Madrid Food Tour: Tapas, Taverns & History Tour

Team food tour in the back streets of the Hapsburg district

This is the final post from my trip to Spain earlier in the year. It's taken  me a while to get round to this one, but it was a great night bar hoping in Madrid.

After the epic food tour I went on in Istanbul last year, I was keen to take another food tour while in Spain. I found the tour in Turkey, not only a great way to try some of the city's best food, but also an excellent way to get orientated and pick up lots of tips about the local customs and culture.

We booked on the Madrid Food Tour: Tapas, Taverns & History Tour and after a long day visiting the Reina Sofia we headed to the meeting at the specified meeting Opera.

Having jokingly been building it up the chances of getting Kiwi James as our guide (after some YouTube stalking and spotting him the night before), it frankly would have been a disappointment if we'd got anyone else. James duly arrived and after introductions, and Becks disclosing she was also a Kiwi, we were underway.

The rest of our group was made of a lovely American couple who were on their honeymoon and a group of American women who worked for Pepsi and were in town for a conference. The four women from Pepsi were fussy eaters and drinkers. Why do you go on a food tour if you aren't open minded and want to try everything? Most odd.

Jamón ibérico de bellota at Taberna Real

Being in the tourist heart of the city was expecting a walk to our first location, assuming that anywhere close by wouldn't be authentic. However, we headed into the closest bar to our meeting point the Taberna Real.

James ordered us glasses of sweet red vermouth and a plate of jamón ibérico de bellota. A number of complimentary tapas hit the bar including olives, roasted almonds and the ubiquitous patatas fritas. As we drank and ate James explained some of the customs of eating tapas in Madrid and when it is perfectly acceptable to throw your olive pips on the floor (as it was in Taberna Real).

I enjoyed the vermouth a lot more than I was expecting to. It was the first time that we'd eaten the highest grade of jamón on our trip and it was fantastic.

Statue of Felipe IV

When we left Taberna we headed to Plaza de Oriente in front of the Royal Place where James told us a little about the history of Madrid. He also pointed out the statue of Felipe IV which was the first statue ever made where the horse is raised on its hind legs. Apparently Galileo was consulted on the maths.

We wound our way through the Hapsburg district, to Plaza Villa which contains a statue of Don Alvaro de Bazán one of the architects of the Spanish Armada. We headed past two more small squares before arriving at the second stop of our evening Bodegas Ricla, a small family run bar.

Outside our second stop at Bodegas Ricla

Inside the bar James ordered a bottle of white wine for us and sardines, cabresse cheese whipped with cider and meatballs arrived on the bar for us to taste. The meatballs are cooked by the owners mother (if I remember correctly) and were my favouite and mopped up with the bread which came served with them.

Leaving the bar we headed into Plaza Mayor where rehearsals for a show the next night were taking place. Inexplicably the grand Plaza wasn't called out as one of the highlights of Madrid in my guide book, so I was pleased that we passed through on the food tour. I was beginning to feel that I was getting my bearings in central madrid.

Meatballs in Bodegas Ricla

The final three stops of the night were very close to where we were staying and perfect for stumbling back to apartment afterwards. Casa del Abuelo was our first stop. They have two branches close together and we went for the less crowded bar on Calle Núñez de Arce.

We tried the sweet and plump prawns cooked in garlic oil with a hint of chilli and parsley and washed down with a glass of the house sweet tempranillo wine.

Prawns at La Casa del Abuelo

Our penultimate stop was a sherry bar called La Valnecia. Known as a bar where the resistance met during the Franco era, one of the house rules is no photographs. Probably less necessary now that Spain is a democracy, but the rule still remains.

Sherry comes from barrel and we had two carafes to share amongst our table; a white sherry followed by a red. Just like the vermouth at the start of the night, if you'd asked me, I would have said I didn't like sherry. However, they were both enjoyable, with the white being my preference. I remember a tapa of hard cheese that went down well too.

