Valdepasillas is no longer a neighborhood of bars and gives way to restaurants

Valdepasillas is one of those neighborhoods in the city that has always enjoyed a large influx of people due to its variety of shops and the wide range of catering establishments, to the point that they have become one of the main attractions in the area. This was the case before the pandemic as recently some bars have started to close. For example, the closure of 100 Montaditos, the Tik Tok bar or the transfer of the Marbles pub.

Precisely because of the constant closures of the hotel industry after the different waves of covid-19 and the increase in the price of products with the war in Ukraine, many establishments have not been able to retain customers, a large part of them young people who were in charge of keeping many afloat. of the hospitality businesses.

This has been the case of the ‘Bokatines’ bar, located on Sinforiano Madroñero avenue. They started in 2014 with the name ‘Colmados’ and it would be in 2017 when they changed to what has been their last name. Thanks to the neighborhood and the cheap prices of the bar, they soon acquired a fixed network of customers, mostly young people and residents of the area. Israel Corchero Botello, in charge of the bar until its closure, affirms that the pandemic curiously favored the Valdepasillas hotel industry: “There was an increase and youth began to come thanks to the closure of the nightclubs.” However, since the nightlife venues opened in Badajoz in September last year, consumption at the bar has been falling. “There have been Sundays with incredible weather and the bar was empty,” laments Israel. He also adds that “it must be taken into account that the rents in this area are quite high”, as another reason that explains why the business had to close.

The consequences of the war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion and the consequent rise in prices have also had a negative influence on the hotel sector. Many products in Spain have become more expensive and Badajoz has seen the effects first hand. «Before, a five-liter bottle of oil cost me 4.99 euros; now I get almost 16”, says Israel.

And he has not been the only one to notice the effects of rising prices. Some neighbors like Ana, a resident of Valdepasillas, indicates that the coffee that is drunk in her trusted bar has gone from being worth 1.05 to 1.30 euros. Josefina, another of the veteran neighbors of the neighborhood, has also noticed that many products have become more expensive and not only coffee or breakfast, but also food, such as fruit.

Support for the Valdepasillas hotel industry has depended, in Israel’s opinion, in recent years on the university sector and more since the covid appeared. He also believes that the reopening of nightlife and the new popularity of other areas of Badajoz, such as the Paseo Fluvial, have meant the last straw for many places in Sinforiano Madroñero and surrounding streets: “Now people go to the area of ​​the river and it has been noticed. It has done a lot of damage to the neighborhood », emphasizes the former manager of ‘Bokatines’.

The solution, in the opinion of the residents of Valdepasillas consulted, to keep the neighborhood active is to support the hotel industry and local businesses. Josefina has it clear: “I’ve been very neighborhood since I live here, because if I consume in my surrounding stores, the neighborhood is revalued.” Other neighbors, like Ana, believe that other solutions that should also be applied to keep businesses and the hotel industry going are lowering taxes and promoting aid. Israel sums up the great change that Sinforiano Madroñero avenue has undergone: “Valdepasillas is no longer what it used to be,” she says, adding that “it has gone from being a neighborhood for drinks to another for fast food.”