Tapas

As the “tx” in the name suggests this is a Basque tapas bar specialising in that region’s “pintxos”. The place is standing room only and even then you’ll have to fight to get a place at the bar. Because of this it’s really a place to come as part of a tapas pub crawl rather than spend the whole night here.

“Pintxos” are traditionally something stabbed with a cocktail stick and placed on a small piece of bread. Here they are pretty fancy and are some of the best in La Latina. They seem quite expensive at first but they’re pretty filling. You don’t need many to have eaten a full meal. The tapas are all on display so just point to what you want and they’ll serve them up to you.

There is a sister bar with the same name in Sol on Calle de la Cruz, 11

One of the old traditional bars in Madrid originally part of a chain of bars that was founded in 1892. Bodega de la Arosa was one of the first bars in Madrid to serve foreign beers such as Guinness. In fact for some unknown reason they actually serve the lagers in the same way as Guinness. They half pour them, let the head settle and then pour the rest.

One interesting thing about this bar is that there is a little hidden back room that is only accessible by going under the bar itself. Just pretend as though you’re one of the bar staff and nip behind the bar. It’s a good place to go when it’s crowded as you can usually get a seat or at least a place to rest your beer. The food is traditional Spanish and very good quality.

This is a great looking bar which is pretty large for Madrid especially in Lavapiés. There is a small street terrace and three rooms. The front main room is where the long wooden bar is situated. The first of the back rooms is fairly large and a nice place to grab a table if the front bar is full. The third room is very small and a little bit dismal being more of a passage way to get to the toilets.

The walls are lined with art exhibitions so there is usually something new to see and they often play a nice mix of blues.

Cafe del Soul seems to be a Gaudi inspired bar in Madrid, fitting as it’s on Calle de Barcelona. I say inspired by Gaudi but don’t expect too much, it is certainly no masterpiece of beauty. It has cave type seats and walls where there are very few straight lines.

The staff is friendly and it is relatively unique in a zone dominated by irish bars and tile walled Spanish bars. There are 2 entrances, one on Calle Barcelona that leads to the cave type room and one on Calle de Espoz y Mina that leads to the bar itself.

This is a traditional food market that has been renovated and converted into “culinary space”. The traditional stalls selling raw ingredients have been replaced by bars and selections of unique tapas. This is the first of several markets to undergo this transition and it is still the most popular, especially with tourists, due to its location in the historic heart of the city.

Although very crowded and touristy it is a great place to start and have a cava and a couple of tapas before heading to La Latina or Sol for the rest of the night.