A charming little store for babies and children clothing near Genova street just opened in Madrid. It is the cutest place to buy presents for the youngest of the family.

The store offers an affordable clothing line for infants. Even though it is a small store there is a wide variety of outfits and brands. It is quite unique in a sense. There is a friendly atmosphere and shopping there is really pleasant.

My twelve year old god son and his brother have stuff from the place and they love it!! All the aerea is actually quite nice to shop.

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Balula | Shopping | Shirt € 25.00
C/ Fernando el santo, 3 | Chamberi | +34913104985
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 20:00, Sat 11:00 – 14:00

This little cozy store is just perfect for wine lovers; the owner, Andrés, is a passionate on the subject and gives extremely good advice and it is a pleasure to follow his suggestions since he is committed to quality no matter the source. The spot is inviting and graceful; it’s tough not to immediately get swept away by its charm. The store is the wine cellar every wine lover would adore to have in his/her home.

“Vino y Compañía” offers a selection of more than 800 benchmark products, with wines from all over the world, top brands of Champagne and items for serving wine. The price range is quite affordable, you can have tasty and flavorsome wines (red and/or whites) for less than 10 Euros. This spot also offers wine tastings and every week Andrés proposes a different kind of wine to discover.

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Vino y Compañía | Shopping | Bottle of wine € 7.00
Plaza Olavide 5 | Chamberi | +34914441278
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 21:00

This charming little store opened in 2005 and it is owned by young people who are fanatics of the comics and its culture so you feel at ease when you ask for advice.

You can find almost everything related to the Comic culture (Marvel, DC, Manga, American Underground, BD, etc.) and if you do not come across of what you are looking for they will get it for you.

They also have merchandising, t-shirts, DVDs… The owners can spend with you hours and hours trying to explain all the aspects of this art. Since I like comics but I am not a fan, when I go there I like to spend time with them so I can learn what’s new…

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Atom Comics | Art & culture, Shopping | Comics from € 10.00
C/ Feijoo, 11 | Chamberi | +34914462368
Mon – Sat 10:45 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 20:30

It has just 14 ha, but it´s a jewel among Madrid’s gardens. Walking around El Parque de El Capricho will give you the relaxation you’ve been searching the whole week and it’s also a very romantic place!

This garden was first created at the request of the Duchess of Osuna at the end of the 18th century. Its beautiful and peaceful setting has earned it the name “The Caprice”. The garden also has additional historic significance, as it was used as a hideout for a soldier of Napoleon’s in the War of Independence and the Spanish Civil War.

The XII Duchess of Osuna was the last member of the family who owned it. When he died, La Alameda was acquired in 1920 by the Baüer family, who took care of the garden until they sold it, at the end of the Spanish Civil War. From that moment, this place remained totally abandoned till Madrid City Council started with its restoration in 1974.

There are some spots you cannot miss, like “El Casino de Baile”, that used to be a place for parties; “La Casa de la Vieja”, a symbol of the rural world, or “El Abejero”, built for the study of the bees´ behaviour. There´re also lots of beautiful fountains, a wonderful pond and even a pier with relaxing views.

A great plan for a stroll on a sunny morning in the weekend!

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Parque El Capricho | Relaxing | Free
Parque El Capricho | Chamberi
Sat – Sun 09:00 – 18:00

Plaza de Olavide is considered to be the center of the Chamberí neighborhood, which makes sense because decades ago it used to house the local fruit and vegetable market.

I like to think of it as the ‘people’s plaza’ because it is secluded away from busy streets and is usually bustling with people walking dogs, going for tapas, meeting before going to the cinema or after shopping along Calle Fuencarral.

The surrounding restaurants are all typical Spanish joints, while the center of the plaza has benches and a fountain, perfect to sit and people watch.

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Plaza de Olavide | Bars, Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Plaza de Olavide | Chamberi
24 hours daily

La Gabinoteca is the most informal and youngest of the three restaurants that are owned by the Redruello family. The other two are La Ancha and Las Tortillas de Gabino. Both have been recognized for years by both critics and clients.

