Bosco de Lobos – dine in a secret garden in good company
In the middle of Chueca, deep in the courtyard/garden of the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid, you’ll find a glass house that feels more LA than Madrid, and inside that glass house, you’ll find Bosco de Lobos. Bosco de Lobos is part of En Compañia de Lobos, a restaurant group that has Ana La Santa in Madrid as well as four restaurants in Barcelona and another in Mexico City. It calls itself a restaurant, bar, garden, and a place for work and meetings. And indeed it is a grat place to meet, especially for groups. After hearing nothing but great things about it from my friend Carla, and seeing a picture of Blanca Suárez devouring spaghetti on Instagram, it was abundantly clear that I needed to get there.
And so one Wednesday night, my group from my first trimester of grad school got together for a reunion dinner in this wonderful place. While you may get lost the first time you get there, you just go to the back of the Colegio de Arquitectos, and you will find it hidden behind the entrance.
Walking back to the restaurant already gives you a sense of awe, that you know you’re in a beautiful place and will be transported from the rest of the city out there.
After a walk down the path to the main entrance, you’re welcome at the bar and ready to be transported to dine in a restaurant that has a comfortable feel.
Walking inside is like being welcomed into someone’s house, with comfortable tables and shelves with a wide assortment of books. When the weather’s warm, tables are set up outside in the garden, allowing for more space. However, we were there in January, so that gives an excuse to go back again.
Here’s a photo from their Facebook pageso you can see what it looks like during the day!
We sat in an area overlooking the garden with a wide selection of books and plenty of space for the six of us to have a bonding experience.
Bosco de Lobos serves Italian cuisine, with pizza and pasta the stars of the menu, however there are meat dishes and some tapas. Many websites laud the lasagna (and that will be what I’ll have to have next time), but two of us order the roast chicken, one ordered steak, two ordered pizzas (one the whole-wheat vegetable pizza and the other the taleggio con trufa de invierno), and then I ordered the paparadelle with red-wine meat ragout.
The portion size was great, especially since I do not eat pasta very often. I was not overly stuffed, and I even had room to try the vegetable pizza. What was nice about the sauce was that it was meat-based, while not as heavy as a bolognese, and the paparadelle was fresh and perfectly cooked. They even left me with my own block of cheese with personal grater had I been in the mood for more.
Everyone in the group was satisfied with our meal, and we spent over two hours together catching up, just like old times.
When you have a group dinner and are looking to feel right at home in the middle of a tranquil garden, then Bosco de Lobos is the place to go!
New bars and restaurants seem to open up constantly in the diverseneighborhood of Lavapiés. Among these additions is Egeo, a Greek souvlakeria situated on the corner of C/ Ave Maria and C/ San Carlos. Here you’ll find several Greek-style street food dishes, including pita sandwich options (€3-4), as well as salads and skewers (€5-7).
Egeo has quickly become my go-to place for take-away in the barrio, due to the quality of their ingredients. Zanas, the proprietor of the restaurant, is from Greece and is pleased that his establishment has been so well received by residents of the neighborhood.
The Greek salad is served with a very generous portion of feta cheese and warm slices of pita bread.
The souvlaki and skewers are hearty and filling. The one pictured here is the “hamburger” gyro – it has both veal and lamb meat, plus a fried egg! There are more traditional gyros on the menu as well, such as pork with tomato, onion and tzatziki. Also worth noting is their vegetarian option, a delicious pumpkin souvlaki.
Sometimes they introduce new menu items, like grilled Haloumi cheese (made from a mix of goat’s and sheep’s milk).
Most of the main dishes come with homemade fries and tzatziki. Otherwise you can order them as sides, as we did. Tip: order the potatoes with feta cheese on top. Amazing.
And what better way to end your Greek meal than with baklava? Plus you have the option of adding vanilla ice cream to it. Can’t say no to that…
Address: C/ San Carlos nº 17 (on the corner of C/Ave María)
Metro: Lavapiés
Phone: 918 26 46 44 –
De María: Fabulous Argentinian Restaurant
I discovered this fabulous restaurant not too long ago, called De María, as two people recommended it to me on separate occasions. Since then it has become one of my go-to spots in Madrid. De María is one of those restaurants that always leaves a good impression on everyone who dines there; the food is great, portions are generous and the price is fantastic.
