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Cheap Eats in Madrid

November 29th, 2010 | Posted by sawidner in Food and Restaurants | Lifestyle | Stephanie - (1 Comments)

After living here in Madrid for a year, you finally start to figure out some great places to eat on a student’s budget. Believe it or not it is possible to eat cheap in Madrid, here are but a few that are our go to restaurants, especially when I don’t feel like cooking.

-La Sanabresa Amor de Dios, 12 Madrid  914290338  Metro Anton Martin  This is my husband’s and I’s all time favorite restaurant in Madrid, they have a little bit to please everyone’s palate.  You can’t wrong with their wonderful baked lamb and chicken, and their menu del dia starts at 10 euros for lunch and dinner.  It was written in the New York Times a few years ago as being a “French Bistro, Spanish style.”  Also make sure you sit in Joaquin’s section up front. (big mustache waiter)  If you go for dinner get there at 8pm when they open, otherwise a line forms out the door by 9pm, and they are closed on Sundays, and some Mondays.

-Taqueria Mi Ciudad C/ de las Fuentes 11 28013 Madrid  Metro Opera/Sol This is a little taqueria or taco stand near Sol.  The tacos start at 1.50 euros each, and a bottle of beer is 2 euros, and they are very authentic according to some of our Mexican friends from IE.  Plus, its a great place to stop by when shopping in Sol, or you need some good late night food. (note there are two locations, we’ve only been to the taqueria and not their restaurant)

-Maceiras Huertas 66, Madrid, 28014  Metro Anton Martin   My mouth just waters thinking about the pulpo (for 9 euos for 4 people) they serve here.  I’ve had my fair share here in Madrid and Galicia, and this is by far my favorite.  This is a little Galician style restaurant, so come here for the shellfish and fish like merluza, and don’t expect any other meat on the menu.  If you arrive by 10 for dinner every night you get the extra special treat of watching them mix their special traditional Galician drink that they set on fire, and serve out of a large cauldron.  Definitely a place to take visitors, and at no more than 15 euros per person, you’ll have enough left over to enjoy the many bars and jazz clubs up and down Huertas Street.

-Lamiak De la Rosa, 10 28012 Madrid  Metro Anton Martin  This is our favorite tapa’s place in Madrid, and the tapas are only 1.70 euros each!  They have two locations one near Anton Martin and the over in La Latina neighborhood, which is always packed, so we stick to the first location.  Their kitchen is open during the day, but we find the best selection and quality when they open the kitchen up again at 8:15pm at night.  They have wonderful wines by the glass starting at 2.50euros a glass, and canas for 2 euros.  I also like that they play a lot of jazz and blues music in the background. You must try the stuffed pepper, and the goat cheese with caramelized onions, after these two I’m usually full.

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Nightclubs in Madrid

November 15th, 2010 | Posted by sawidner in Stephanie | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

When I had a friend visit us recently in Madrid, it didn’t take her long to figure out the nightlife here.  Basically take your siesta or nap until 7pm, then get ready for dinner at 10pm so that you’ll be ready to head to the clubs by 1 am.  She didn’t believe me at first, and thought that the nightlife was second to none in Vegas.  She, like the rest of us realized that Madrid comes alive suddenly at night, and doesn’t stop until the early morning hours.

Here’s just a couple of clubs I’ve been to, each one has its own niche:

Gabana 1800 Calle Velázquez 6. Tel. 915 760 686 Metro Velaquez  One of our favorite clubs because it attracts an older more sophisticated crowd and dress code.  Pros: nice VIP area with its own restroom, wonderful light show  Cons:  Can get very crowded, the cover can be as high as 20 euros at the door

Joy Eslava Calle Arenal 11. Tel. 913 663 733.  Metro Sol  Is in an old theater and caters to a younger crowd and tourists.  Pros:  nice seating areas, well laid out, has a floor show on the weekends   Cons: pricey drinks 15 euros per drink some nights

Pacha Madrid Calle de Barceló 11. Tel. 914 470 128. Metro Tribunal  Also caters to a younger 18 and over crowd  Pros: Centrally located right next to the Tribunal stop, have two separate areas for music one house/techno other traditionally dance and hiphop Cons: gets unbelievably crowded, line to get in can be long after 2am, has a strange layout, and the cover can be 15 euros at the door

Shabay C/ Miguel Ángel, 3 28010 Madrid, Spain - 913 197 692  Metro Ruben Dario This club has a little of everything Salsa on Wedsnesdays, and cool dance music the other nights with a nice Thai/Indian theme as well.  Pros: Great Atmosphere, nice layout, good after hours place Cons: drinks can be expensive 12 euros per drink, but some nights this is included in the cover

Club Momo Calle Echegaray, 14  Metro Sevilla/Sol This is one of our favorite smaller clubs, where a lot of locals hang out.  Pros: no cover at the door, has one side for regular dance music, other side plays traditional Spanish flamenco and some latin music, has three bars all easily accessible  Cons: Bouncers can be rude.

