Taking advantage of the Bacchus International Wine Awards, Gastro Bacchus festival will be taking place in 16 restaurants in Madrid’s central neighborhood — Barrio de las Letras — from March 17th – 23rd. So, enjoy eating tapas with a glass of wine for only 4€!!
If you´re looking for some dark and cosy wine bars to enjoy a glass of fantastic Spanish wine and some delicious tapas, then head to La Latina. Known as Madrid´s tapas district, this neighbourhood is famous for its lazy Sunday afternoon tradition of tapas-bar-hopping, up and down the winding streets of Cava Baja and Cava Alta.
But first, the history of Cava Baja has more to do with foreigners in Madrid than you might think.
Originally a deep trench that ran along the outside of the medieval city walls, Cava Baja protected the city from bandits and scoundrels, and allowed the people of Madrid to come and go freely without using the city gates. Soon the city boundaries spread, and local taverns sprung up along this stretch to lodge (and feed) travellers and farmers, who came to Madrid to sell their wares at market; You can still see the street sloping downhill and curving to follow the path of the old city wall.
This means that, for expats and visitors to the city, enjoying a glass of local wine and food amongst the higgledy piggledy bars and old taverns of Cava Baja is to not only enjoy La Latina, but also repeat the history of many a travelling peddler visiting Madrid.
For people that like Spanish wine: El Tempranillo. From the moment that you see the entire wall of wine bottle racks behind the bar, you know that you are in the right place.
Chic and modern from the outside but small and traditional on the inside, El Tempranillo has the perfect mix of low lighting, muted conversation and good Spanish wine- and a table to sit at if you order some tapas.
Compared with other wine and tapas bars in Cava Baja, El Tempranillo has something unique that is difficult to put your finger on.
Right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Cava Baja, it is comparatively understated- but quietly confident. It has a real buzz of people under the dimmed lighting, but is surprisingly quiet. This muted conversation gives a sense of privacy in which you can enjoy your glass of wine, share a few tapas and have a meaningful conversation with good friends- without having to raise your voice.
The tapas at El Tempranillo are addictive. Try the ´revuelto de champiñones salvajes´ (mushroom omelette), or the tostas. You might have to wait a little to order at peak times during the weekend or evenings, but the dishes come out quickly once ordered and are worth the wait.
Then, the wine. Order from the chalk board, which has an impressive selection of wine that comes from almost all the wine regions of Spain. Most exciting, though, is their larger than average selection of good Spanish wines available by the glass, with prices starting as low as 2,50€ and 2,70€. Arrive a little early, set up your company at a table, and enjoy some good wine.
Calle Cava Baja, 38
Juana La Loca makes a nod towards Juana, the ´mad queen of Castile´, who although was probably just another misunderstood female royal, still makes for a good story and name for a wine bar.
Small, dark, cosy and kinetic, Juana La Loca is perfect for a glass of Spanish wine and some delicious tapas.
Tightly packed inside, with small tables edging around the long bar, Juana La Loca mixes the worlds of both restaurant and wine bar into one dynamic space. With both bar and table enjoying tapas and wine, just with each enjoying more of one than the other, the two functions blend harmoniously into one shared space.
To start with a glass of wine, choose from the wine board behind the bar. Although the choices are slightly restricted and slightly pricier by the glass, the quality of the wine makes up for the lack of selection. If you like deep, complex red wines, try a Ribera del Duero Crianza or Reserva.
Without a doubt, the most famous dish served at Juana La Loca is the tortilla de patatas: a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth tortilla, finished with a crispy outer layer and served on top of a slice of bread. If you are being visited by friends or family in Madrid who have not yet tried tortilla de patatas, this is the one to debut.
The ´huevos rotos´ are also to-die-for, either to share or as a ración for yourself: crispy, chewy, buttery fries topped with melting fried egg, small salty strips of jamón, salted pimientos de padrón and a shake of paprika, all served on a long plate.
Very well accompanied by a glass of fresh wine to clean your palate and a bowl of Juana La Loca´s moreish olives, these delicious options can also be served gluten free if you ask the waiter. The prices may be a little higher, but the quality of the wine and food are a step above the rest.
A little tip is to bring cash with you, as they do not accept cards. The small wine bar-restaurant also fills up quickly in the evenings; after 20:30 tables are only for a meal of tapas (plus wine) and bar spots are only for wine (plus a tapa). Arrive early enough to enjoy some good wine and conversation amongst the relaxed atmosphere, and feel the bar fill up with the buzz of evening service.
