All articles by Pablo López Castilla (21)

Chapandaz is a famous pub/bar in Madrid that has been open for many years. When you get to this original place, you find out that you seem to be in a big and warm cave. It is safe to say that the decoration is amazing and you feel really comfortable. You can listen to good and soft music.

Here you can choose a lot of drinks, from a simple beer to Chapandaz’ most well-known drink, called ‘Leche de Pantera’ with rum, milk, cinnamon and secret ingredients. Also you can order for this drink in many sizes!

For short, we can say that Chapandaz is the ideal place to go with your friends after a dinner to start the night.

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Chapandaz | Bars, Music
Calle Fernando el Católico 77 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915492968
22:00 – 03:30 daily

This restaurant is truly recommended for its authenticity and for being one of the eldest Arab restaurants in Madrid. The place is very modest, not fashionable; you can have dinner at the floor sitting on cushions.

The meals are really tasty, the servings are big, and the service is splendid. Furthermore, if we realise that the final price -drink, tea, and more dishes than you’d eat- add up to €15 per person, it becomes to be the best recommendation if you like this kind of cuisine.

Cuscus, hummus, nefinsa, pastela,… All delightful! You must book a table if you want to eat here. Remember it!

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Cocina del Desierto | Restaurants (Arab) | Main meal € 15.00
Calle Barbieri 1 | Gran Via & Princesa | +34915231142
13:30 – 16:00 & 21:00 – 00:00 daily

For those from the centre of Europe staying in Madrid for quite a while, to remember the essence of their origins; and for those from the south of Europe or the rest of the world, Edelweiss is a German restaurant selected to represent the gastronomy of central Europe in the centre of Madrid.

There are many opinions about this place with an interesting history.  It was inaugurated in the late thirties and forties, after the emigration of some German Nazis to Madrid with the protection of Franco’s dictatorship. With the years, it has come to be one of the most famous German restaurants in Madrid.

The meals served give you the chance to try the multiple German sausages, the “arenques bismark” and the Russian-typical Spanish salad. But the king of the dishes there is the “codillo with chucrut”, marvellous for some and awesome for the rest.

The restaurant is supposed to be a little bit expensive, but some people think is worth it. Don’t forget to consider the taxes besides the bill that you would have to pay, as the I.V.A. is not included!

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Edelweiss | Restaurants (German) | Main course from € 12.00
Calle de Jovellanos 7 | Sol | +34915323383
13:00 – 16:00 & 20:00 – 00:00 daily

This is one of the best Madrid typical ‘tapas bars’. There are two El Brillante restaurants in Madrid, but the most popular one is near Reina Sofia Museum and Atocha train station.

The first thing you must ask is the peerless ‘bocadillo de calamares’, a sort of squid fried roll , the best one in the city… Also don´t forget to taste the ‘patatas bravas’ (fried potatoes with a hot sauce), russian salad, ‘pescadito adobado’ (pickled small fish), ‘pulpo a la gallega’ (octupus), ‘croquetas de jamón’ (ham croquettes), ‘tortilla a la española’ (potatoes omelette) and tens of  more ‘tapas’.

When you enter you will find a waiter immediately asking you what are you are going to drink. I suggest you start with a good beer and choose which of the whole fantastic ‘tapas’ you will start with.

I’m sure you will enjoy it!

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El Brillante | Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas)
Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V 8 | Lavapies & Latina | +34915392806
06:30 – 02:30 daily

El Macetero is a unusual bar in Moncloa, where you can drink whatever you want. However, the most important thing that makes it different from the rest of bars in Madrid, is, as well indicated its name, the drink is served in flowerpots. Yes, flowerpots!

The size of the drinks depends on the flowerpot that we choose whose names are related with studies. From minor to major we find (as the grade in an exam):  aprobado (C), notable (B), sobresaliente (A), matrícula (magna cum laude), doctorado (doctorate), catedrático (professor) and el Gran Macetero (The Large Flowerpot).

What size do you dare to choose? Remember that here you are evaluated by the size of your drink, not your knowledge!

