lift and Civil War Air Raid shelter in Calle Gisbert, although maps and leaflets are available at any of 3 information points.
There is plenty of in depth information about Cartagena in the dedicated Cartagena section, accessed via the map box at the bottom of every article page or by using the town search box at the top of the page. the introduction gives basic information about the city and then readers can select from the subjects below for information about the city, or the rest of the municipality.
Tourist Offices:
Oficina Municipal de Turismo Puertas de San José
Plaza Almirante Bastarreche s/n
Opening hours: weekdays 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.00 to 18.00, Saturdays 10.00 to 13.00.
Oficina Municipal de Turismo Muralla Púnica
Calle de San Diego, 25
30202, Cartagena
Telephone 968 52 14 27
Click for map, Tourist information office Muralla Púnica.
Opening hours.
31st July to 15th September, Monday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm
31st March to 30th June, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm.
16th September to 4th November, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7pm.
5th November to 30th March, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5.30pm.
Punto de Informacion Turistica
This is on the side of the Palacio Consistorial in Cartagena ( The Town Hall)
Plaza del Ayuntamiento S/N
Cartagena, Spain
Tel 968 128 955
Click for map, Tourist Information point, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Cartagena
Opening hours
May to September: Monday-Saturday 10am-1.30pm and 5pm-7pm
Sunday 10.30am-1.30pm.
October to April: Monday-Saturday 10am-2pm and 4pm-6pm
Sunday 10.30am-1.30pm.
Cartagena - Punto de Información Turística Ascensor Panorámico
Calle Gisbert, 10
30202 CARTAGENA
Opening hours:
From 31st March to 30th June, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7pm
Semana Santa, Monday to Sunday 10am to 7pm
From 16th to 30th September (Cartagineses y Romanos) Tuesday to Sunday: 10am to 7pm.
From1st October to 4th November , Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7pm
From 5th November to 30th March, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5.30pm.
From 1st July to 15th September, Monday to sunday 10am to 8pm
Click for map, Panoramic Lift, Cartagena
