For me, eating is always an emotional experience. I want to eat food that makes me feel good, both physically and mentally. Depending on my mood, that can mean very different things. Sometimes all I want is a creamy croqueta or my mom’s mac and cheese… but other times, my body begs for whole grains, greens, and lean protein.

To be completely honest (pun intended), I didn’t realize how much I missed healthy, home-cooked meals until I found Honest Greens. This brand new spot in Nuevos Ministerios may at first glance look like just another hipster cafe, but I swear it’s something special.

The space itself is impeccably decorated and practically begging to be Instagrammed. The open kitchen means you can watch all the magic happen. But even more exciting is the fact that most of the menu items are on display right in front of you, so you can browse the options before making your (very difficult) choice.

This is one of those places where I would happily devour anything on the menu, so ordering is a considerable challenge. Luckily, they break it down into a nice and simple process: choose between a market plate or a garden bowl, then pick your sides or protein. Easier said than done.

The market plates come with either chipotle marinated chicken, rare beef, tuna tataki, homemade falafel, or black pepper tofu. Each is accompanied by a fresh green salad with pesto dressing and organic sourdough bread with herbed butter.

Chipotle chicken and seasonal vegetables

Is your mouth watering yet? I’ve barely gotten started. After you choose your base, you get to add extra sides from an overwhelming list. Cold options include coleslaw, beet salad, creamed eggplant, lentils, hummus, and roasted watermelon (yeah, you read that right). Hot sides include mashed pumpkin, baked cauliflower, roasted beets, herbed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and organic sweet potato, each with creative garnishes ranging from spirulina to spiced yogurt.

I highly recommend the chicken, and although the beef was a bit raw for my liking, it’s received rave reviews from plenty of my friends. You can’t go wrong with the seasonal vegetables or the sweet potatoes, which add some color and carbs to the plate. And speaking of carbs, the bread might actually be the best part of the dish. Freshly grilled and soaked in butter… how can you argue with that?

A market plate with ternera madrileña and roasted sweet potatoes

Salad fixin’s

If you want to put vegetables front and center, opt for a garden bowl instead. Spicy kale, ginger honey goat cheese, peanut chili lentils, sesame greens, wild coconut quinoa… with names like that, you can hardly imagine the possibilities. Each bowl is filled to the brim with various veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and dressings. You can also add any protein for an extra boost.

Oh, and did I mention there’s a soup of the day?

Once all that has sunk in, turn your attention to the drinks. They’ve got cold pressed juices, homemade fruit-infused waters, wine, beer, and vermut—plus organic fair trade coffee. In fact, one of the highlights of the place is the adorable coffee truck parked outside, advertising their specialty beans.

Self-serve aguas frescas

The portions here are generous and filling, proving once and for all that it’s possible to feel fully satisfied after a healthy meal. But if you manage to save room, try one of the sugarless and gluten-free desserts. Their takes on classics like carrot cake and apple crumble might not be exactly what you’re expecting, but they have their own charm. If you’ve got a real sweet tooth you might be disappointed, but it’s totally worth it to at least give them a chance.

The best thing about Honest Greens is that it combines the trend of vegetarian and vegan cafes with a selection that caters to meat-eaters as well. While I love a good veggie burger and am slightly addicted to kale, I won’t deny that every meal can be improved by a grilled chicken breast or a juicy steak. For me, this place is the best of both worlds.

The business cards say it all

Whatever dietary camp you belong to, you’ll find something here that fits your tastes. And the next time you’re craving some good, honest greens… well, you know where to go.

Info

• Website
• Facebook & Instagram
• Address: Paseo de la Castellana, 89
• Metro: Santiago Bernabéu & Nuevos Ministerios

Around Christmastime I got an email from Terry and Charlotte who run Desperate Literature, an international bookstore that’s just a street up from Opera. Here’s what they wrote: “We came across a local health and organic food store that we fell in love with. The owner is great… and it’s a crying shame that locals and health-conscious expats don’t know about the place. It only has Facebook, but voila, now we’ve done our part and spread the good news,” inferring it was Naked Madrid’s turn to do the same!