De María is popular to say the least; photographs of famous patrons line the walls: athletes like Beckham and actors like Javier Bardem are just some of the familiar faces who have enjoyed this wonderful restaurant.
De María has several locations. So far I’ve tried three of them and none was disappointing.
The menu is varied and contains good-quality ingredients. You can choose from a variety of mouth-watering starters, such as “chorizo criollo”, or vegetable dishes, pastas and salads and, of course, the traditional Argentine beef. The last time I dined here we weren’t very hungry so we opted for a lighter menu. Something that stands out to me about De María is that you always get tasty snacks to nibble on while you wait for your food to arrive.
The chimichurri and pepper sauces are a must, as is the cream cheese spread. During the summer they usually bring a glass of gazpacho or salmorejo. When it’s cold out, they tend to bring you a creamy vegetable soup – in our case, we got a delicious pumpkin soup.
As a starter, we went for the grilled Provolone cheese. It was simply exquisite and even more when covered with one of their tasty sauces. “Chorizo criollo” is another must.
After the cheese plate, my friend and I ordered salads; she ordered a mixed salad and I had a caprese salad – light, fresh, and deliciously paired with a beer and a glass of white wine.
We decided to skip dessert because we weren’t too hungry, but the waiter didn’t seem to care: he brought us each a glass of tangerine sorbet and a yogurt and mango sauce (on the house!), along with their traditional shots.
De María’s prices are very reasonable. We paid about €21 each. So if you want to enjoy Argentinian cuisine and a friendly atmosphere, this is your place. It also has the advantage of having several locations so finding a table will not be a problem.
The locations I’ve visited are:
De María: Calle Hortaleza, 81, 28004, Madrid
De María: Calle Preciados 32, 28013, Madrid
De María:Calle Correo 2, 28012, Madrid
You can find all the locations listed on their web
If you want to enjoy more Argentinian restaurants in Madrid, then check out our article on Casa Federica.
La Falda, a cheeky new wine bar and restaurant in Lavapiés
When a restaurant welcomes me with a wine list featuring labels like ‘The Madman’s Inn’ and ‘The Perfect Boyfriend’, I’m intrigued. When they accompany it with a quality Thai-Spanish tapa and Motown, I’m hooked.
A deliciously smooth glass of Delito Garnacha
La Falda de Lavapiés is just the kind of tongue-in-cheek tavern that the neighborhood needs, offering quirky bites and a one-of-a-kind wine list to the wide variety of patrons that Calle Miguel Servet attracts. I’ve stopped in for a bite a few times since it opened in early October, and each time the menu, which only features about ten dishes, has been edited to include the week’s freshest ingredients. Aside from the ever-evolving menu, they also feature a distinctive menú del día plus daily specials that range from ramen to callos, highlighting the kind of international versatility that is all too often hard to find in Madrid.
On my most recent visit, we were offered secreto ibérico in sweet and sour sauce as our free aperitivo as we browsed the menu. The Thai flavors and fantastic cut of Spanish pork paired nicely with the Delito Garnacha wine we had chosen, and by the time we waved down the waitress to order, our appetites were more than piqued.
We chose four small plates to share between the two of us, testing La Falda’s version of the Spanish classics of jamón croquettes and cured beef, or cecina, and their ability to fuse Castillian products with Asian flair in their pork spring rolls and octopus sandwich.
Mouth-wateringly marbled cecina
Vietnamese pork spring rolls
The cecina was some of the best I’ve tried in Madrid, and I consider myself something of a cured beef expert, ordering it any time I spot it on a menu. While all of the flavors were impeccable, the winner had to be the octopus sandwich with its mixture of Thai herbs and Spanish paprika.
Thai-style octopus sandwich
We only stopped ooh-ing and ah-ing over each bite to sing along with the Motown greats that enveloped the room, and reluctantly put our forks down to watch in awe as the couple next to us jumped up to ballroom dance to James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World.”
La Falda is the perfect example of what makes Lavapiés so special: it puts quality at the forefront and serves its food with a wink, but recognizes that in the end, it’s only a space for the vibrant community to enjoy life, and does everything it can to facilitate that. Go for a drink or go for a date. Go, eat, watch the people and leave content in mind, body and soul.
