I went to this very small tapas bar the other evening, and really liked it. The locale is actually an old shop and the quaint atmosphere has been maintained.  As you can see from the photos, both the bar and the menu are very small, really just tapas, salads etc and reasonably priced. I had the Salmorejo (cold tomato based soup) and the ‘Tosta’ with Ventresca, pimiento and pesto verde (that’s canned Tuna belly with piquillo peppers and pesto). Both were really good. I had beer with my tapas but there was a small but decent and reasonably priced wine list.

Not a good choice if you’re looking for a sit-down meal, but a really nice place for a cocktail, glass of wine, beer + tapa.

La Mantequeria
Calle San Bernardino 7

Madrid , Madrid , 28015 Spain


GEO: 40.425148, -3.710573
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I find myself returning quite a bit to this restaurant, which is at the same time bar, then later on a ‘gin-club’. What I like about it is that its serves quite well prepared basic food that you dont get bored of too quickly. Its also got a pleasant atmosphere, depending on your taste – might be a little too trendy for some, or too informal for others.  The restaurant, as its name suggests serves Spanish ‘market food’.

Dished we like include:

- Raff tomatoes by themselves with olive oil or with tuna: Raff are a deliciously flavored spanish variety of tomato which is a great change from the all too common and tasteless ones normally found these days.

- Pimientos de Padron:  These are small green pepper and are normally fried and served with salt

- Baked hake in the ‘bilboa’ style – on a bed of potatoes with some slighly hot dried chilies on top

- There are all sorts of egg dishes – with chips, blood pudding, spicy sausage, jamón etc

- Meat dishes and stews. 

The Mercado de La Reina has a pleasant bar in the front, where you can order many of the dishes as tapas with a glass of wine of beer but I’d recommend trying the Spanish vermouth (on-tap), which I think is far superior to the usual varieties. 

The location, on the Gran Vía, is very convenient for visitors, and they have english menus.

Mercado de la Reina
manuelmercadodelareina@gmail.com
Calle Gran Vía, 12

Madrid , Madrid , 28013 Spain
+34 91 521 31 98


GEO: 40.419533, -3.698868
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The Aloque holds a special place in my heart. It’s one of the first wine bars in Madrid, dating back to long before wine bars became trendy and numerous in the city, and it still has among the best selection and most carefully chosen cellars – by Paco Parejo the owner and enologist. Its located in Lavapies, an area more known for its multicultural and ethic diversity than for its wine bars. The menu is excellent but simple, with a list of 10 or so ‘Raciones’ (plates of food for sharing) and another 10 or so ‘tostas’, pieces of toast with delicacy on it. It doesn’t change that often, some of the items have been there for since I first tried the Aloque 12 years ago, but thats partly because in this bar the food is chosen to accompany the wine and not vice versa. We’d recommend almost anything, but are particularly find of the iberico pork fillet, the jamon (thats an easy one) and the croquetas. Most items on the menu are under 20 euros, and the tostas are usually under 5 euros.

Aloque
Torrecilla del Leal 20

Madrid , Madrid , Spain
+34 91 528 36 62


GEO: 40.410514, -3.699592
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La Sala started out as a small bar which became famous for its shrimp, and has grown into a large restaurant that’s something of a local institution. The menu is mostly seafood, but there are salads and a few meat dishes as well.

The shrimp, served in 1/2 or 1 kilo portions, are the cold-water north atlantic variety which are far superior in both taste and texture to the more comment and larger warm-water farmed ones. I also had anchovies, which are made on site and excellent, cockles done on the grill, also recommended, and croquetas which were a little disappointing.

The plate of shrimp shown in the picture (1/2 kilo) cost €35, the anchovies €16, the croquetas €10, and I don’t remember what the cockles cost. The whole meal for 4 with a bottle of Albariño and shared deserts cost about €30 per person.

The location 50 km outside madrid is probably not on most visitor itineraries but if you’re traveling north, and in a car, its a good choice – if you like shrimp and seafood.

Reservations are essential on weekends. Family friendly with lots of space for buggies.

La Sala
Carretera De Los Molinos (M-614) 2

Guadarrama , Madrid , 28440 Spain
+34 918 542 121


GEO: 40.684397, -4.0786
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El Mercado de la Reina serves well made, market based spanish food, stylishly presented in a modern atmosphere. Dishes include ‘Raff’ tomatoes with olive oil (for those of you that don’t know this variety of tomato, they are particularly flavorful and sweet), fried ‘Padron’ peppers (small green pepper which are occasionally hot), eggs with french fries and spanish cured ham (jamón), a number of types of scrambled eggs, numerous meat and fish dishes.

There is a bar at the front where you can have a drink and a few tapas, where recommend you try the spanish vermouth,  and a restaurant at the back for full meals.

Mercado de la Reina
manuelmercadodelareina@gmail.com
Calle Gran Vía, 12

Madrid , Madrid , 28013 Spain
+34 91 521 31 98


GEO: 40.419533, -3.698868
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This crowded restaurant/bar turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Low key atmosphere and prices, but the creative tapas were all good and reasonably creative. From the entrance all you can see is the crowded bar, but there are a few tables in a back room if you want to sit down. The wine selection, by glass or bottle was basic, but good value – I think the most expensive bottle was under €20.

We ate boletus croquetas, squid-ink risotto, beef-cheeks (dont remember what they were done with but they were delicious), green salad with fried goat’s cheese and boletus raviolis. We even had desert: tiramisu and chocolate backed with berries. I’d re-order any of it, except possibly the boletus raviolis, but there were lots of other interesting things on the menu we didn’t try.

Txirimiri
Calle del Humilladero 6
Madrid
+34 91 364 11 96
Location on Google Maps

I was out in Huertas the other night, it was as busy as ever, in fact busier since PhotoEspaña had set up a huge slide show in the middle of Plaza Santa Ana. The first priority was getting some food and drink. Finding a place to eat in Huertas is easy, but finding a place you want to eat is another question altogether. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of decent places to eat here, there are just plenty more places at aren’t decent. Anyway, one place I’d recommend, if you’re looking for something reasonably basic, and pretty authentic is Prada a Tope. This is a chain of restaurants that started in the Bierzo, León in northern Spain, that serves (not surprisingly) food and wine from that region. This food very much reflects the Bierzo area and tends to be made of quality local ingredients which are hearty and strong flavored. Typical dishes include roasted red peppers, cecina (cured beef), chorizo (spicy cured sausage), good potatoes, deserts made with chestnuts and red wine made from the local, and I think pretty unique, Mencia grape.

Food at Prada a Tope is served in the tapas tradition, i.e. you share from plates at the center of the table. You should be able to fill up for about €20 per person. It gets very crowded on busy nights.

MADRID Príncipe
TIENDA CASA DE COMIDAS
Príncipe, 11
Tfno. 914 295 921
www.pradaatope.es
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Decoración muy cuidada, como en los otros restaurantes que también poseen este grupo que se conoce como los Zaras de la Restauración (La Gloria de Montera, Public y La Finca de Susana, hasta el momento en Madrid).
Lo mejor, la relación calidad-precio, más que por la comida, por el menú del día con mantel de hilo almidonado, platos de diseño y servicio agradable. En estos momentos el menú con 2 platos, bebida y postre o café está a menos de 10 euros.
Lo peor, las colas, que no admiten reserva y se pone hasta los topes.
Mira su página para ver todos los establecimientos que tienen también en Barcelona.
www: Restaurante Bazaar