I remember the first time I went to the restaurant Casa de Granada – I didn’t actually know where I was going, or that I was going to a restaurant at all for that matter.

Just a few blocks off Puerta del Sol, I arrived at the front door of what appeared to be any other apartment building. My friend rang the telefonillo, and then someone buzzed us in without even asking who we were. Was my amigo secretly a criminal and leading me into some shady residence? Was I about to be kidnapped?

No. Nothing of the sort.

Six floors up, the doors opened. Instantly, I felt like I was in a scene from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – except the wardrobe was an elevator, and Narnia was, well, a Spanish cafetería. Before me, the most typical of Spanish restaurants – tiled floor, a tapas-filled bar, a token television – bordered by a balcony on two sides with an expansive southern view of the city.

Stepping out onto the narrow one-table-wide terraza, other patrons made way so that I could squeeze through to an open table. With limited space outside, the best way to get one of those much-coveted seats is to wait your turn, or do as I do – arrive after the lunch crowd has passed, tómate un café, and soak up the afternoon sun.

While the standard Spanish fare was nothing to write home about, the view of the town below, as well as into people’s pisos (hehe) more than made up for it. Really, just the combination of an apartment, cafetería, and sixth-floor sight seeing, make the semi-secret spot worth a visit.

I haven’t the slightest clue how this joint is legal, but if their neighbors are OK with it, then I suppose so am I *puts binoculars away*. In other news, I’m seriously contemplating turning my own piso into some sort of cupcake and peanut butter café.

Casa de Granada
C/ Doctor Cortezo 17, 6th floor
913 693 596