Address: Calle Miguel Servet 4 (Metro Lavapies or Embajadores)
Phone: 911 688 096
Casa Picsa, another gem on Calle Ponzano
Calle Ponzano is one of the city’s most treasured local hangout spots. Situated in Chamberí, it belongs to a handful of Madrid streets that are lined with great bars and restaurants, together with La Cava Baja, Corredera Bajo de San Pablo and La Calle Pez, just to name a few. In addition to the old-school bars de toda la vida, it seems as though a new eatery opens up on Calle Ponzano every week, and I’m slowly making my way through all of them! So far I’ve been to Sala la Despiece, Bar Lambuzo and Taberna Alipio Ramos. Plus Naked contributor, Kate, has also just written about restaurant Toque de Sal.
Now here comes Naked’s fifth discovery along Ponzano: Casa Picsa, an Argentine restaurant specializing in pizzas made in a wood-fired oven with local and seasonal ingredients. I went with my friends Vanessa (who writes Las mesas de Vanessa, another foodie blog you’ve got to follow), Juan and James.
In true Ponzano form, Casa Picsa has a down-to-earth and comfortable ambience. I’d say it’s on the pricier side, but they serve some of the best pizzas I’ve had in Madrid, with high quality ingredients and great service, too. The décor is modern and simple, with a spacious bar and a small seating area.
To start, Casa Picsaoffers small appetizers to share:mezzos from around the world with a Porteño touch, as stated on their menu. They’re only meant to whet your appetite, as the real deal is the pizza. As we were a party of four, the waiters recommended we order just a few mezzos and save room for the main attraction. So we went with their homemade Paté Picsaand Porotos en vinagre (organic beans in a vinaigrette). Both were delicious.
The pizza menu is separated into two sections: “old school” and “new school.” They cost €20-25 each and are meant to be shared between two people; and trust me, they’re big enough. Each pie has eight slices, or “servings of happiness,” overflowing with succulent ingredients. Plus you can order two kinds per pie; that way you get to try two in one! *You can also order gluten-free pizzas made with a chickpea based dough.
We followed our waiter’s advice and ordered two pies and four different kinds of pizza. We had the Papada de cerdo ibérico y alcachofas (Iberian ham and artichokes); Pato e higos (duck and fig); Butifarra negra (Catalan black sausage) and Chorizo criollo y grills (Creole chorizo with turnip greens). My favorite was the ham and artichoke one; the rest of the table said the winner went to the butifarra. They were all delicious, though. And as we walked out of the restaurant and looked at the mouthwatering pies on other patrons’ tables, we knew we’d have to go back to try the rest!
After our main course, we were contentedly stuffed and more than happy to end our night sans sweets. But the waiter managed to convince us to get dessert and we gave in to the Chocolate cake with dulce de leche ice cream. How could you possibly resist that? It was insanely good (sorry we forgot to take a photo of it!)
Panda by Hattori Hanzo: A sweet, Japanese merienda
Ah, the merienda. It’s one of the best things about the Spanish eating schedule; one in between breakfast and lunch and another between lunch and dinner. While we normally think of a merienda as either a croissant or a tostada con tomate in the morning and then a pastry or sandwich in the afternoon, a little place behind Gran Vía meters from Terraza Gymage has a way for your merienda to have a more Japanese flavor. While for lunch and dinner Hattori Hanzo often requires a reservation at least 3 days in advance (see full restaurant post here), during the sacred afternoon merienda hours from 5 to 8 PM, you can get a taste of the sweet side of Japan at Panda by Hattori Hanzo.
It is the first Japanese pastry shop and matcha bar in the city and allows you to experience a different side of Japanese cuisine (but if you don’t have a sweet tooth, never fear. There’s also a savory menu as well).
My friends and I found ourselves in awe with all of the choices of pastries, including Japanese-style macarons, mochi balls, teas, frappés, and more. Two main ingredients are highlighted in all of your options: sakura (cherry blossom) and matcha (a type of green tea that is currently all of the rage for its health benefits). I fell in love with matcha during one of my last trips back to New York when I found myself in a hipster coffee shop across the street from the Strand Bookstore (enough said) and the appearance of matcha in certain places in Madrid makes me incredibly happy. Within the different categories on the menu, there was a matcha option, a sakura option, and a traditional chocolate option.