A top bottle of red. We saw it for sale in El Corte Ingles

After bar hoping and snacking we head to our final venue of the night to fill any remaining space that was left in our bellies. El Lacon that Becks and I had visited on our first night was to be our final stop.

We kicked the evening off with a bottle of Spanish red wine (above) that was fantastic. Even though we had it late in the evening and I'd consumed a fair bit before then, trust me on this one and seek out a bottle for yourself next time you are in Spain. They sell it in El Corte Inglés.

Knowing that we'd already visited previously, James made sure he ordered different dishes with grilled asparagus, fried shark with cumin and lemon and tender grilled pork some of the dishes arriving at our table.

Fried shark

Overall the food tour was a great experience. It was a good way to get orientated in Madrid (even though we'd been there for a couple of days already), understand more about the culture and importantly the customs in the local bars. It was a different beast the to Instanbul Food Tour that I had previously been on, I left this one in less of a food coma but more tipsy, but they are both experiences I'd happily repeat.

All of the places we visited during the food tour have been added to my European map.

Spain Day 5: Final morning in Madrid

The rose garden in the Retiro

On our final morning in Madrid we packed our bags, left the apartment which had proved a great home over the last four days and headed down to the train station where we'd be leaving departing for Seville later in the day.

We dropped our bags off at left luggage, after clearing them through airport style security, and made use of the smartest train station toilets I've ever seen. Madrid train station was proving itself to be the most traveller friendly station I've ever used.

Refreshed we decided to take our books and head up to the Retiro to relax for a while before our train. While we were in the park we couldn't resist visiting the rose garden for a second time. It was even more impressive than the previous Sunday with lots more roses in flower and fewer crowds.

After a short time sitting in the garden, I fancied a quick lunch before we got the train. We headed towards some awnings I'd spotted near the entrance to the park, assuming that they were cafés. The street I'd seen turned out to be lined with second hand book stalls. Even though I couldn't understand any of the titles, there is something soothing about second hand book shops.

Caixa building

As we looped our way back towards the train station we passed the Caixa building. The old electrical station is flanked by an enormous living all outside and has had a large copper extension placed on top. Unsure if it was open to the public or not we decided to venture inside. It turned out to be a museum with an impressively angular central station. We didn't have time for a look at any of the exhibitions, but it is definitely somewhere I'd visit again next time I'm in Madrid.

We were running out of time before our train when Becks spotted a branch of Museo del Jamon that I'd been joking about wanting to visit for the last couple of days. We dived in and grabbed a couple of spots at the bar. My Spanish wasn't good enough to understand the various meal deals on offer, but I chanced my arm with jamon sandwich and a beer. Becks opted for the ham and cheese croissant with a beer as well. We were given some complimentary chorizo and olives as well.

When we asked for the bill we were charged the unbelievably small amount 3.90 EUR. We couldn't quite decided if they'd charged us the right amount or not. I was going to check  if we'd been charged the right amount but all the staff headed to the other end of the bar, so we decided to bid a hasty retreat.

Lunch at the Museo del Jamon

After retrieving our bags we headed for our train, which whisked to Seville in two and a half hours. The train was a modern TGV, which makes you realise how long in the tooth the twenty year old Eurostar trains are now. I slept a lot of the way, but my favourite feature was the speedometer in the carriage which topped out around 290 kph when I was watching. It felt unbelievably smooth.

Out of the window I remember seeing lots of olive trees and one half finished housing estate close to the railway line. It was one of the few signs of Spain's economic troubles we saw during the trip.

Restaurant Review: TriCiclo, Madrid

Fresh peas, spring mushrooms and sweetbreads
guisantes fresco, setas de primavéra y mollejas de ternera (9 EUR)

We'd had a hot and tiring final full day in Madrid. By time we got back to our apartment and collapsed on the sofa the thought of heading out again for dinner seemed all too much. There was serious talk of staying in and getting a pizza from the Carrefour Express over the road instead.

After much procrastination we dragged ourselves out and decided to check out one of James' recommendations, local hotspot TriCiclo. This food blogger was so tired he didn't even take his camera.

