Ideas and places for the most authentic summer.
Today we’re on a wine tour around Madrid. La Latina, Chamberí, Salamanca, Madrid Río… Here’s our recommendation of the week. It’s always a good time.
RESTAURANTE ABASCAL
Calle Fernández de la Hoz, 66. Tel: 916 256 856. Madrid.
Much more than just a charming place. A restaurant created out of love and respect for products simply prepared. Seasonal vegetables, heirloom tomatoes from Tudela, fresh lettuce grown in the restaurant’s vertical vegetable garden, mouth-watering meats and fish prepared on the grill in front of the diners and the chef’s secret special dressings are always winners on a menu that verges on perfection.
Regulars know that its artichoke confit, its tomato salad, and all its grilled dishes are the perfect pairing for the Portia Prima or the Campillo Crianza.
LA GADITANA DE LA CASTELLANA
Paseo de la Castellana, 56. Tel: 910 587 538. Madrid.
Experience is a plus. This is the third of La Gaditana’s three taverns. The first one opened its doors in 2011 on Calle Lombía, the second in 2013 on Fuente del Berro and in 2018 the one on La Castellana. It has a space for tapas, another for lunch and a terrace that is the envy of the entire street.
Its menu includes spectacular salads, seafood, rice dishes and stews, fish and meat. Not to mention fried dishes, dogfish, and mini prawn Spanish omelettes. Enjoy it throughout the year with hot and cold starters, all with a genuine Cádiz flavour.
It’s a pleasure to order any of the different types of real bluefin tuna, with Mujol caviar, Malaga garlic and mango jelly, sautéed with broad beans, carpaccio… That bottle of Campillo Raro Campillo 57 Gran Reserva is the perfect choice.
COUZAPIN
Calle Menorca, 33. Tel: 914 009 355. Madrid.
A stroll through the Retiro and then we head to Couzapin. That says it all! They say it’s the best Asturian restaurant in Madrid. Authentic Asturian food with a chic, modern touch. Cheeses, beans, fish, and meat: everything in this friendly, cosy spot is prepared with seasonal products.
Yet the menu stays true to it’s Asturian DNA. There are dishes that feature Cabrales cheese, homemade Cantabrian anchovies, and croquettes, a prelude to their cuttlefish, cachopos (Asturian-style steak with ham and cheese), fish and meat. Their speciality is the cachopos with Iberian pork shoulder and Vidiago cheese or with cured beef from León. Beans are on the menu in all their forms, from fabada (bean stew) to beans with clams. Add a bottle of Campillo Crianza to either and you’re sorted.
CASA LUCIO
Calle Cava Baja, 35. Tel: 913 653 252. Madrid.
If you don’t know Lucio, you don’t know Madrid. This legendary restaurant opened its doors in 1974 in the same location as the century-old Mesón El Segoviano, where Lucio Blázquez started working when he was 12 years old. A favourite haunt for celebrities and non-celebrities alike on one of Madrid’s oldest streets, known for its restaurants as far back as the 17th century. The first tavern to open on Lucio’s premises was the legendary Posada de San Pedro in 1720.
The menu is a tribute to traditional cuisine. Especially traditional Mediterranean cuisine. Starters, soups, salads, stews, fish and seafood, roasts, meats and desserts.
A bottle of Campillo Reserva is the perfect pairing for its unbeatable “huevos estrellados de Lucio” (fried egg and ham over chips) and the Iberian ham, two must-haves on the menu of this iconic spot.
ULTRAMARÍN
Calle Jaime el Conquistador, 35. Tel: 914 734 928. Madrid.
An establishment that opened its doors a few years ago with a very clear concept. Preserves and sausages and an interior terrace with large windows where guests can enjoy a few beers and everything you can find in a grocer’s shop. A modern grocer’s dream. Its cheeses, tins from premium suppliers and the best national and international cured meats are all you need for a leisurely meal in this friendly place.
You can’t miss their gildas (pepper, olive and anchovy skewers), patatas bravas, steak tartare with Iberian bacon, which pair perfectly with Portia Roble, El Niño de Campillo and Faustino Art Collection Crianza.
LA DIVINA DE GOYA
Calle Goya, 111. Madrid.
This is a Casa Jorge Group restaurant. A typical weekend tapas bar in the Salamanca neighbourhood. The good tapas. Quality is always welcome here. Mediterranean cuisine and the chance to enjoy a menu with a calçotada (grilled green onions) with grilled meats and dessert. And if you’re looking to get serious, there’s always the strips of sirloin steak, warm calamari and prawn salad and the “La Divina de Goya” cod. Any bottle from the Faustino Art Collection is the perfect choice.