Let’s just say my choices followed a pattern: that they contained matcha.
After thoughtful deliberation, we resorted to asking our waitress, the one who knows the menu inside and out. After asking us about our preferences, she suggested that we try the signature offering at Panda: the matcha swiss roll. We followed her advice and we did not regret it one bit.
The matcha swiss roll is a matcha sponge cake with a mascarpone filling. There are droplets of red bean and matcha paste, crunchy raspberries, and a beautiful strawberry cut as if it were a rose. This is the star offering at Panda, and is definitely the perfect choice for your first time. It really gives you a sense what the most popular desserts are like in Japan: a perfect fusion of eastern and western flavors. And for someone who normally doesn’t eat things that are sweet, it was absolutely perfect.
For drinks, I chose an iced matcha latte, while one of my friends had one of the numerous Japanese teas on offer (expertly prepared and we were left with a timer so it could properly boil) and another had the sakura latte.
The matcha latte was naturally refreshing, and is creamier than a typical tea. The next time I go back I’ll naturally have it hot, but it’s something that you can have either in the summer or winter.
Are you ready to enjoy the sweet side of Japanese cuisine? Get a bunch of your friends for a fantastic afterwork and merienda at Panda.
Address: Calle del Desengaño, 11 Tel.: 91 786 57 80 / 606 282 608 Metro: Gran Vía (Lines 1 and 5)/Callao (Lines 3 and 5)
Ramen Kagura, Madrid’s (almost) perfect ramen bar
Located on Calle de Las Fuentes, in between metro Opera and Plaza Mayor, lies a Japanese restaurant serving unbelievably tasty ramen, with heaping portions at an affordable price. I’m tempted to call Ramen Kagura perfect, yet the service could have been much better. To be fair, the food did come out in a split second after ordering.
I went to Ramen Kagura for the first time on Saturday with a big group of friends, three of whom are Japanese (also the ones who recommended we go here). Almost everyone at our table of seven had also dined at Madrid’s most celebrated ramen bar, Chuka, where you basically have to fight to get a table. Naturally, a conversation comparing the two ramen bars did come up. We concluded that Chuka has better-quality ingredients and a chic décor. But when it comes down to it, Ramen Kagura‘s noodles simply hit the spot; plus it wins in terms of convenience (getting a table is easy) and bang for your buck (for under €10 you get a delicious and very filling meal).
You can order from several different types of ramen bowls, mostly made with pork-based broth, vegetables, and your choice of shoyu or miso sauce. Broth-less, cold and vegetarian versions are also available, as well as rice dishes and sushi (which we didn’t try). Each bowl comes with your choice of 100, 200 or 400 grams of ramen noodles, prices ranging accordingly from around €8-11. I ordered the 200-gram bowl and it was gigantic. James and Edison ordered the 400-gram bowls. Needless to say, they were very happy campers. We devoured everything and there were no complaints regarding portions, taste or price.
I’ll let the poor service slide. Perhaps we just went on an off day. Since the food was oh so good, we’ll be going back again and again and again…
Today I’m sharing a secret discovery. I considered keeping it to myself both out of selfishness and to preserve its charm, however I’ve decided that La Hummuseria deserves to be experienced by anyone who appreciates healthy, wholesome food and a familiar, friendly atmosphere; or indeed anyone with a penchant for hummus. Even if you don’t, it’s hard not to fall in love with it because it’s so damn tasty and healthy.
La Hummuseria is the dream child of newlyweds Lotem and Shai, two young psychologists from Israel who visited Madrid on holiday and for all the obvious reasons fell in love with the city.
They pondered what the city was missing, namely: hummus and this being their passion Lotem and Shai dreamt up La Hummeseria. In February 2015 they moved to Madrid and in October 2015 La Hummuseria was born. Simple.
Hummus is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made from garbanzos/chickpeas, Tahini and lemon. It is served warm with a touch of olive oil, warm chickpeas and one of their special toppings.
Traditionally, hummus is eaten as a meal in itself so one portion could be enjoyed individually without anything other than fresh pitta. However, to keep the hummus company (Hummus is a social kind of thing, says Lotem) you will find freshly cut salads made from the best vegetables in the market, lemon and herbs.