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El Macetero | Bars
Calle del Arcipreste de Hita 12 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915443528
10:00 – 01:00 daily

This bar is ideal for young people and for everyone who wants to have a great time with friends. The reason? Because is a little and narrow place that is constructed in a kind of basement, so the roof is not high at all and this increases the feeling of overwhelmed.

On the menu you can find the classical Spanish omelet – or how we call it here “Tortilla de patatas“- with a lot of sauces and varieties. Also you can eat tapas (Spanish traditional food). But you must taste at least their tortilla de patatas.

There is a reason they call it The King!

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El Rey de las Tortillas | Bars, Restaurants (Tapas)
Andrés Mellado 16 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915540250
13:30 – 16:30 & 21:00 – 00:00 daily

El Tigre is a bar near Gran Via avenue in Madrid, that is always full of young people, students and Erasmus guys. Here you can have a drink with your friends for a correct price and the waiter gives you a little sort of Spanish traditional food: potatoes with sauces, bread with ham and potatoes omelet (traditional Spanish: tortilla de patatas)

You should know that you have to be patient and it is important to don’t get to this place really hungry because you will probably have to wait. The “sport” of this place is to catch a waiter for order something to drink.

Don’t stress yourself! Just take a breath and enjoy the moment.

Enjoy your meal!

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El Tigre | Bars, Restaurants (Tapas)
Calle Infantas 30 | Gran Via & Princesa | +34918819901
Wed – Mon 12:00 – 02:30

The most important thing of this little bar is the large amount of board games that are available for the customers (cards, ludo, chess, monopoly,…). Without a doubt, this is a good way to spend the afternoons with friends.

The weekends after 20:00 it’s completely crowded. People love to start the night playing with Trivial or Risk. They have magazines too and the music (very good music) is never loud so you can have a nice chat while playing.

If you come here, you must taste their milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) and their chocolates. They have a very tasty orange chocolate. The only thing that you won’t find here is something to eat; so if you want to have a game please, eat before you come.

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Estar Café | Bars, Relaxing | Milkshakes € 3.70
Calle San Vicente Ferrer 20 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34914486087
Mon – Thu 20:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sun 18:00 – 03:00

It has everything. This Irish Pub is different from the others you will find in Madrid. Obviously it has – like the others – a pool table and a big plasma screen to watch the matches. But there is much more.

After entering the pub you will believe that you have been moved to a cosy street in a lost village in Ireland. It’s always decorated matching the period of the year (you must go during Christmas and Halloween, you will be surprised!). Its stone floor and the streetlamp welcome you.

If you want to feel at home you must go upstairs and get into the room where you will find a chimney; sit down on one of the large rocking chairs and enjoy a cup of coffee or have a delicious dinner.

If you can, don’t miss the opportunity to listen to some live music. You won’t regret it!

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Irish Rover | Bars, Music, Relaxing | Cocktails € 7.00
Avenida de Brasil 7 | Castellana | +34915974811
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 03:00, Fri – Sun 12:00 – 05:00

La casa encendida (The lighted House) is a peculiar and nice ancient restored house with a beautiful roof terrace, in the city. It is a meeting place for brilliant ideas, brilliant people, where something new and interesting can happen all the time.

You can find all kinds of courses: architecture, design, town planning, gardening, languages, creativity… Conferences of several themes,  drama, season films. When the spring arrives, until the end of the summer, there are DJ music sessions in the large roof terrace with the Madrid skyline around you.

The library, with a good book collection and  opened even on Saturday until 21.30.

It´s situated in the center, between two well known districts, Embajadores and Lavapiés, and it’s a really  a peaceful island in the downtown center.

An avant-garde cultural center, essential to visit and enjoy if you want to know what´s ‘cooking’ in Madrid.

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La Casa Encendida | Art & culture, Theaters
Ronda de Valencia | Lavapies & Latina | +34902430322
10:00 – 21:30 daily

Whoever says there’s no place in Madrid where they play real Blues music, doesn’t know “La Coquette”

This is a charming bar where you can find live Blues concerts many days of the week; however for its dimensions it will seems impossible to you to believe that concerts can take place; but they do! And the concerts are very different from the others you can find anywhere.