Plaza Puerta de Los Moros, 4
www.juanalalocamadrid.com
If you like sherry, cava or vermouth, then you are in luck. This tiny mismatched bar with painted wood panels and creative details offers a great selection of Spanish fortified wines and sparkling cava from Cataluña. A refreshing take on the usual full-bodied red wine offered in La Latina, come to La Concha for something a little different.
La Concha has a nomadic feel, keeping in tune with the street´s history of travelling visitors, and offers both the upstairs bar for drinks and downstairs seating area for tapas.
If you have yet to try vermouth, a fortified wine infused with various roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs and spices, La Concha has ´Vermut Miró´, a Spanish vermouth from the northern Spanish city of Reús.
La concha also has a selection of Spanish Sherries, or ´Jerez´ in Spanish. Hailing from the D.O. wine region with the same name, Jerez de la Frontera, Jerez is unique in its elaboration; you cannot find a fortified wine like Sherry anywhere else in the world.
If you like bubbles: Cava. Spain´s answer to champagne, this bubbly sparkling wine can come in 4 different kinds: Cava, Cava Reserva (minimum 15 months ageing), Cava Gran Reserva (over 30 months ageing) and Rosé. La Concha has more than one of each kind, from different wineries, to try. Order a glass with one of their tapas. Although Cava traditionally matches well with fish or sweet fruity flavours, this is not necessarily the case; a Brut Nature Gran Reserva would go well with meat dishes, roasts or spicer foods.
On a week night you will easily find a spot here. Just head down the kooky stairs and order from their small tapas menu, which is also available completely gluten free.
Calle Cava Baja, 7
www.laconchataberna.com
If you would like to know what to look for in these wine and tapas bars, or are not sure what kinds of wines you like yet, you can also do some wine tasting in Madrid.
Maridaje – food and wine pairing
Whenever my husband and I are in the mood to go out for a good dinner for a good price, Lateral is our spot. It’s also proven to be the most successful restaurant when it comes to taking out friends and family visiting us in Madrid, which we do quite often.
Before I go on, I must admit that Lateral is a restaurant chain (a chain!), with a handful of locations. But it’s definitely the good kind that makes you rethink what that means. Spanish cuisine can be very heavy, especially if you’re not used to it. Somehow, however, Lateral has taken what I think are the best parts of Spanish food and tweaked them to make them pleasant for absolutely all tastebuds. That’s why this is my go-to restaurant.
In addition, all their locations have spacious terrazas (outdoor seating areas) with heaters in the winter and fans in the summer, making it hard to resist at any time of year.
You are looking at the best tosta ever… with grilled pork tenderloin and melted brie
My favorite thing to order here is the tosta de solomillo con queso brie (pork tenderloin with melted brie on toast). My husband, James, always orders the same, but with cebolla caremilzada (caramelized onions). One time, James had his extended family from California visiting; two teenage girls and their parents with several food preferences to take into consideration. Out of all the restaurants we took them to, Lateral was by far their favorite. They especially loved the gazpacho because they were given the platter of freshly diced vegetables so they could garnish it themselves. And of course, they too fell in love with the tostas.
For something light, you should try the gazpacho, tartar de aguacate con salmon (fresh avocado topped with salmon, tomato and chives) and the tosta de salmon con queso brie (smoked salmon and brie cheese on a slice of toasted bread).
tosta de salmon con brie
tartar de aguacate con salmon
Although the Spanish passion for croquettes is not always understood by foreigners, las croquetas de jamón are a must here too, as are the albóndigas (meatballs). Since I always order them both, last week I decided to venture out a bit and went for the mini-hamburgers instead, and wow, that was a good choice. They’re served with a reduced Pedro Ximenez (sherry) sauce which you can sop up with bread.
mini hamburguesas con reducción de Pedro Ximenez (sherry reduction)
One of our latest and most surprising discoveries was the tortilla de patata (Spanish potato and egg omelette). This Spanish staple is so common that it had never occurred to us to order it at Lateral. But don’t be fooled, please do try their tortilla de patata right away. It’s really one of the best I’ve had in Madrid.
the tortilla de patata, a surprisingly delicious Spanish staple: potato and egg omelette
And when it comes to dessert, I recommend the tiramisu, the torrijas (a very traditional Spanish version of bread pudding; a slice of bread soaked in milk and honey, then fried and topped with whipped cream and ice cream) and you should also try the apple crumble. Again, this was a surprise. Never would I have thought that apple crumble could be so good (I’ve had it many times and it’s usually just not my cup of tea. Here, though, it truly was).