The hero is obviously the hummus. There are five varieties of hummus; the base is freshly made every day using the Lotem and Shai’s tradition and secret technique and toppings include mushrooms, lemon and almonds.
To accompany El Ambiguo: hummus with tahíni verde, we ordered the oven baked cauliflower with almonds. A crisp and simple tapas sized dish of oven lightly baked cauliflower seasoned with lemon, parsley and chives and coated in roasted almond shards.
The Ensalada fresca-fresquísima arrived as a generous mix of cucumber, tomato, chickpeas, carrot and a fresh herb, lemon and oil dressing.
We drank iced tea with fresh mint and felt so gloriously healthy that we almost declined Shai’s insistence that we try the Malabi for dessert. I am more than glad that we conceded. Made from Middle East cream scented flowers, peanuts and coconut, this dessert is as fresh and wholesome as everything else and totally delicious.
Hidden off Fuencarral, La Hummuseria is the ideal spot for a lazy weekend lunch; reclining in comfortable art deco chairs on the mezzanine level or to grab a quick snack as a break from combing the Malasana shops.
The service is impeccable, you can see Lotem and Shai preparing their food from the open kitchen and they are more than happy to stop and talk to you while you are there. After all, hummus is a social thing.
Finally, in case you were wondering, yes they do offer take aways.
Tapas get all the fame in Spain. Drinking wine, nibbling chorizo, sharing little bites late into the night—the tapa is romantic. Never mind that the definition is slippery and the quality unpredictable, or that an evening of tapa-hopping can cost you more in the end than sitting down for a proper meal.
But I’d like to take a moment to celebrate a lesser-known Spanish food tradition, one that’s equally praiseworthy but seldom mentioned: the menu del día. These three magic words will get you a three-course meal, with bread and wine included, at an incredible fixed price.
Beginning as a government-mandated measure during the Franco years, this practical lunch tradition was designed to provide affordable meals to day laborers during the workweek. While no longer required by law, restaurants have carried the tradition full-force into the 21st Century, with even high-end establishments kneeling down to offer those of us on tighter budgets delicious lunches at bargain prices. It’s not as sexy or unique as the tapa, but the menu del día forms an integral part of the Spanish food culture and is perhaps one of Spain’s best-kept secrets.
The Club.
Over the last year some friends and I decided to take advantage of the menus around Madrid. I wouldn’t call us a club (ignore that I just did) but rather a shifting group of buddies hanging out over a different meal every Friday. We would fluctuate between two and ten people, though it was always anchored by a couple die-hard members, myself included.
I recommend that anyone with the opportunity start their own tradition as well. It’s a great way to try new food, see new corners of the city, and hang out with all the other no-goodnik three-day weekenders over something other than a bar stool.
We had only four rules. All menus had to be:
1. In one of the central barrios.
2. Less than 15 euros per person.
3. Good quality food.
4. Good quality people.
The Rankings.
This list is limited to our menu del día meet-ups over the past calendar year. I included both food and atmosphere in my decisions, though the process was by no means meticulous; I’m going off little more than my general impressions of each place. I also recognize this list skews toward trendy restaurants, which is partly because we liked to use the meet-up as an opportunity to get into otherwise busy spots (Friday lunch was normally little hassle), but also as a much-needed break from the every-day Spanish fare. It’s worth noting that sometimes little Spanish joints in the outer barrios do the best menus of all!
It’s pretty astounding that a restaurant with a waitlist of more than a month offers a 14-euro fixed-price meal. If that’s not a testament to the spirit of the menú del día, I don’t know what is. Make a reservation, wait it out, and go here. The food is a fresh take on the Mediterranean-Asian fusion that’s the rage in Spain these days (thanks, David Muñoz) and the dining room is bright and welcoming with all the touchstones of modern aesthetics (dangling bulbs, faded wood, dark blues and whites) without feeling hackneyed. The food is fresh, creative and delicious. We felt like sexy young business people at English teacher prices.