This bar is the kind that you will call “divebar”. A door, a stairs that goes down and a sort of grotto where there are a bar and three connecting caves. In the first cave there’s the bar, in the second cave there’s little tables and the stage and in the third cave there’s stools and a side view of the stage.

As I said, this place is very charming. And every night is crowded!

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La Coquette | Bars, Music
Calle de las Hileras 14 | Sol | +34915308095
20:00 – 02:30 daily

This is a little place, with small tables and a charming atmosphere. It’s the best place if you want to have a date with someone special. The menu is very good because it has – apart from the tasty crepes- different kind of salads and platters with foie and cheese.

But the main thing here are the crepes. Salty or sweet, you can choose between many different crepes with the most assorted combination. For dessert, you can taste  the ‘Hawaian Paradise’; for a refreshing and sweet final.

My favourite crepe is the ‘Bávaro’. Which one do you prefer?

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La Creperie ‘easycrep’ | Snacks, Restaurants | Per person € 15.00
Avenida Filipinas 16 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915537925
13:30 – 16:15 & 20:00 – 00:00 daily

If you are looking for a quiet café, this is it! This is the perfect place to spend an afternoon just reading a good book or having a good conversation with friends.

The café is peaceful and the service is really nice. The prices are very low and you can also have a game of pool or darts. Just come and relax yourself.

The best? Their milkshakes. You will love them!

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La Hemeroteca | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing
Avenida Filipinas 14 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915343483
11:00 – 02:00 daily

This place has a very special decoration. It’s all about the ocean and it has pictures from sailing ships. “La Sultana” is the name of a ship that the establishment’s owners have.

This is a suitable place if you want to spend the night with friends enjoying and chatting with good music and a charming environment. It has a young atmosphere. Especially the days when there’s a football match it gets very crowded.

It has a pizzeria integrated inside, a perfect opportunity to have dinner with friends and taste their delightful ‘nachos’ & ‘pizzas’. Their prices are reasonable.

It stands out, above all, for its rum list; they have more than 20 types of different rum cocktails. You must taste them!

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La Sultana | Bars, Music | Cocktail € 5.00
Calle Melendez Valdes 51 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915438181
13:00 – 03:00 daily

If you love France, you will adore this place. You will feel like you’re in a little restaurant in Paris. The meals are really delicious and their speciality are the foie and the oysters.

The menu costs € 13.20. Most of the dishes have a surcharge. But you can also find what they called ‘Formule parisiene’ which costs € 9.90 and includes a main dish, drink and a cup of coffee. They have also an interesting wine list, both Spanish and French.

The waiters are very kind and polite and the atmosphere is really French with those typical small tables. It is frequented by the French people that is living in Madrid, which says it all.

Bon appetit!

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Le Petit Bistrôt | Restaurants (French) | Menu € 13.20
Plaza de Matute 5 | Sol | +34914296265
13:15 – 15:45 & 21:15 – 23:30 daily

Having a good beer and a ‘pintxo’ makes oneself think that the world seems such a perfect place. Here you find some of the examples that the Basque cuisine can cook: the pintxos!

There are a lot of them: hot, cold; savoury, sweet; with fish, with meat,… the most difficult thing here is to figure out what they are made of. This is how it works: you choose what pintxo you want to eat and at the end you must show to the waiter how many toothpicks you have (each pintxo has one toothpick) and then you pay for it.

A good way of have something to eat, varied, and not expensive at all. Enjoy your meal!

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Lizarrán | Bars, Restaurants (Basque cuisine) | Pintxo € 1.50
Calle Princesa 13 | Gran Via & Princesa | +34915416450
09:00 – 23:30 daily

I don’t know if it has to do with the inner child that is in all of us, or with the fact that the shop seems to be the ‘games room’ that we’ve never had; but the truth is that this place is the greatest one I have ever found.

It is very small but since the first step when you come into it, you realise that this shop of games has something special. Here you will find all kind of games: from the most recent -risk, monopoly, quarto, clued, party&co.-, to the most ancient ones -puzzles, playing cards, snakes and ladders, backgammon, ludo- … even the original versions made in wood.