When we arrived it was obvious that we'd come somewhere a little different to the places we'd previously visited while we'd been in Madrid. It was bright, modern and was busy with a young crowd who had all made the effort for their evening out. I felt pretty out of place in my marathon finishers t-shirt and flip flops!

Spring vegetables in juice with iberico de bellota

We decided to grab a couple of drinks and stand in the bar while we took a look at the menu. Our Spanish wasn't up to translating the menu and the free dictionary app I'd downloaded onto my phone before we left was next to useless so our ordering was based on the one or two ingredients that we could recognise from the menu.

The food that arrived was nothing short of exceptional. The two savoury dishes in particular get a 'best ever' call for how good they work.

The verduras de primavéra en su jugo con papada de iberico de bellota (11.50 EUR, half serving) was our favourite. Individually the spring onion, asparagus and courgette were the best I've ever tasted. Together they were sublime.

Dinner at TriCiclo was worth the price of the flight to Madrid on its own.

Strawberries, tomatoes, basil and mascarpone
fresas, tomates, albahaca y mascarpone (6 EUR)

TriCiclo
Calle Santa María 28
28014 
Madrid

Madrid Day 4: Nun biscuits, Churros, Jardines Del Campo Moro and the Palacio Real

A breakfast of chocolat y churros

We set out, around midday, to buy some biscuits from the convent that had been pointed out to us the night before on our Food Tour. James, our guide the previous night, described how you purchased biscuits without every seeing the nun who remained on the other side of a revolving door. I'm sure I've seen something similar on a Palin travel show before and was keen to try it for myself.

We navigate our way back through the Plaza Mayor to the Convento de Corpus Cristi without too much trouble and buzzed our way inside. I'd imagined quite an idyllic scene with us buying biscuits from a sweet elderly run the other side of a revolving door. What transpired was a communication disaster with us unable to understand anything the nun was saying. After what must have been the longest transaction they've ever had departed with our box of biscuits. Even the lady outside who was hassling us for money on the way in had given up waiting for us to reappear.....

The nun biscuits

With our biscuits belatedly purchased we set off in search of breakfast. We decided to try the Spanish classic of chocolate y churros from the famous Chocolateria San Gines. We ordered and paid inside and then headed out onto the pavement to enjoy our churros in the sunshine.

I definitely have a sweet tooth, but wasn't the biggest fan of the churros for breakfast finding them quite oily and not very flavourful. The accompanying hot chocolate was excellent though.

I couldn't recap breakfast without mentioning the two Japanese girls who came and sat down at the table next to us while we were eating. One of them was wearing a skirt which could only be described as highly inappropriate. How her mum let her leave the house wearing it I'll never know.....

Jardines Del Campo Moro

After breakfast we walked towards the River of Madrid so that we could visit the Jardines Del Campo Moro that our hosts had recommended. From the entrance to the park there are stunning views up to the Royal Palace above.

It was another beautiful Madrid park, although not to the heights of the Retiro or Botantical gardens that we had visited on previous days. We had a wonder up the central avenue towards the palace and then along a couple of tree lined paths. On our way back to the exit we had a quick sit in the rose garden and saw peacocks and ducklings near the ponds. There were a few other people around, but it was surprising how quiet the park was.

Madrid Rio

After the Jardines we crossed over the Madrid Rio and headed towards the Casa de Campo. Formerly a Royal hunting ground it is an enormous 80 sq km park. Our plan was to rent some bikes and explore the park for a couple of hours before heading back into town. We thought the bike rental places would be obvious, but when we wanted to find one we couldn't......

We bought a couple of drinks and had one of our nun biscuits in the shade while we reassessed our plans. Looking at the map we decided instead to walk up to the laguna instead of original cycling plan. The lake wasn't the most attractive with a few canoeists doing circuits round the outside.

