Food

A young hip crowd and relaxed atmosphere. La Realidad specialises in Gin tonic which is a bit of a fad in Madrid. With every bar trying to out do it's neighbour this place holds it's own. One of the things I like most about this bar is that it is constantly changing. The wallpaper alone always seems to be filled with new graffiti or the latest art.

The front has a U-shaped bar dividing the front room in two. Hanging off the bar itself are little books of "micro-poetry". The decoration is interesting in that every seat or chair is different. For instance the back bar is filled with tiny seats. Who knows, maybe there was a local nursery school closing and La Realidad got the tables and chairs cheap.

At first glance it appears to be an Irish bar that is trying too hard, a closer look reveals that the dust is real and it’s not an Irish bar at all. It’s a historic bar from 1918 that hasn’t changed in all these years.

The bar itself is beautifully fashioned from zinc and encompasses a sink into the bar itself. It divides the front and back bars.

The ceiling in the front bar has an original fresco. It is standing room only and is usually very busy as you can drink vermouth (which they serve on tap) and have a view out onto Chueca’s main square.

If you want to have a seat or even go to the loo you have to head to the back bar. Not as easy as you would think. Although both the back and front are attended by the same staff, to get to the back bar you have to actually go outside and re-enter on calle San Gregorio. The back of the bar has wooden tables and is usually much less busy.