Salamanca Area Madrid – All our local tips

In between Alcalá and goddess of fertility Cibeles (the statue commissioned by King Carlos III), you find this restaurant and bar that just open and has extensive opening times.

They go new menus last November. Price have been adjusted however the quality remains the same!

Breakfasts for € 4.00 with scrambled eggs, fresh orange juice and coffee are really good. Food is really enjoyable and you can have a nice “aperitif” or lunch after walking through the Retiro Park (commissioned by the Olivares Duke and THE park in the capital!!). It is a wonderful spot to have a late drink.

As of today, there is a new menu and you can have delicious lamb, rice with seafood or turbot with a typical sauce from the Canary islands!

PS: On Monday nights they don’t serve meals in the restaurant.

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“Independent and good” | Restaurants (Spanish) | Main meal € 15.00
C/ Alcalá, 54 | Salamanca Area | +34915239608
Mon – Tue 07:30 – 23:30, Wed – Thu 07:30- 02.00, Fri 07:30 – 03:30
Sat 11:30 – 03:30

Not a lot of people will write about this type of places but I said to myself. Why not me? So I will recommend you a good spot just for flirting. Its name says everything. Translated into English would be like “Let someone kiss you”. So, if you really want to find a one night stand, you are at the perfect place. Hahaha…

Lots of guys, sometimes interesting conversations (it is not assured) and at least a great fun for a different night in Madrid.

Have you ever discovered how Spanish people interact with each other and flirt? So this is the place. Sometimes it gets a little bit crowded and too snobbish, but in general it is a good option, just to try.

So… good luck!!!

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Bar de copas “Déjate besar” | Bars | Free
Calel Hermanos Bécquer, 10 | Salamanca Area | +34915625485
22:00 – 03:00 daily

I discovered this shop one day when going to another place. It was by chance and after a while I got addicted to their books, their nice staff and also their food!

I am in the process of changing my eating habits so this was the perfect place to start. In El Almazén Natural there is a selection of biological food, relax music, candles, minerals and stones. They also offer all kind of information about different courses and news related to having a healthy life style.

There are all types of very specific books about acupuncture, natural medicine, Feng Shui, aromatherapy, yoga or foot reflexology. If they don’t have a certain title, the would just find it for you in a few days.

So if you are new into this world, it is an amazing place to get informed. Here I have found the best air fresheners in the whole city and my favourite natural toothpaste. A friend of mine bought a very comfortable pillow recently so now I am thinking of buying the same one next time I will go to El Almazén Natural. We will see…

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El Almazén Natural | Shopping
Alcalá, 78 | Salamanca Area | +34917817760
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 20:30, Sat: 10:00 – 14:00

Trabalenguas is a fairy that lives in this colourful and charming bookshop and brings for children marvellous books; from babies to adolescents, apart from educational toys and some books also for the parents.

El Hada Trabalenguas plans to widen its offer of books in English. Specially on weekends you can also find interesting activities: workshops, story tellers, visits of writers, clowns… Some of them for free.

Each third Friday of the month there is opened story tellers for adults and everybody is invited to tell their stories.

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El Hada Trabalenguas | Art & culture
c/ Nuñez de Balboa 19 | Salamanca Area | +34915783808
Mon 17:00 – 20:00, Tue – Fri 10:30 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 20:00, Sat 11:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 20:00

The owners of El Séptimo own two more in Madrid. But, in my opinion, El Séptimo is the best one.

I personally enjoy a good meal in an enjoyable venue, so when a friend recommend me this one for a Saturday night dinner, I definitely said to myself: I am going to write about this restaurant.

El Séptimo is a place that plays with the fantasy. It is decorated as in the fairy tales, where all details have been carefully chosen. From the colour of the walls and the light to the decoration and the furniture. Last time I was here I booked it in advanced as it can be crowded in the weekends.

I find it perfect for a romantic dinner combined with vegetarian preferences. Please, order their huge apple “croquetas”, or any of their salads (Greek salad or spinach with apples and nuts). And it is ok if you do not fancy vegetarian food as there are also other options. For example, delicious pasta and also different types of meat (”Toumedo ibérico” is amazing). Desserts are special, like everything in this place. So it is important to know what is best.