Looking up at the Royal Palace and Cathedral

Leaving the lake behind us we decided to head into town. Near the exit to the park was another major train station the Madrid-Principe Pio. One of the train sheds has been converted into a café / shopping area, while the other still acts as a train station.

It was then a walk up the hill to the Temple de Debod an Egyptian temple which was rescued and moved to Spain when the Aswan dam was built (I think). The guide book got it pretty spot on when it said that the temple looks a bit out of place in the middle of Madrid.

Templo de Debod

At this point not having eaten much all day was beginning to catch up with me. We headed out of the park in search of a very late lunch. I'd marked on the map a restaurant recommended for its menu del dia. We couldn't find the restaurant I was aiming for and ended up back at the Taberna Real which we'd visited the night before during our food tour. The sit down and sustenance was most welcome.

After our late lunch we tool the short walk to the Palacio Real which is free for EU nationals during the last two hours each evening. One of the largest palaces in Europe with over 2,000 rooms, it is no longer home to the Spanish Royal family who live 15km outside of the city.

The palace has just over fifty rooms open the public and seems to get mixed reviews with some people suggesting it isn't worth a visit. All I can say is that the doubters are absolutely nuts.

A view of the cathedral from the palace courtyard

The state rooms that were open were opulent beyond belief, with incredibly painted ceilings, detailed carpets and impressive wall coverings. It almost certainly isn't everyone's taste, but I don't see how you could fail but to be impressed. It was well worth the hour we spent looking round, especially as it was free!

Once we'd finished looking round the palace we headed back to our apartment before going out for dinner later in the evening. A dinner that turned out to be pretty special with a 'best ever' shout for the food.

Madrid Day 3: The Atocha Train Station and Reina Sofia

Atocha Train Station and Ministry of Agriculture

We'd heard that quite a few attractions are closed on Mondays in Madrid, so we decided to visit the Reina Sofia that we knew was definitely open.

As we strolled down the hill from the Huertas district where we were staying it felt like we'd stepped outside of the main tourist area for the first time and were mixing it with just locals for the first time. I enjoyed checking out the windows of a couple of patisseries and bike shops as we went, as well as spying a Museo del Jamon on the other side of the road.

Next to the Reina Sofia is the Atocha train station where we'd be heading to Seville from in a couple of times. We'd heard the train station was worth a visit in its own right so we decided to check it out before museum. As train stations go it was pretty impressive. The old train shed has been restored and converted into what feels like a large palm house, with lots of trees growing inside and a large turtle colony in one of the pools. We spent quite a while watching the turtles trying to climb out of the pool and bask in the sunshine. It was absorbing to watch them climb up and over each other, repeatedly falling back in and then giving it another go, to get out of the water.

Outside of the Reina Sofia

Tearing ourselves away from the turtles he had a quick spin round the rest of the station before heading across the road to the Reina Sofia.  Just like the Prado the night before it was another grand old building with two striking lift shafts bolted onto the front of the museum (above).

The building is laid out around a central courtyard which meant we could do loops round each floor. We started on the ground floor and the two exhibitions that stuck in the mind were one on Revolution & Decolonisation and the second called Playgrounds charting the history of, unsurprisingly, playgrounds.

I'd never previously given any thought to playgrounds and it was interesting to discover that they were a late 19th Century and to see how they've evolved and the different ideologies across the world have gone into designing them over the years.

Menu del dia at the Cafe de Asturias

Having completed the ground floor it was time for some lunch. Luckily our tickets enabled us to come and go as we pleased all day so we decided to try and find a menu del dia at a nearby restaurant for lunch.

We walked down the Calle Argumosa with nowhere really taking our fancy. We eventually ended up in Casa de Asturias, not because it looked better than anywhere else, but because we'd reached the end of the street and our indecision couldn't last any longer!

The menu del dia was some middle of the road stodge, but you couldn't really know the value at 11 EUR per person for three courses including a beer. It was also a voyage of discovery with my limited Spanish meaning I was effectively ordering blind. The highlight was probably the set custard dessert.

