Madrid is Spain. And I realized it like this, violently, the third time I visited it for work.
Because, Catalonia is not Spain and when you frequent purely Spanish cities, the difference can be seen, felt, felt.
Barcelona will always remain my home, but Madrid, which now hosts me at least once every two months, is a constant discovery, especially in gastronomic terms.
So here is the list of my favorite and discovered restaurants / bars to date!
La Perejila
If you decide to go to the rastro (have patience and lots of fresh water if you go from June onwards), after the nice walk in the midst of that sea of people, you will surely be hungry and thirsty.
Of those urgent that need to be met immediately. Then go to the La Latina neighborhood, which is very touristic but still offers real insider hideaways. La Perejila is one of them. Try to arrive before 15pm, standard time for Madrileños lunch, to secure a table. Be tempted by the fresh vermouth and taste all the tapas. Here it is all a hymn to that Spain represented worldwide: that of colors, flamenco, music.
Where: Calle Cava Baja, 25
When: Monday - Saturday: 13:00 - 16:30; 20: 00- 00:30
Sunday: 13: 00 - 16: 00
The Boquerón
Popular district, mixed public (young, old, fashion, anti fashion, people who have always lived here, tourists and new vecinos), great classics to love. We are a Lavapies, in the upper part of the city, an interesting neighborhood for its narrow streets full of picturesque houses and worth visiting for one reason only: El Boquerón. You will love it because it lacks frills. Of vintage chairs and designer tables. Of sloppy fake dressed waiters and creative and modern dishes with the melted goat cheese (stop it!). You will love it because you come calmly, on a Sunday (or even a holiday Monday, as I did), when you are hungry but not too much. When you want to make an aperitif reinforced with prawns that speak to you and tell you: magic. And then they melt in your mouth and make you ask for another ration. And then another.
The menu provides almost only fish and seafood. There are also oysters. All with prices ranging between 2.50 and 12 euros.
Run. Go there. It is unmissable.
Where: Calle Valencia, 14
When: Mon-Sun (closed Wednesday) from 13 pm to 30 pm and from 16 pm to 20 pm
Average price: 10-20 euros
Cisne Azul
Historic restaurant in Chueca, specializing in mushrooms.
Piccolo (it has only 5 tables), equal to itself since it opened in 1972 and faithful to the same type of public that has frequented it ever since: a heterogeneous set of humanity. Don Julian, the patron, welcomes you with a white shirt, beer-drinking belly, quick smile and frank kindness. The menu is short and the mushrooms are the masters. If it is the right time, they are wild and they serve them also in carpaccio. If it's not the right one (which happened to me for example), the best way to eat them is with egg. A sublime bed of fresh mushrooms with fried egg. The bread for the shoe will never be enough.
Also desserts are homemade and the almond and fig cake we tasted was mouth-watering. Not cheap (for a starter of courgette flowers with flaked salt, a portion of eggs with boletus, two beers and a portion of cake we spent thirty-six euros), but let yourself be seduced anyway.
Where: Calle Gravina 19, Madrid.
When: 12:30 - 17:00 - 20:15 - 01:00
Closed on Sundays.