You know you’ve chosen your restaurant well when you find yourself eating next to Javier Bardem. The rich and famous have good taste, much better than Joe Nobodies like us, but this place stands on its own. The cuisine consists of modern takes on Spanish classics though there are the occasional Asian influences (again, all the rage), and the desserts are incredible. It also has the nicest bathroom in Madrid—shit’s straight out of a William Sonoma catalog. Atmosphere is cozy, intimate, and occasionally Bardem-ridden.
Unlike other restaurants that include maybe two or three options for a first and second course, Momo offers the entire menu for the menu del día. The food is delicious and varied (again, some Mediterranean-Asian fusion going on—I’m spotting a trend). The dishes can sometimes be a bit sauce-heavy (or maybe my tastes are becoming more Spanish) but choose wisely and you’ll love your meal. This is one of my go-to menus del día when I have visitors because of the wide selection. They also have a menu de noche for a reasonable 18 euros (same as the day menu), but if you’re going to be in the area for a reasonably-priced dinner, I’d suggest Baco y Beto.
This restaurant is intimate and classic (the chef himself sometimes takes the orders) with faded white wood walls and a chalkboard listing the daily specials. The food is classic Spanish with a touch of ‘lo moderno,’ and everything is fresh and seasonal. It’s still the best crema de verduras I’ve had in Madrid (had seasonal squash with a couple slices of intense chorizo), which says a lot in a city obsessed with creaming vegetables. Here’s a previous post on Badila.
Just to switch things up here, let’s focus on quantity. Casa dei Pazzi offers a substantial salad as a starter and then a whole Italian-style pizza for your main course.There’s also wine, bread and dessert. You’ll wonder how you got away with paying only 11 euros, half-expecting to look over your shoulder as you leave and see an angry Italian chef charging after you with a pizza paddle.
Maybe the most charming atmosphere in the list, it feels a bit like an old diner, with a few tables around a large bar and counter in the middle, the hustle and bustle of the waiters running around and the steady chatter of regulars. The food’s great too.We showed up at 1:30 and it was fine, but it filled up quickly. Check out our previous post on Los Chuchis.
This trendy restaurant in Malasaña has a similar feel to Maricastaña (see below), with both doing modern takes on classic spanish food, though Galleta’s menu skews a bit more French. They’re also on the same street, so if you don’t like the look of one menu, try the other. I prefer the atmosphere here though—the warm gold lighting, the wide French doors to the street, the wood and brick interior with wild flowers in vases around the restaurant. When we went the food was classic Spanish but good (crema starter, entrecot, a fruit desert) but the menu del día seems to change frequently and dramatically, so you can probably catch it on a great day.
The food is classic menu del día —your typical crema de verduras starter (or hummus or a salad) with a protein-focused second (lomo, entrecot, meluza)—but what they do, they do well. It has a bit of that same late-2000s trendy look to it—exposed brick, sanded wood shelves, dangling lightbulbs and fading white paint—but they manage to pull it off. Galleta wins by a hair, but they’re both nice dining experiences.
We all enjoyed this place. They describe their cuisine as “Latin Criollo” (though it leaned more Spanish than Latin American) with a warm Latin-inspired atmosphere. They publish examples of their menú del día right on the website http://lacandelita.es/carta/menu-del-dia/so you don’t have to take my word for it!
TukTuk doesn’t even need mentioning on an English-language Madrid blog. They do a nice variety of Southeast Asian dishes and have great quantity and quality menu for the price, so it’s always a popular suggestion in the expat community. If you’ve lived here for over a year, you’ve definitely heard the typical “let’s all go TuckTak! Takatuk! TACKATACKATUKKA!” They’re pronouncing it wrong, though—it’s “tuktuk.” Read our full post on Tuk Tuk.
This place was consistently called the best menú del día in Madrid on TripAdvisor last year, and it might still have that reputation, but the second time I went, the quality and presentation seemed to have slipped. Who knows, it may have been an off day. I don’t know how you would characterize their food—it’s a bit of a Spanish-and-everything fusion. I would sum it up as “rich.” Be careful to mix up the starter and second course, otherwise you’ll be like “why’d I order fried cheese in blueberry sauce as an appetizer for pesto-smothered pork?”
I bumped My Veg down a couple notches because they didn’t include a drink with the menu del día, which is an insult to the very tradition! The final cost was closer to 18 euros, making it the most expensive menu we had all year. In terms of quality, it would be closer to the top. All the food was market fresh (they pride themselves on “tomatoes that taste like tomatoes”) and the presentation modern and meticulous. It’s a much fancier place than the outside suggests. Just ignore the terrible name.