Thank you, Terry and Charlotte, for sending me that email! I finally made it to La Nodriza today and I have to agree – how had I not known about it earlier? It’s just a few steps from plaza Opera and lovingly run by a woman named Lucía, who handpicks each item with careful consideration to customers’ requests and also speaks English. Originally from Spain, Lucía has lived all over the world, having spent years in England, Sweden (she speaks Swedish, too), Chile and even Kuwait and Oman. Long story short, she’s got a lot of stories. Eventually she decided to follow her passion and study nutrition, which led her to open La Nodriza two years ago, “her dream come true.”

Although La Nodriza is small, it offers an impressive selection of handmade and organic products, ranging from cosmetics and olive oil to fresh produce and yogurt. You can even get a weekly order of local fruits and vegetables. Chances are you’ll find that hard-to-find item here, or you can ask Lucía to order it for you! Not to mention, La Nodriza is also a great place to find a gift for someone back home (like locally produced olive oil or raw honey), or even for someone in town (like Burt’s Bees products).

What I bought

What caught my eye the most was her wide selection of raw honeys. She has two large containers of honey from local producers that you can purchase by the kilo: one is made with lavender (lavanda), and the other with heather (brezo). Lucía let us taste both of them, which were so pure and delicious. I bought a kilo of the heather honey (€10.50) because it was darker and richer, which is the kind I prefer, and I also got to pour it myself.

The next thing I bought was organic peanut butter by a brand called Monki. Although it wasn’t cheap (€7.20) and there was another less expensive option, Lucía assured me this one’s quality was well worth it. As I sit here with my Monki peanut butter on toast, all I can say is I second her opinion.

While browsing, Lucía gave us both a piece of dark chocolate with chilli peppers because, “it’s something different.” As we were leaving, she popped two bite-size red apples into our bag. “They’re small,” she said, “but totally fresh and pack in a lot of flavor.” And they do, indeed.

So, people of Madrid, if you’re looking for a place to get your supply of organic, fresh and local products in the heart of the city, you’ve found it. These products may be more expensive than what you’ll find at Mercadona, but they’re oh so worth it!

Info

• Facebook
• Hours: Open Tues-Sunday from 12pm-10pm
• Phone: +34 912 50 29 65
• Address: Calle Caños del Peral, 5

You may also like:

• Best Gifts from Madrid
• Desperate Literature, for book lovers in Brooklyn, Santorini and now Madrid!
• Where to take your Mom in Madrid

Plaza de Olavide is one of Madrid’s hidden gems. Situated in the heart of Chamberí between the Iglesia, Bilbao, and Quevedo Metro stops, it’s a perfect place to sit on spring days or balmy summer nights. This leads me to Mamá Campo, another one of those places I discovered thanks to an exquisite brunch photo on the Cup of couple Instagram account. Mamá Campo has an organic market as well as a restaurant and children’s store/center.

The Mamá Campo restaurant serves all ecological products, epitomizing the eco trend all over the city. One Friday in between doctor’s appointments, interviews, and private lessons, I took advantage of the first of many sunny Madrid spring days to FINALLY get a chance to eat lunch at Mamá Campo.

The décor inside the restaurant is very cool. There’s reusable wood and other products, making you feel one with nature. There are communal tables (where I sat as I was flying solo), very reminiscent of Le Pain Quotidien, as well as normal tables for groups of friends. The best part about sitting  at the communal table was being perched high above on the stool (especially choice for taking pictures with my iPhone).

As for for choice of dish, I ordered a grilled sea bass filet with sorted vegetables. I was also given an aperitivo of salmorejo with some delicious whole-wheat bread. I was extremely satisfied with my choice and can’t wait for my next visit.

But, like I said, the magic of Mamá Campo isn’t just that it’s a restaurant. The market, on the part of Calle Trafalgar more towards the Bilbao Metro stop just off of Olavide, has a great selection of products to enjoy at home.

As you walk in, the whole left wall is full of a whole range of produce. You can also buy a sample of organic breads that look absolutely amazing, as well as bio embutidos, sauces, rice milk, almond, coconut milk, and more.

The aesthetic is very similar to the restaurant, with minimalist painting on the walls, splashes of color, wooden cartons to store all of the produce (as you can see here), and classic woven baskets to store your wares. And it looks like that this could have been kale…

which for this New Yorker is definitely great news if kale can be found.

The next time you discover Olavide on a sunny day and are looking for some organic produce or a delicious, sustainable meal, then Mamá Campo is your go-to place in this little hidden rincón of Madrid.