A little paradise!

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Naipe Juegos | Shopping | Playing cards € 4.80
Calle Meléndez Valdés 55 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34915444319
10:00 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 20:00 daily

This is one of the best choices in the city centre; just in front of the Prado Museum. May is the month when you should visit it, because it is at the beginning of this month the gardens look best.

Maybe, a good moment to visit is during some of all the exhibitions that are organized at the Pabellón de Villanueva, a neoclassic construction inside the gardens. When you go inside, they give you a map where you see the routes that you can take -it is divided in terraces-: the painting terrace, the botanic schools terrace, the medicinal plants terrace…

There are plants from remote places like Madagascar or Japan, plants that probably you won’t have the opportunity to see anywhere. This is a perfect plan for Sundays.

It’s in the middle of the town, cheap (€2.00), and you can stay inside as long as you want; with a book or a magazine you can spend the afternoon reading under a tree. What else can we ask for?

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Real Jardín Botánico | Art & culture, Relaxing | Ticket € 2.00
Plaza de Murillo 2 | Sol | +34914203017
10:00 – 18:00 / 19:00 / 20:00 / 21:00 daily (depends on the month)

There are two options:

1) Loving their food and making it to be the favourite place to spend dinners with your friends every weekend.

2) Disliking it from the beginning, maybe because of the smell of the restaurant (the first impression you get is like being in China eating in a typical place), maybe because of how crowded it can be all the time from midday to the evening, and mainly in weekends. But who thinks that a whole day crowded place can have inedible food?

Reading the menu really gives the impression of being in another atmosphere with dishes like “El plato que favorita mi hija” or “Los langostinos en casa del rey”, among others. To eat, for sure tallarines, combined with vegetables, prawns, duck or chicken with curry. Some people prefer rice or dim sum, on the other hand. Prices are around € 15.00 to € 20.00, in good balance with the amount of food.

The place is especially different: the walls are old; the waiters run from one side to the other, serving dishes with woks; the waitresses hardly speak Spanish and giving the impression of not getting even a word when you order; and the sweating Chinese cook seems to have dedicated his whole life to making the best Chinese food abroad to persuade you to visit China from Madrid.

Really recommendable.

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Rey de Tallarines | Restaurants (Chinese ) | Main meal from € 15.00
Calle San Bernardino 2 | Gran Via & Princesa | +34915426897
12:30 – 18:00 & 19:30 – 00:00 daily

This is the right place for your weekend night fever… Magic and fun in insured.

Thirty years opened in  Madrid´s nights, one of the downtown ‘must’. Disco, Djs´ sessions, live concerts…

Since the beginning this lounge and concert hall has had its own personality and always trying to have the best  alternative bands playing for their  audience.

Now there is an Anti-Karaoke Night, a sort of mad Wednesday night, full of rock, underground and show music, directed by Rachel Arieff a great master of the Madrid show-business.

You will find a large queue but it will be worthwhile. The entrance is only € 7.00 and the average drink is €5.00.

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Sala El Sol | Bars, Music | Ticket entrance € 9.00
Calle de los Jardines 3 | Sol | +34915326490
Tue – Sat 00:00 – 05:30

Savoy is an original and special place: it is divided in two!

When you get into it you find the Bar Zone, a spacious room with a large bar in the middle of the lounge. It is very comfortable because of the faint light and the music that is not too loud. There is also a dartboard you can play with.

The Disco Zone is inside, crossing the corridor. There is a bar (more little than the other one), a dance floor in the middle and a couple of sofas at the back of the room. It is not very large but you can dance perfectly. The atmosphere of this room seems to be like an ancient house, with its big drapes, columns, chimney, mirrors… very charming!

And the most curious thing: on Wednesday you can learn to dance Salsa! Don’t you want to try it?

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Savoy | Bars, Music | Beer € 5.00
Calle Melendez Valdés 28 | Moncloa & Arguelles | +34914444162
22:00 – 02:00 daily