I came here after a particularly intense bike ride and without showering, so my memory is one of me hunching over my plate apologetically avoiding eye contact with all the well-dressed businessmen eating around us. The food was delicious though, Spanish food with a modern twist. I managed to take this blurry photo before losing all control and smashing my face into my plate in a black-out feeding frenzy.
I’m a sucker for Thai food and this place does a decent job for the (oddly specific) price. They include tom yum soup or pad thai as a starter, then a stirfry or curry as a second. The atmosphere is a bit odd, it feels a bit like a theme restaurant. While we’re on the topic of thai food, I actually prefer the menú del día at Maiia Thai (Plaza de España), though it doesn’t rotate much,and sometimes the new BambuBox (Chueca) has Tom Kha as a starter, which is nice. I haven’t included either of those on the list because they weren’t done as a menu with the group. Also: Krachai (Alonso Martinez) has very high quality food and some Michelin nods, though the menu is expensive, doesn’t include soup, and doesn’t rotate much.
So this place has a surprisingly nice interior and the food wasn’t bad (a decent-sized burger, a pisto starter for me, someone got a salad) but it’s located in an exceptionally ugly plaza between Sol and Gran Via and attached to a drab little hotel. It’s the kind of place you’d expect to see a man in a disheveled suit drinking a mid-morning cocktail and nervously waiting to meet his mistress.
The menu food isn’t bad, but it’s not particularly noteworthy. We all had some type of chicken or beef stir-fry but they seemed to lack those bright fundamental vietnamese tastes (mint, lime, basil). I also would’ve liked to see pho as a menu option, but that’s wishful thinking. I prefer La Petit Hanoi in malasaña.
Everyone else loved this place (including TripAdvisor, where it has some pretty outstanding rankings). It has a unique design concept I guess, but I was not blown away by the food. I also have no idea how we’re supposed to pronounce it. “El bus?” “El beh- OOS?” I end up saying it like I’m hesitant to recommend it, which I guess I am: “El b’us.”
18. Vivares (chueca, 9.90 euro / 12 euros veg option)
This restaurant is popular for lunch in Chueca, but I can’t figure out why, exactly. We experienced so-so food in a chaotic environment, nothing extraordinary, and the menu felt a bit too long for them to focus on any type of seasonal speciality. My strongest memory is that it was too loud. “Alright, gramps” you’re probably thinking, but the sensation was like being in an adult Chuck-E-Cheese without any of the cool robot puppets.
I enjoy La Mucca for dinner. They have a good boletus pizza and some quality appetizers, and it’s lively and fun in the evening. For lunch, this place disappointed. It was the first menu del día where someone had to set aside a dish—a greasy open-faced sandwich with an odd flavor. We were also sitting on the slanting terraza with the harsh mid-afternoon February sunlight blinding our eyes and giving the greasy Tosta an even more washed-out, dreary look. The highlight was this salad, but even that can be made easily at home for much cheaper. We sat there dreaming of all the better places on this list, knowing that next week was a fresh start.
Final Thoughts:
You might have noticed almost none of these get awful reviews, but that’s simply because none of these places were awful. Maybe it’s a testament to our rigorous selection process, or maybe we just enjoyed ourselves everywhere. If a place were awful, I would have said so.
I think of Homer the food critic: “I’m giving this my worst review ever: seven thumbs up.”
I have more recommendations for menús around Madrid that were not included in this list because we did not go there in our Friday group. I had to set a limit for the list somewhere. Please add your suggestions below or on Facebook and we can compile another post.
Gallery
(all photos were snapped on scene with an iPhone, unless otherwise indicated)
Asian-fusion ceviche at Bacira
Duck confit at Gabriel
Bacira dessert
Stew as the main course at Bacira
Bacira appetizer
Vivares Salad
Vietnam 24
Del Norte
Casa dei Pazza
Badila
Badila crema de calabacín
TukTuk
El Apartamento
La Candelita
Bar Galleta
Bar Galleta
Bar Galleta crema
Bar Galleta
Greek salad starter at La Mucca, Malasaña
Gabriel
Gabriel crema
Gabriel Menú
Maricastaña
Gabriel dessert
Gabriel dessert
Maricastaña
Banibanoo, an Iranian Market-style Restaurant in the Center of Madrid!