Set vanilla custard with cinnamon and a biscuit

Fortified form lunch we headed back to the Reina Sofia to see a bit more of the museum. We took one of the impressive glass elevators up to the first floor to have a look round. The exhibitions contained a lot of late 19th and 20th Century art by Spanish artists, with a focus on the war years and Franco era.

We'd run out of energy by the time we'd finished looking round the floor so decided to head into the central courtyard to relax. After a quick sit down it was time to head back to our apartment to get ready for the food tour we'd booked for that evening.

In the courtyard of the Reina Sofia

Madrid Day 2: El Rastro, Museo del Prado and the Botanic Gardens

In tostada heaven

My research of what to do in Madrid was virtually non-existent; no guide books or detailed downloads from friends. Highly unusual for me.

One of the few things I had heard of before visiting was the El Rastro Flea Market. The reviews of the market itself weren't great, but it seemed to be a bit of a Madrid institution which the locals flocked to each weekend.

We set off from our apartment around midday and drifted towards the market. We followed the crowds through Madrid assuming they'd take us to El Rastro. We ended up over shooting slightly and ended up in the La Latina district and had to get the map out to bring us back on track. However, it wasn't really a problem as it was good to see some more of Madrid and people watch.

El Rastro flea market

The market lived up to expectations of being heaving and selling absolute tat. We drifted round some of the backstreets and down the main street of Calle Ribera de Curtidores eventually ending up in the Plaza Campillo del Mundo Neuvo.

We decided to sit down for a short break. As we sat down we noticed that everyone was carrying small white plates of food. They looked good, very good. I wasn't hungry but seeing all of the tostadas was peaking my appetite. After a quick rest and a sip of water we decided to follow the tostada trail and see if we could find the source.

It wasn't too hard to track down the source, El Capricho Extremeño. The small café was packed and we stood outside a bit nervous about venturing in. I steeled myself and plunged in making it to the counter. I pointed and said 'queso y jamon' and two tostadas were placed in front of me.

The lady serving me said something which my rusty Spanish couldn't understand, I replied with a meek 'si' hoping it would be appropriate. She started pouring two plastic cups of wine. Were they for me? I handed over 20 EUR and was given a lot of change. I reasoned the wine could never be for me at these prices so picked up the tostadas and made my way out of the door. It bought no quizzical looks for leaving the wine behind, so I think it was the right thing to do.

Everyone should eat one

We headed back to the Plaza to eat our purchase. The goats cheese was good, but the jamon tostada completely knocked it out of the park. Great bread rubbed with garlic and fresh tomato, topped with ham and then drizzled with olive oil. Comfortably the best open sandwich I've ever had.

Once I'd recovered from the awesomeness of the tostada we decided to carry on drifting across Madrid. Without a real plan I decided we should aim for the viaduct marked on our tourist map. I was envisioning an impressive Roman viaduct, but when we got there it was a modern concrete monolith. I'm not quite sure why it was marked as a landmark!

From the disappointment, it was on to the outside of the Cathedral and Royal Palace before we headed back to our apartment via one of the main shopping streets and the Puerta Del Sol, the main square of Madrid.

Cathedral

When we'd visited the Retiro park the day before, we noticed that the nearby Museo del Prado was free from 5 - 7pm on Sunday evenings. After a rest in our apartment we headed across to the museum arriving just after 5pm.

Trying to take in the museum inside two hours was a little overwhelming. The Prado is set in a magnificent classic building, which is the perfect scale to show off the large classical paintings on display. We zipped round the two main floors trying to take in as much as we could in the time. Classics, particularly the religious art that the museum seemed to specialise in, aren't really my thing but there were a few enjoyable paitings and you couldn't help but be impressed by the building.

Becks in the Botanic Gardens

We left the museum as the doors closed at 7pm. After a short sit on the museum steps we decided to head to the neighbouring Botanic Gardens. Just like the Retiro the day before the park was a real stunner and fantasic value at 3 EUR each.