If I were you, I would not miss the passion fruit sorbet. (I told you it was a fantastic choice for a date…)

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El Séptimo | Restaurants ((non) vegetarian) | Daily menu € 13,38
Diego de León, 7 | Salamanca Area | +34915622940
13:30 – 16:00 & 20:30 – 00:00 daily

Just as when it opened back in 1931, the place is idyllic to have a tea with pastries or scones. Embassy has the “savoir-faire” of good old times. You will find around 18:00 all the grannies having their afternoon snack. There is also a delicatessen store nearby where you can buy the exquisite thin as a leaf sandwiches they serve.

If you are not a tea person you can sip a mimosa just enjoying the place that sets you back in the beginning of the twentieth century. You can also buy bonbons there; home made and natural.

If you don’t feel like staying there, just have a taste of the sandwiches or the excellent goodies they have and keep walking to the Colon square. Here you will find a little statue in a big pedestal commemorating the great Spanish explorer, Columbus.

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Embassy | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee € 3.00
Paseo de la Castellana, 12 | Salamanca Area | +34915764877
09:00 – 21:00 daily

Faunia is a biodiversity theme park that is made up of eight of the world´s eco-systems and 3,500 animals.

The first time I visited it was because I was making a report for the radio station I work for. It really impressed me! I don´t find the zoo particularly amazing, but this is a completely different concept. It’s divided into different areas so you can see the animals in their habitat, not in cages.

My favourite is the ‘Night time’ area. Many animals and birds are kept outside. The most enjoyable aspect of the Faunia park is that many of the animals are allowed to roam quite freely. There are, what we call in Spanish, “perritos de la pradera”, a lot of very cute little furry animals who pop up out of holes in a grass bank. They are able to run totally free in the park, so you can imagine how fun it is for the visitors!!

The aquarium section should not be missed, as it contains the world´s  largest species of fish. But something unique is the Amazon Jungle area, a recreation of a real one, even because there are artificial storms that make all type of exotic birds very very happy!!

In Faunia you can also find the largest reconstruction of a Polar Eco-system in Europe so it´s a place for children but also for grown-ups, as I have an incredible time whenever I go back!!

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Faunia | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance adults € 23.00
Avenida de las Comunidades, 28 | Salamanca Area | +34913016235
See the website for opening times

Right now there are some specific places for having an interesting flavour f the city. This emblematic place (people say it is for tourists but I do not agree with that) is located inside the Retiro park, surrounded by trees and shade.

In Florida Park you can celebrate a wedding, enjoy a drink and a flamenco show, and of course you can eat. On Thursdays you can taste good paella. It is actually not a very cheap place but very appropriate for a special occasion.

So if you ever have the chance to go there, do not hesitate and try their scrambled eggs with young garlic and prawns. I would recommend their turbot fillets, basque style; and their pork sirloin steak with cream as a second course. And, of course, their custard with blueberries as a dessert.

My grandparents celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at Florida park and we really enjoyed the atmosphere… So, why not have a look if you want to try something different?

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Florida Park | Restaurants (Spanish) | Paella menu € 25.00
Inside Retiro Park | Salamanca Area | +34915737804
Tue – Sat 13:00 – 16:00 & 21:00 – 23:30

“Inari” which means rice in Japanese is a nice mix between Chinese and Japanese food. The sushi, maki and dumplings are very tasty and the service is good. The prices are fair and the restaurant is quite cute; the place is enjoyable!

The sushi choices are too numerous to mention, but they can be purchased as a meal or a la carte. You also have special dishes such as the “Inari Spicy tuna”, the ”California Special” and the ”Inari Uramaki” which are full of flavour.

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Inari | Restaurants (Japanese) | Meal (+ Glass of Wine) € 30
General Pardiñas, 43 | Salamanca Area | +34915763312
Mon – Sat 13:30 – 16:00 & 21:00 – 00:00 (2nd & 3rd week of August closed)

I would recommend the restaurant La Barcaza Marinera mainly for the cocido, Madrid’s most typical dish, which includes soup, chickpeas and different kind of meats. It’s worth at least trying this tasty combination of calories, although I don’t know if it matches everyone’s palate.

Apart from the cocido, in the two rooms of La Barcaza Marinera (The Big Sailor Ship) is possible, of course, to eat good fish and seafood, but also rices and meats elaborated in a traditional way. They can be accompanied with any of the sixty Spanish wines available.

As its name suggest, the place is decorated with sailor motifs like a rudder.

