Croquettes and Celebrities
Javier Bardem, Hollywood's latest It Boy, comes from a very talented family of directors, producers, artists and actors. But what they should be most famous for are their croquettes. That's right, La Bardemcilla, owned by the venerable family, cooks some of the best melt-in-your-mouth, falling-apart-at-the-touch croquettes in Madrid. Aptly named "Jamón, Jamón," a plateful of these will cheer you up on the coldest of Madrid winter days. The cozy place also offers delicious entrees such as Huevos de Oro, scrambled eggs with chorizo and potatoes, and Entre Las Piernas, scrambled eggs with morcilla. The grilled vegetable plate is also scrumptious. On a weekend night, it's best to call ahead for a reservation. The menu del día is a cheaper alternative to enjoy some of their house specialities. Make sure to bring your camera, it's a great place for celebrity spotting!
Enjoy an Arabian night or two in this enormous restaurant, with fabulous tapestries and reliefs on the walls, and shissha pipes and outsized teapots in the corners. Go for the degustación menu, which comes in at €21.50 per person, or go for something really special and get the roast lamb stuffed with rice, mincemeat and pine nuts, also €21.50. Check out the live dancers on Fridays and Saturdays too, the perfect visual accompaniment to some falaffel and hummus.
Veggie Food
Located steps from the Plaza Mayor, it promotes “high vegetarian kitchen”, but don’t let the translation scare you: the food is fresh and visually appealing. It’s strong on salads, and its menú del día (€10) won’t leave you hungry an hour later.
Great breakfast spot
Hidden in the tucked-away Plaza Olavide near Metro Bilbao is one of the best brunch spots in the city. On a nice weekend morning, the tranquil plaza is packed with madrileños in the know, because here is where you can find some of the best pan con tomate and tortilla in Madrid. La Oliva is reasonably priced, doesn't charge an exhorbant fee for sitting on their wonderful terraza, and makes great breakfasts. Try their tortilla de calabacin for €3.75, which is a huge slab of a fluffy tortilla layered with zucchini. Another winner are the patatas cabrales, a nice plate of potatoes covered in a gooey goat cheese sauce. Mmm. Just get there early on a Saturday to stake out your table, or you might be waiting a bit!
Sara In-Madrid discovered this service :-)