Apple and cranberry crumble topped with vanilla ice cream, to die for
To drink, I usually order tinto de verano (a great spin on sangría) which is a cold mix of red wine and a sweet Spanish seltzer called casera. During the winter, I almost always share a bottle of wine with friends. Last time the waiter recommended the Finca Vieja Reserva from La Mancha for 12E, which was very much worth it.
Price range: 10-20E per person
Web
They have various locations in Madrid, but the two I go to are:
C/ Fuencarral, 43
Tel: 91 531 68 77
Plaza de Santa Ana, 12
Tel: 91 420 15 82
Tucked away in the side streets of Sol, Bar Lambuzo is an Andalusian oasis in the center of Madrid, lovingly run by a family from Cádiz with a history in the food business that goes back to their great grandfather. This family has brought all their favorite recipes and passion from their home to the capital. In fact, the bar makes it a point to sell products from Southern regions such as Cádiz, Seville and Huelva, calling itself an Abacería, meaning a bar that sells local products.
the entrance invites you in with thousands of wine bottles decorating the walls
Opened a little over a year ago, Bar Lambuzo has already become a beloved neighborhood spot for its authentic cuisine, warm ambience and family-style service; it is a haven for Andalusians living away from home, and for anyone seeking a true taste of the South in the center of Madrid.
with friends in Bar Lambuzo’s underground cellar, tasting wines from Bodegas Barbadillo
What’s more, Lambuzo offers fun activities in the downstairs wine cellar, from football forums to wine-tastings and olive-oil-tastings. I’ve been to the tastings and highly recommend them! At the last wine tasting I went to, we had a presentation from Bodegas Barbadillo, a winery from Cádiz that is actually the house wine at Bar Lambuzo. As usual, we tried three different types–rosé, white and red–the red was really spectacular.
On Thursdays, Lambuzo also holds Microteatro: they showcase 30-minute theater performances, from 9pm-11pm. Each session costs 4€, plus you’re more than welcome to grab a drink at the bar and bring it down to the cellar as you enjoy the show, and then go right back upstairs for more when it’s over.
As far as the menu goes, father Pepe will gladly tell you about the daily specials, and you can’t go wrong with anything on the set menu. Their star dishes are from their selection of fried fish, a staple in Andalusian cuisine. And you can count on it being good–the first time I went, a guy from the South of Spain popped out of his seat and called up a friend to say: “You won’t believe it. I’m in Madrid eating real pescaito frito“.
assorted pescadito frito
boquerones fritos con limón (fried white anchovies with a squeeze of lemon) and white wine from Bodegas Barbadillo
My husband, James, and I have been going to Bar Lambuzo practically since it opened. What keeps us going back so often is the warm service and delicious food and wine (not to mention, really affordable!). Our favorite dishes are their varied croquetas (croquettes), salmorejo (a cold, tomato and bread-based soup), arroz con atun rojo y pisto (rice with tuna and ratatouille), and solomillo al whiskey (whiskey pork loin, served on delicious handcut fries). For dessert, try the tocino del cielo (similar to creme brûlée without the crunchy top), made by Ignacia.
Croquetas
Salmorejo, a cold soup or dip originating from Cordoba, made with tomato, bread and olive oil, topped with tuna and then drizzled with some more, olive oil
tocino de cielo, made by daughter Ignacia (similar to creme brûlée without the crunchy top layer)
Lambuzo’s tapas range in price from 3€-5€, and main dishes average at 11€. For lunch. They offer a menu del día (set lunch menu) for 10€ with a starter, main dish, drink, plus coffee or dessert. And they have an express lunch menu for 8€, including one dish.
If you decide to go to Lambuzo for dinner, I recommend making a reservation–the secret’s out and the place gets packed!
Facebook page
Web
Hours: Tuesday – Thursday: 13:00 – 16:30, 20:00 – 0:00
Friday – Saturday: 13:00 – 17:30, 20:00 – 1:00
Sunday: 13:00 – 17:30
Closed on Mondays
Price range: 10-20€ per person
1. The first Lambuzo is the one with the downstairs cellar:
Address: Calle de las Conchas, 9
Metros: Sol, Callao, Santo Domingo or Opera
2. Lambuzo has just opened a second location in Chamberí which is smaller but still has the same charm and family feel:
Address: Calle Ponzano, 8
Metros: Iglesia & Alonso Cano