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La Barcaza Marinera | Restaurants (Spanish) | Cocido € 13.00
Puenteareas, 1 | Salamanca Area | +34915101020
Sun, Wed 14:00 – 17:00, Mon – Tue & Thu – Sat 14:00 – 17:00 & 20:00 – 00:00

Around 13:00 have an “aperitivo”, a vermouth, a glass of wine or a beer with some “tapas”, a bit of “empanada” (typical dish from the north of Spain) or a Spanish omelet (sooooo good!).

I used to go there after classes with my cousin a couple of years ago when I was at the University, to enjoy the tortilla which restores your soul as well as your body (as you can guess I am absolutely fanatic of the “tortilla de patatas”).

You can also have dinner here. Every dish tastes like the ones my grandmother used to cook.

You can also find la Daniela near the Bernabeú (Calle de Gutiérrez Solana 2- Tel: +34914 115 861) and near Huertas Street ( Calle de Jesús, 7 – Tel:+34 913 896 238)

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La Daniela | Snacks, Restaurants (Popular cuisine) | Meal € 24.00
General Pardinas, 21 | Salamanca Area | +34915752329
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 16:30 & 20:00 – 00:00 / 01:00 (Fri & Sat), Sun 12:00 – 16:30

The first time I entered in La Flauta Mágica, it seamed to me some kind of antique, old-fashioned English pub, both the interior decoration when dominate the mirrors and dark green colours and the clients. But now, I really enjoy this pub.

I think is pleasant, close, and entertaining for all the activities that take place along the week. Story tellers, concerts, Mus (very popular Spanish card game) championships…

The pub is divided in two parts. First, the long bar and then, the dark space for seating for a drink, where you can enjoy performances. The performance area can be altered to the needs of artists, by for example adding a piano.

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La Flauta Mágica | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Beer € 3.00
Alcántara 49 | Salamanca Area | +34914012896
18:00 – 03:00 daily

A typical Spanish “Cafeteria” where you will see a “limpiabotas” (shoe cleaner) like in the old times with people having breakfast, lunch or just having a coffee… It’s a big space with wooden tables and waiters dressed like waiters were dressed in Madrid not so long ago.

Coffees are served in big mugs (”taza de desayuno”). You can also have also ham & cheese sandwiches grilled with real butter.

I go often there to meet friends; you can spend the whole afternoon sipping a coffee or a freshly made orange juice. In summer you have a terrace. You can also eat the typical “platos combinados”, huge dishes with everything (salad, a steak or fish and French fries). It is worth trying.

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La Flecha | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee € 2.50
C/ Juan Bravo, 37 | Salamanca Area | +34915639846
07:30 – 00:00 daily

One of the four locations in Madrid, El Lateral is a local favorite amongst the “madrilians” for providing good quality “tapas” at a fine ambiance along with easy prices.

This is the perfect place to grab some quick appetizers and a casual chat before leaving for dinner. The sirloin steak with brie cheese foie gras or caramelized onions are just a few of the many recommended dishes. Along with steak, fish and ham dishes, they have great salads too.

A modest amount of desserts (the lemon cake is my preferred one!) and wines are also offered.

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Lateral | Snacks, Restaurants (Salads & Tapas) | Meal € 10.00
C/ Velasquez, 57 | Salamanca Area | +34914350604
10:00 – 00:00 daily

For sure not all markets have an enchanting atmosphere. Just some keep on with the tradition and have a special touch. Thank God Madrid’s City Hall remembers the way our grandmothers used to shop for food and there has been a renovation of some of them.

Mercado de Ibiza market is located next to the house were used to live one of the key persons for the Spanish Transition (1912-1993), Carlos Ollero. There is a sign that says it on the wall, so you will not miss it.

It is a renovated and refreshing place , but what I like the most, is that is has the same style as before, but with a new face.

Just come over and have a look, and fill in your shopping list!!!

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Mercado de Ibiza | Shopping | Free
Calle Ibiza, 6 | Salamanca Area
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 14:00 & 17:30 – 20:30, Sat 10:00 – 14:00

From the outside of this surprising bakery and Patisserie you can’t imagine what’s hidden inside: an authentic paradise for sweet-tooths. In Nunos almost all the products are homemade: They have Belgian brioches, French croissants, Italian panettone, chocolates (with Mexican and Venezuelan cocoa), and of course typical pastries and bread from Madrid and Spain.The Pestiños and torrijas, for example are really delicious.

Their product range constantly changes depending on the festivities calendar or the month. However, the very popular Roscón de Reyes, in other shops only available at Christmas time, is available her all year as the Rosca de la Almudena.