I have to admit that when I was first invited to try a new Persian food restaurant in Madrid, I had my doubts. Until then my knowledge of Persian food was very limited. But if there is something that I love it is trying new things. So of course, I accepted.
Banibanoo describes itself as a restaurant offering Persian market cuisine. It is owned by a young woman named Banafsheh who, after working six years in marketing, decided to pursue her dream of becoming a chef and restaurant owner. One day she left her job and went to London to study in Le Cordon Bleu School. Upon returning to Madrid, she discovered that Iranian food was little known in the Spanish capital. So she decided to open her very own restaurant where people could enjoy these wonderful dishes.
The name of the restaurant is also very personal: Bani is short for her full name Banafsheh and Banoo means Miss. So Banibanoo means Miss Bani.
Banibanoo’s owner Banafsheh
The restaurant is small and cozy, perfect for a fantastic meal with friends or with your partner. Apart from the food, what I love the most about Banibanoo is how bright it is and that the food is on display at the bar. That way, you can see all the food they serve before you order. It also has an intimate and familiar feeling, as if you were entering a market and wanted to eat something from a particular stand.
Banibanoo.
Fresh ingredients and beautiful homemade dishes are all the decorations you need
Banibanoo
According to Banafsheh, Iranian shares a lot in common with Mediterrean cuisine; the ingredients are all very similar. But for me, each dish at Banibanoo tastes unique and exotic, for the mixture of flavors and variety of ingredients on each plate.
Food on display
Food on display
The food
Banibanoo offers a simple menu, consisting of traditional and original dishes, all made with fresh ingredients and a lot of love. If you’re the kind of person who struggles when it comes to ordering, no problem. At Banibanoo you have the option of choosing a menu with three different dishes on one plate. Banafsheh likes to change up the menu every two weeks, offering different recipes along with the old ones. Banibanoo also offers wonderful breakfasts. On Saturday and Sunday, for example, she offers a very special breakfast that will be the highlight of your weekend: a “burnt” brioche bun with cream cheese and jam.
When I went for lunch with two friends, Banafsheh suggested we try out different dishes so we could all share. I have to say that was a fantastic idea. The first three dishes we tried were: broccoli with roasted cherry tomato in a yogurt sauce and tahini; beetroot hummus with feta cheese and hazelnuts; and gourmet purple potatoes with yogurt sauce, cherry tomatoes and cardamum.
Menu 1
For the second place, we ordered: sweet potato with red onions, yogurt sauce, almonds and pomegranate seeds; couscous with cheese, mint sauce, cilantro and parsley; and Kuku Kadoo: zucchini ‘frittata’ with mint and cheese.
Menu 2
Our last plate included: roasted beets with cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and a pomegranate and Sumac sauce; Shirin Polo, Persian rice, saffron, orange zest, carrot and pistachio (this was one my favorite, amazing!); and Kuku Sabzi: similar to a ‘frittata’ with herbs, walnuts and cockles.
Menu 3
For dessert we had an incredible carrot cake (really, please try it!) and a brownie-like chocolate cake. Also delicious.
Carrot cake
Guinness Chocolate cake
All this feast of food could only be accompanied by a typical Iranian drink, infused with cucumber, flowers and other refreshing ingredients.How can you describe something that tastes so good? They now have two different drinks based on this one: One is call Tejebin: The same drink but with tea and Cafejebin: The same but with coffee.
Banibanoo drink
What can I say? If you want to enjoy healthy and traditional food with an exotic taste, this is your place! Fantastic Recommendation – thank you Jose and María for taking me to this wonderful place.
INFO
Address: Calle Martires Concepcionistas 19, Madrid
Price: €12.95, 3-dish menu plus coffee and drink during the week; €13.95During the weekend, without drinks; Breakfast goes from €2.50 with coffee or tea to €5.50.
It is the first Japanese pastry shop and matcha bar in the city and allows you to experience a different side of Japanese cuisine (but if you don’t have a sweet tooth, never fear. There’s also a savory menu as well).