La Gabinoteca offers tapas and little rations with an original touch in a modern but warm ambient. I very much recommend “Tortilla de patata y pimientos con brandada de bacalao” y “Carrilleras de ternera”. They are delicious.

For dessert you can choose “Juan Palomo” that consists of a do-it-yourself dish… be careful when you use the cream!

Sometimes the waiters and waitress are a little bit slow or absent minded and the clients are a bit too cool (it’s only my opinion), however the decoration and specially the food are really nice.

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La Gabinoteca | Restaurants (Spanish) | Main meal € 25
Fernández de la Hoz, 53 | Chamberi | +34913991500
Mon – Thu 13:30 – 16:00 & 20:30 – 23:30, Fri 13:30 – 16:00 & 20:30 – 00:30, Sat 20:30 – 02:00

Tsunami was one of the first Japanese restaurants of Madrid. It opened ten years ago and today continues being one of the references for many Japanese gastronomy lovers.

The place is sober, but warm thanks to the wood that covers the walls. It has two distinct areas for eating. One of them has an informal sushi bar where you can see the chefs in action, as well as a relaxing fish tank.

The main chef is the Mexican David Juarez, who has been working in Asian restaurants for almost thirty years. He makes traditional Japanese dishes, but also more original ones.

 

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Tsunami | Restaurants (Japanese) | Menu Mon – Fri € 30
Caracas 10 | Chamberi | +34913080569
Mon – Sat 13:30 – 16:00 & 20:30 – 23:30

Leo is a dragon, lover of the books and mascot of this chain of charming book shops. El Dragón Lector bookshops are cosy places decorated in wood and red color where you can find all kinds of children books recommended by the expert owners.

There is three of them now. The one on Fernández de la Hoz Street also has a broad collection of children books in Italian language. Especially on weekend, the story tellers visit El Dragón Lector and children can attend for free. But sometimes there are work shops, and lectures by writers…

There is another, very near, in Sagunto Street and recently, El Dragón Lector has opened a corner in the mall “Alcalá Magna” in the city of Alcalá de Henares.

For me the best thing of El Dragón Lector is that you always feel like you’re at home.

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El Dragón Lector | Shopping
Fernández de la Hoz, 72 | Chamberi | +34913991940
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 20:30, Sat 10:00 – 14:00 & 17:30 – 20:00

Escuela de Teatro Asura is a school for helping amateurs or professionals to express, communicate and feel through theatre. I’ve been studying here for more than three years because the teachers make it easy and funny to learn. They are really nice, close to the students and flexible.

You can go for a free trial lesson. If you’re student you can request to use the place if you want to rehearse or perform. Asura is somehow specialized in clown and improv theatre (where actors and actresses create a play based on the suggestions of the audience).

In addition, Asura offers other regular courses or short workshops focused on interpretation (in a more classical way), body expression, dance, hospital clown… and even theatre courses for children.

Every now and then you can also go for a free performance by the students as they practice with audience. I don’t know why but in Asura there are always a great number of foreigner students.

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Escuela de Teatro Asura | Art & culture, Theaters | Per month € 65
Abel 1 | Chamberi | +34915331565
Mon 16:00 – 17:30, Wed 16:30 – 18:00, Sat 14:30 – 16:00

In some restaurants and bars, the quality of the dishes and drinks is less important to me than the way in which they are served.

In Los Aros II, what I value more is firstly the kindness and familiar treatment of the waiters and secondly the generous and good tapas that they serve to you with a simple beer (1.30 euros). Good tortilla, good Spanish ham, mussels and so on.

Los Aros II is a typical tavern in a location that is not well frequented, but it has loyal clients because it’s a nice place to chat, eat something fast or drink. They have the typical montaditos (little sandwiches with Spanish bread) from 3.25, big sandwiches and a wide range of plates and wines, that are exposed over the bar.

Los Aros II is also a restaurant, separated by a panel from the bar. There you can eat the homemade style daily menu or take an informal dinner. There’s another Los Aros in Berruguete Street, but I haven’t visited it.

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Los Aros II | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Daily menu € 9.00
Tenerife 15 | Chamberi | +34915352594
Sun – Fri 09:30 – 01:00