If you enter in Nunos, you can see a little and modest shop and just at the back, the place where the so awarded patissier Jose Fernández (the winner of the Patisserie Championship in Madrid 2009, among others) and his team all preparing all the products.

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Nunos | Snacks | Croissant € 1,50
Narváez, 63 | Salamanca Area | +34914092456
09:00 – 21:00 daily

This place is not well known if you are from out of town. Locals know it as a place with good music to chill out in the afternoons after a day of work in the city.

It is just near Avenida de América where you grab a bunch of buses to go up to the north east of the country. It also offers tasteful red and white wines. The place is perfect for grab some appetizers (including the “sobreasada” with honey my favorite!), have dinner or chat with friends.

The place is really nice and you can have really delicious salads prepared in a Mediterranean style! The owners of the place usually are present and take care that everything is just right. Just great to play cards on Sundays!!

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Parada y Fonda | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Wine € 2.50
Castello, 124 | Salamanca Area | +34914116808
Sun – Wed 08:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 08:00 – 03:00

After shop all around grab a bite or have a one hour massage. A lot of options in one place! Have a tea (great variety of teas) and treat yourself with a wonderful massage or a typical Spanish “siesta”….you can also enjoy at the “flotarium”. You can also combine a healthy meal, with a nap and a 15 minute massage for only 40 Euros.

The spot opened recently in the capital. Madrilians enjoy it any time of the day. If you are just tired of walking around the city or you just want to spend a couple of hours sipping a tea reading your favourite book or having a salad it is the place to go.

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Relajarium | Relaxing, Restaurants (Salads) | Massages € 60.00
C/ Claudio Coello, 32 | Salamanca Area | +34915776588
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 22:00

I’ve read somewhere that in Madrid we have one of the best metro systems in Europe. Come here and check it by yourself.

It’s new, clean, safe and sometimes artistic. So if I’d have to decide among all Madrid´s metro stations for my favorite, I’d definitely choose Retiro. Not only because the Retiro Park has one of my favourite spots in Madrid (see the Crystal Palace / Retiro Parkarticle) but also because its metro station is different from the rest.

When they renovated it, they included Mingote’s paintings (a very popular Spanish cartoonist). They are displayed on huge ceramic signs. There’s also an exhibition area that I sometimes visit as well.

It’s nice to look at a painting or photography exhibition when I have the chance to stop for a little longer on a certain platform. In my opinion, metro stations don’t have to be ugly or dark, since we spend a lot of time waiting there. This is one of the best examples!

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Retiro metro station | Art & culture | Free
Retiro metro station | Salamanca Area
06:30 – 01:30 daily

Every time I go to Senzone (which is not very often) I experience and enjoy the food through all my senses and the spectacular wines they serve. The place has a few tables and you have to make a reservation a few days in advance but every single experience there is worth it.

The restaurant is located inside the Hospes Hotel in front of “la puerta de Alcalá”, it was known as the “Antigua Cafeteria Independencia”. You enjoy food in an avant-garde design environment and you feel pampered by the waiters who make you feel the most important client in the world. Iván Saez Vicente(the chef) has designed a menu that always surprises me.

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Senzone | Restaurants (Creative cuisine) | Menu € 60.00
Plaza de la Independencia, 3 | Salamanca Area | +34914322911
Mon – Sat

Sula opened a couple of years ago but it is now a place where you can enjoy the best ham. Joselito (trade mark) is a top quality cured ham class “ibérico”. It’s expensive but worth every bite. The staff uniforms are created by Spanish fashion designer Amaya Arzuaga. They have just renovated their wine’s list!

The two-level space has a shop stocking superior items like “jamón ibérico” and sells 200 different Spanish, French and Italian wines. The kitchen, overseen by the great Quique Dacosta of Alicante’s El Poblet, serves amazing modernist “tapas” like the Foie gras mousse with a rum-and-Coke reduction. It offers a varied range of freshly prepared “tapas” using only the best ingredients from the Mediterranean cuisine.

The clientele of the restaurant can be quite snobbish but all the courses are delicious.

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Sula | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Meal & wine € 45.00
C/ Jorge Juan 33 | Salamanca Area | +34917816197
Mon – Sat 13:30 – 15:30 & 20:30 – 23:00

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf, and I completely agree. This restaurant named after the Irish fabric and decorated accordingly to it captures the essence of it.

