MADRID RESTURANTS

Blue Punto

Im bringing the wife to Madrid for her birthday in early September.
Has anyone been there recently and any tips for a nice place to eat out.

Tryin to be romantic and all that:D

helimachoptor

Hi there OP, I have a friend who was working there for 18 months I went over for 2 long weekends. He's Greek and a fussy eater. Best thing I'd say is get the lonely planet guide if you want a fancy place to eat. Mostly we ate in tapas bars but we did go for one "proper" meal and it was fantastic.

I cant remember the name of the place but it only opened at 9pm and closed at 11pm but my god it was fantastic and we started queueing at 8pm so it s very popular.

Diego_Spain

I live in Madrid, so if you tell me your budget (approx), tapas style or "proper" meal, lunch (14:00 to 16:00 PM) or dinner (21:00 to 23:00 PM), which is your hotel area. etc.. i could give you some useful restaurants tips.

Sorry for my poor english

Blue Punto

Hi Diego
Anywere central in madrid as we will be using taxis to get around so finding places should not be a problem.
Im looking for somewhere on the 8th of September for dinner around the 9 pm .
Im not looking for anything expensive but I want something reasonable with good food being the priority

Diego_Spain

Ok
You could have a romantic walk before dinner if you go to ARGÜELLES ZONE (close to Plaza de España)
MAP: http://bit.ly/o1aPWz
Start your walk at the Royal Palace and take Bailén street to the Debod temple. That’s a 10 minutes walk. The building is a Real Egyptian temple, and you can enjoy a nice sunset there. (8:30 pm in Sept). http://bit.ly/qkVyuF
Then you could go to:
Dantxari: Calle Ventura Rodriguez, 8.It is a typical basque restaurant (Taberna), where you can eat very good meat and fish at a reasonable price. Not really a romantic place. http://www.dantxari.com/ (English web) http://bit.ly/reVFgH Online reserve.
Casa de Valencia: Paseo del pintor Rosales,58. It´s one of the best “arrocerías” (rice dishes specialists) in Madrid . Paella, arroz a banda, etc. Please avoid the paella restaurants at Plaza Mayor, they are just tourist traps. Perhaps you could have some drinks in some Rosales “terrazas” after dinner.
http://bit.ly/hVKlGl Online reserve


2nd Option. TAPAS TOUR
In Spain we usually have our dinner walking We make several stops in a tapas tour, we have a wine and a “tapa”(small individual dish), and keep walking to another place. Sometimes we finish with some “ración” (regular dish for share). One of the best zones for doing this is Cava Baja Street, and the La Latina quarter.
MAP: http://bit.ly/nzRixH
You can start at San Miguel Market, traditional market where you can have some delis such as cheese, oysters and sausages. Then we can walk to Cava Baja. I don´t recommend the restaurants you will find in the Cava San Miguel and the Cuchilleros streets (low quality, and you will not find a Madrilenian person there). Kepp walking until you reach the Cava Baja Street.
There you could go to:
Matritum: http://bit.ly/ooYnu9 Tapas, raciones and wines
Casa Lucas http://bit.ly/qgS262 Don´t miss this place. Great tapas and raciones. 11th in trip advisor restaurants in Madrid. http://bit.ly/qTxjHQ
These are the ones I recommend, but there are other great places. I’m sure you´ll find your own favorite place in La Latina area.
At the El viajero terrace you have will have a nice view of the San Francisco el Grande church. Enjoy the view while you have a drink.

Some more tips:
Amayra: Calle Alcalá 19. Hotel Regina restaurant. Close to Puerta del Sol http://bit.ly/pUn8kD
A good value for money. English spoken.
La tasquita de enfrente Calle Ballesta 6. Great mediterranean cousine, but not so good surroundings. Gran Via street north side.
And finally, a tip for lunch: if you want to try “cocido madrileño” , the most traditional dish in Madrid, go to La Bola Calle La Bola, 5 http://www.labola.es/ (English web) That is a typical “taberna madrilleña” a must in Madrid. Better for lunch because cocido is a heavy meal.
Please let me know if I can be of further help (tips on museums, shops, etc).
Enjoy Madrid!

Blue Punto

Diego
Many thanks for that .
Ill nake sure Casa Lucas gets a stop off and ill take the information you gave me with me on our stay as there is plenty of of information there
Many thanks again
Blue