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 they 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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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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Trendy new tapas bar, full of young, good looking and trendy people. In spite of that it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We had cañas (small beers), cheap but drinkable red wine, a plate of tasty shrimp with lemon. The background music was well chosen.Basic menu with dishes like: Egg with Foie, Boletus Risotto, Hamburger, Cous-cous… All dishes were between 10-20 euros. Its very near calle Luna, home to prostitutes and junkies. 

Larita
Corredera baja de San Pablo, 19

Madrid , Madrid , Spain
+34 91 522 80 70


GEO: 40.422277, -3.704302
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One of the most consistently reliable places for high-end/fusion tapas. Spanish food with japanese and french influences. Excellent and large selection of Spanish and foreign wines. Favourite dishes include: Salmorejo, foie & egg foam, fideua de marisco. They don’t take reservations and it usually gets quite crowded after about 21:30. Dinner here usually costs us form 30-40 euros per person, but that depends on what wine you chose.  

Taberneros
Calle de Santiago 9

Madrid , Madrid , Spain
+34 91 542 24 60


GEO: 40.416355, -3.710428
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Looks like la Taberna de los 100 vinos on calle Nuncio has closed. If anyone knows if it’s moved somewhere else please let us know. It was one of the first and most consistently good places to provide creative tapas in madrid with a superb wine selection. In its place is a bar/restaurant called juanalaloca. I haven’t tried it, the wine selection and menu looked decent, but the decor was not inviting. Maybe it was just that I was in shock over the loss of the ‘Cien Vinos’

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
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