It’s a cosy place that serves in a different way with lots of creativity and “savoir-faire”. It is very friendly and makes you feel comfortable and at ease.

Delicate presentation of every dish accompanied with really nice wines. The Chef, Javier Muñoz-Calero, takes fine ingredients and utilizes a variety of techniques, textures and temperatures in order to extract flavors without altering their taste.

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T.A.R.T.A.N | Restaurants (Spanish) | Main Meal € 40
General Pardiñas, 56 | Salamanca Area | +34914027689
Mon 14:00 – 17:00, Tue – Sat: 14:00 – 17:00 & 21:00 – 01:00

Close to the bullring of Las Ventas, this little but very well equipped. Sala Tribueñe it’s one of the many alternative theatres that you can find in Madrid.

The performances of it’s program are mostly self-produced under the direction of the Rusian actress Irina Kouberskaya, who also teaches a weekly theatre class in Tribueñe.

The program of the theatre can surprise the audience with plays of Chejov, Federico García Lorca or a musical comedy. Now and till the end of April, you can see “Por los ojos de Raquel Meller” (author: Hugo Pérez) on Thursday and Fridays 20:30; and “El jardín de los cerezos” (author: A. Chejov) on Saturdays and Sundays at 19:00.

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Teatro Tribueñe | Art & culture, Theaters | Average € 15..00
Sancho Dávila 31 | Salamanca Area | +34912427727
From Thu – Sun

This is one of my favourite spots in Madrid for relaxing. You can enjoy its exhibitions and it’s also a beautiful place in the winter, during spring and in summer. But I think it’s especially nice during autumn. The leaves and the different colours make the small pond and the Crystal Palace itself worth a visit.

The Retiro park was originally the site of a royal palace built in 1632 under the reign King Philip IV. Most of the palace was destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars, leaving a space that was eventually opened to the public in 1868. The few remaining buildings of the palace now house museum collections. The Crystal Palace is a glass pavilion inspired by The Crystal Palace in London and designed in 1887 by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. Velázquez Bosco also designed the park’s Palacio de Velázquez.

It is a great place to spend some time after a visit to the nearby Museum Del Prado.  There are many other tourist attractions in the Retiro district of Madrid but this place is absolutely amazing!!

I enjoy just sitting and watching the swans and the ducks floating on the water. The reflections of the sun in the Palace make it very impressive, especially when it gets dark.

It’s an ideal place for a Sunday morning but, as it gets more crowded, I’d rather prefer to spend a few afternoon hours during weekdays.

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The Crystal Palace | Relaxing | Free
Inside the Retiro Park | Salamanca Area
Exhibitions Mon – Sat:10:00 – 18:00, Sun 10:00 – 16:00

People say these are bad times for the music (in Spanish: “Corren malos tiempos para la música”). So it could be quite hard to find a good pianist… Well, in Toni 2… they have three!!!!!

Toni 2 is not a karaoke; the people that go here to singare actually incredible artists!!

Located in the heart of the city, close to the National Library, between calle Barquillo and Paseo de Recoletos, Toni 2 was originally a different business, but the owner introduced a piano and now it is the reference of the place.

I could say that Toni 2 and just a few other, like Café Gijón and El Espejo, are the only emblematic venues for a different night out in Madrid.

It is a very special place, a symbol of spontaneity because everybody is sitting around the large piano and there are turns for everybody to take the microphone and sing. It is surprising how you can see people from different ages with the same passion.

It’s open from midnight till six in the morning, every day of the year. So here you will listen to traditional Spanish or international songs that you can ask the pianist to play.

A totally different concept for a piano bar. A real discovery!

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TONI 2 | Bars | Alcoholic drink € 15.00
Calle Almirante, 9 | Salamanca Area | +34915320011
00:00 – 06:00 daily

Think of fine Haute cuisine in miniature with Basque origins (one of the regions in the world with the highest concentration of Michelin starred chefs in the world) and you would think of this little and stuffy bar that does not take reservations (so come early!).

The “Unai” hamburger is delicious. The wine selection is great and you can have the typical “txacoli” (white basque wine that is quite fruity). You can find it also at La Latina in Humilladero Street. It is worth a visit!

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Txirimiri | Snacks, Restaurants (Spanish) | Tapa € 5.50
General Diez Porlier, 91 | Salamanca Area | +34914014345
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 17:00 & 19:00 – 01:00