If you’ve got the urge to fight those beginning-of-the-week blues, go to Taberna Lamiak on Tuesday nights for a free wine tasting and a few heavenly tostas. You will love it.

A few months ago, my sister-in-law, Laura, told me I had to go this bar called Lamiak, and write about it for Naked Madrid. So I went, and ever since, Lamiak has turned into one of those bars that I actually have cravings for. This beloved Basque tavern has two locations–one near metro Antón Martín and the other on La Latina’s most popular street, La Cava Baja. Both locations boast brick walls, tiny stools, a great wine list and delicious food. 

Taberna Lamiak serves some of the tastiest tostas and pintxos I’ve ever had in this city (better than Lateral‘s), and they only cost €1,90 each. The photos below can attest to the beauty and generous portions of these simple, yet delicious treats. And while a picture alone may speak a thousand words, I still hope you’ll trust me when I say that the food here at Lamiak is so good, I sometimes wonder why it is that I ever eat anywhere else. It would seem the word is already out. Lamiak‘s divine offerings are no secret amongst Madrileños, who keep the place packed every night, clamouring for their weekly pintxo fix! Don’t let the hungry throngs stop you, as this boisterous atmosphere is all part of the fun.

My favorite tostas here are the queso de cabra con tomate y cebolla caramelizada (goat cheese with caramelized onions and tomato) and the empanada de confit de pato con pasas (duck and raisin empanada). James’ favorite is the solomillo con cebolla y oporto (pork tenderloin with onions cooked in a port wine sauce). James is a big meat eater, so he also orders the jamón ibérico con tomate (Iberian cured ham with tomato), but there are plenty of vegetarian options here too, such as roasted vegetables, smoked salmon, cod and hummus.

Last Tuesday night, as I had my usual craving for Lamiak, James and I went to get my goat cheese fix at the location near Antón Martín, and were lucky enough to find a seat. At 9pm, mid-way through our second round of drinks and tostas, a man from Vinocora came up to us and said they were about to give a free wine tasting. Everybody in the bar got a free glass of Rioja to drink during the 30-min presentation. After that, a glass of that same wine cost just €1 for the rest of the night. What a lovely surprise!

Web

Facebook

Locations:

• C/ Cava Baja, 42. Metro: La Latina
• C/ de la Rosa, 10. Metro: Antón Martín

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.

Owner and father Pepe serving at a wine tasting in the cellar

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

solomillo al whisky (pork tenderloin with roasted garlic, served on top of handcut french fries)

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!

Info:

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

There are currently two locations:

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

Founded by Ignacio Segovia, Wine Bus takes groups of up to 20 people on day trips to wineries around Madrid every Saturday. And as its name entails, passengers are welcome to drink as much as they like, because someone else is driving.

Owner and passionate guide, Ignacio Segovia, or Nacho, fell into the wine business as “a way to reinvent himself”. He worked in marketing for many years, but started to write about wine on his website, Vende Vinos, in 2008. As he began visiting wineries around Madrid, he soon discovered the magic that was being kept secret. He got to know the men and women who ran the wineries, saw the land where the vineyards lay, and the surrounding towns that have been preserved in time. Ignacio knew that’s where he wanted to be. He’s been organizing tours to these wineries since 2011.

What makes Wine Bus special, according to Ignacio, are the stories that the winery owners tell. Ignacio has contacts with around 30 different wineries in Spain, enough so that Wine Bus can visit a different winery each Saturday. Even if Ignacio has visited some wineries on a number of occasions, he says that each time is different; each group of people is different, and the memories that the winery owners bring to life are always different. Ignacio says that he loves going on these tours so much that he doesn’t feel as though he’s working at all, and feels lucky that he’s been able to turn his passion into reality.

For the first time one week ago, I went to visit a winery with Wine Bus in a town called Adrada de Haza in Burgos. As soon as we piled into the bus, Ignacio was already explaining the ins and outs of the wine industry. An hour into the bus ride, Jesus Lazaro hopped on. Jesus is the owner of Bodegas Kirios de Adrada, the cellar he opened with his father in 2001.

Our first stop was the vineyard itself. Then we entered the winery. Then the main cellar. And then the other hidden cellar that used to be the town’s nightclub!

Finally, at 2pm, it was time to sit down, try some wines, and eat. We tasted three different wines: a rosé, white and red. My favorite was the red, but perhaps that’s because Ribera del Duero is my favorite wine hands down.

We munched on roasted red peppers and the best morcilla de burgos I’ve ever tasted (and the group of Spaniards I was with said the same).

All the while, Jesus went outside to make the chuletas (pork chops). He lit a pile of vines, and as it burnt down, he laid out the pork chops onto the grill. With the help of Ignacio, the pork chops cooked to perfection.

Ignacio, or Nacho as his friends call him, holding up a glass of Ribera while awaiting the pork chops

After we ate and had a few too many glass of wine, we hopped back on the bus and went to a nearby town called Aranda de Duero, which is very famous for its wine culture and history. There we visited the Ribera del Duero Museum where we had a guided tour through astonishing underground wine cellars and caves. Let’s just say that this town is chock full of wine history. Even the bar, La Casona de la Vid, has a treasure chest below it.

All in all, it was an awesome day organized by Wine Bus. Every Saturday they offer trips to different wineries around Madrid, so I highly recommend it, especially if you go with a group of friends!

Price:

The price for the entire trip was 59€ for the tour and trip, and 20€ for the meal!

Booking info & Discount with Naked Madrid

If you’d like to go on a tour with The Wine Bus, you will get a discount if you enter the promotional code “Naked”

You can book the tour through The Wine Bus’s website.