We slowly strolled up and down every avenue of the formally laid out garden taking in the plants and mixing with the locals who were out doing the same things. During our ambling I spotted the Wollemia Nobilis complete with its own CCTV camera. Apparently a rare Australian plant it is only one of twenty one in the world.

We were kicked out of the park at 9pm as they closed for the night and we were rushing to take it all in at the end.

The Wollemia Nobilis

With the time approaching an acceptable point in the evening for Madrillians to eat we decided to head to Matador which had been recommended by our hosts. A small bar it felt almost themed (which generally puts me off), but we pulled up a couple of stalls and ordered some drinks.

Three drinks each later and a few snacks from the tapas menu we headed out off the bar 30 EUR lighter. You wouldn't have got the drinks for that price in London, let alone the tapa on top.

Not quite ready for bed we decided to check out some of the side streets near our apartment to walk off dinner. As we drifted past El Lacon, where we'd eaten the night before, I heard a familiar Kiwi voice behind us. It was James from Madrid Food Tours whose video on El Rastro we had watched that morning and who would be taking us on a food tour the following night.

Complimentary jamon with our first drinks

Tomato and olive salad, with a warm ham tostada

Chorizo empanada and cabrales and cider tostada

El Capricho Extremeño

Calle de Carlos Arniches, 30,  

28005 

Madrid 

Spain

 

Matador

Calle La Cruz

Madrid 

Madrid Day 1: Parque Del Retiro

Rose Garden in the Retiro

We had a painless flight from Gatwick to Madrid last Saturday. Madrid airport was surprisingly quiet when we arrived with absolutely no queue for passport control. After a wait for our bags and a long walk to the metro station we were off into town. Neither of us could believe how quiet the metro was for a Saturday afternoon, even as we got closer into town. Where were all the people we wondered? Perhaps they didn't use the metro much as we saw some posters encouraging people to use 'their metro' more.

We found our apartment without too many issues. When we arrived the couple we were renting from were there to show us into the apartment and they gave us a map which they drew on highlighting some of their favourite things to do, see and eat in Madrid. As we arrived in Madrid with little idea of what to do while we were there, the map proved an invaluable guide.

Becks in the rose garden

After settling into the apartment we decided to head out for a walk and drifted across the city towards the Parque del Retiro. As we learnt during our few days in Madrid, Madrillians do parks very well and the Retiro was stunning.

We arrived via a formerly laid out entrance closest to the Prado Museum and then drifted via less formally laid out wooded sections that reminded me a little bit of the gardens we saw at Ham House. There were plenty of locals out promenading or relaxing between the trees.

After buying an ice cream - it would be fair to say my first crack at Spanish wasn't perfect with the lady in the ice cream booth making me point at the menu - we headed into the rosaled or rose garden. It was stunning with lots of different roses coming out to bloom in formally laid out beds. It is obviously popular with the locals too as the place was heaving.

Crystal Palace - Madrid not London

After sitting for a while in the rose garden we continued our walk round more of the rose garden passing the 'Crystal Palace' and also a boating lake near the northern end of the gardens. In addition to being able to hire rowing boats there seemed to be a small ferry which was taking passengers round the lake too. I couldn't quite work out the ferry when you could hire a rowing boat or promenade round the lake in about ten minutes.

Leaving the lake we slowly drifted our way out of the park and back across the city to our apartment.

Boating lake in the Retiro

We didn't head out for dinner until nearly 10pm quickly settling into the local vibe of eating late. We headed to El Lacon which was just round the corner from our flat and  had been recommended on a Spanish food blog I'd been following for a couple of months before our arrival.

Still clueless on how to order Spanish food we went for four raciones or portions. It was great to get some variety, but the servings were probably a little too big for four people to compare comfortably. We also noticed that the Madrillians don't seem to do vegetables unless they are fried and then not many of them either...

Heading home close to midnight it had been an excellent first afternoon and evening easing ourselves into Spain.

Croquetas caseras de jamon Iberico

Pimentos de Padron

Black pudding with rice

Calamari