Madrid through the Eyes of two American Tourists

October 29th, 2010 | Posted by sawidner in Lifestyle | Stephanie | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

When I lived in Hawaii, before moving to Madrid a year ago, I always enjoyed having visitors.  One reason being that it really made you appreciate even more where you lived, and gave you a fresh perspective through a fresh pair of eyes as to why you moved here in the first place.  I experienced this again when my parents came to visit me here in Madrid.  I had a renewed interest in exploring Madrid, along the way I noted a couple observations that they made that I had never really given much thought to or had forgotten about.

One of the things they really appreciated was how clean everything was.  I remember my mom saying you could actually feel comfortable using the restroom in the train station.  In the states you always dread the public restrooms especially in some of the airports and train stations.  They also were very impressed with the cleanliness of the metro, and how reliable it was.

They also were surprised by the variety and flavors of the food in Madrid.  I took them to a Galician style restaurant known for their pulpo or octopus, then a small tapas bar, and finally a Morrocco style restaurant.  Every night was something a little different, and they enjoyed the long lunches and siestas that Spain is famous for.  My mom was surprised that things weren’t spicier, a misnomer that I think a lot of Americans come to Spain thinking ahead of time.  She also like the fact that everything was fresh and not processed, and that they used a lot of sea salt and paprika to favor the seafood.

They found the people in Madrid to be nice and accommodating people to them.  My parents could barely say hola, but found that a lot of restaurants had a la carta or menu in English.  Also, almost all the tours they did were in English as well.  One thing I noticed is that a lot of the waiters would respect people that were my parent’s age, and even goes as far to ask where they were from and if they enjoyed Madrid.

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Getting your Shoes Repaired in Madrid

October 29th, 2010 | Posted by sawidner in Lifestyle | Stephanie | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

Did you ever watch the episode of Sex in the City where Carrie the main character continues to get her stilletos stuck in subway grates or they fall apart as she’s walking down the sidewalk?  I can relate to this episode after spending some time navigating some of the cobblestone streets in Madrid.  I finally broke down and took three pairs of shoes to have then repaired, just in time for the fall boot season.

I headed over to a place near me called Reparacion Del Calzado Ol-Mar near Metro Lavapies.  They charged only 4 euros to replace the tips of my heels on my boots and 20 euros to resole a pair of ballet flats.  The best part was they were ready the next day, or if you’re in a real shoe emergency they can repair them while you wait.  This seems to be a big business here, and rightfully so, since so many madrilenos spend a lot of time walking for fun or to the  nearest transit stop.  Online I discovered 10 shops within a 20 minute walk from my place near the Museo de Prado.  I have also heard there is a reasonable shop up near IE business school on Diego de Leon.

So I’d advise checking out your nearest shoe repair shop before the rain, and maybe snowy weather sets in.

Reparacion Del Calzado Ol-Mar Calle Argumosa, 31 Madrid 28012   91 539 80 24

Palacio Real or Royal Palace in Madrid

October 22nd, 2010 | Posted by sawidner in Lifestyle | Stephanie | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

I had probably only walked by the Palacio Real a couple times since I had moved to Madrid.  I was always curious what it looked like in the inside, just never took the time to do the tour.  After living here almost a year, I finally got the opportunity to take my parents when they arrived for their first visit to Madrid a couple weeks ago.

We ended up stopping by on a Friday, and found we only had to wait in line for a couple minutes to purchase our tickets and pass through the metal detectors.  We chose to do the self guided tour, 8 euros for adults, or 6.50 euros with a student i.d.   Later on we learned that the guided tour for a euro more takes you through the same rooms as the self- guided tour, however the tour in English is only given during the summer months.

My favorite room was the Royal Pharmacy with all of the original vials concoctions used to mix the king’s medicines from witch hazel, to gold, to various alcohols.  A favorite for my dad was the Armeria Real or Royal Armory.  It has two floors of a very extenstive collection of armor, weaponry, and torture instruments.  They even had on display armor for children and even your dog.  The tour also takes you through a couple of the ballrooms, sitting rooms, and the throne room.  The final room, Museo de Musica, was my mom’s favorite and has the world’s largest collection of five stringed instruments by Stradivarius.  You also can enjoy the views onto the Campo del Moro off the backside of the Palace.

Afterwards we enjoyed the gardens in front of the Palacio in Plaza de Oriente.  This area is also a nice place to rest with a cafe at one of the many cafes lining the gardens.  From here it is a very easy to walk over to explore Plaza de Espana, or head south into the La Latina neighborhood.

Palacio Real Calle Bailen, Madrid, Espana 28071    34 91454-8700   Opened Apr-Sept Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun 9-3; Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 9-5, Sun 9-2