Tapas Day in Madrid, Spain
What to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Madrid? Meet Spanish friends for tapas, of course!
Five of us met at 12:30 in La Latina, one of the most genuinely authentic barrios in the center of Madrid, with medieval streets and historic sites and plazas. Over four hours, we walked and talked our way through this old neighbourhood, and visited 3 different tapas bars/tavernas and a café.
Our first stop was El Diamante, a convenient place to meet as it was right by the metro stop at Plaza Cebada, a twenty minute walk from Gran Via. The tapa with the cana (a glass of beer from the tap) was patatas with chorizo, and a small plate of olives.
When the last person of our party arrived, we carried on to the second place, another traditional establishment with blue and white tiles, where the specialty is tripe in salsa.
If you like tripe, it was excellent. Cut into small pieces, it is stewed in a rich tomato and pimento based sauce until tender, then served with bread on the side for soaking up the salsa. I like to think that my preference for the salsa left more tripe for the others!
Following a short walk through the narrow streets of La Latina, we came to Almacen de Vinos, another historic tavern. The red vats in the back section were for storing wine, from which they would fill wine casks and sell to locals.
Here, we went beyond the tapas that came with the drinks and left the ordering to the Madrilenas: a bottle of Jumilla wine, Pinodoncel with tuna, beef, two different cheeses, a platter of red peppers and for dessert, a brownie and a fig tart.
And to finish the tapas portion of the day, we went to a fourth place for coffee or tea.
Our afternoon lasted 4 hours, cost 20 Euros total each, and included so much laughter that my stomach hurt, and not from eating!
At the beginning, we all put ten euros into a communal wallet, which was used to pay as we went along. When the bill arrived at our final place, we each added an equivalent portion of any extra needed. It was so much easier and less time consuming than calculating at each place, making it even more fun with a sense of community.
And while having Spaniards choose the locations, the wines and the dishes made the experience more authentic, the best part of being with them is just how much fun they are!
