Junior Member
Registered: 01-05-09
|
You're in luck! I lived in Madrid for a time; in fact I just moved back to the states. Here's my few advice:
1) Take a stroll in the Plaza Mayor in the late evening/night but AVOID it for food. Trust me. The plates look delicious (and often they are) but they are tourist traps of the worst kind. They'll take a dish, half-ass it, and charge 3x the price.
2) I'm not sure what you're looking for...any great food/restaurants? Or traditional Spanish fair? Spain is increasingly seen as the culinary capital of the world, so there are just as many if not more great French, Italian, Chinese, etc. restaurants here than Spanish.
I'm going to assume you want a Spanish experience though.
There's a good place called the "Museo del Vino" at 14 Calle de la Cruz. Don't let the name fool you, it's not actually a museum, just a restaurant. It's a bit pricey for dinner, but if it's your honeymoon, it's all good!
My favorite lunch spot was the Cafetería Dulcinea, at 12 Calle Caballero de Gracia, just off Gran Vía. They are very friendly, and it has a good set of local regulars who work in offices nearby.
3) You HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE to do 2 things, food-wise, whilst in Madrid. The first, is for lunch, order a "bocadillo de calamares" or Calamari sandwich. It is the quintessential madrileño lunch; Madrid is famous for them, literally.
The second, is the late night snack. If you haven't heard already, Spain is NOTORIOUS for late late nights. It doesn't matter if you are a partier or not, nearly everybody stays up until 1, 2, 3, 4 or later in the morning. And the ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY experience in Madrid is to go for "churros con chocolate" at the Chocolatería San Gines at . Founded in 1894, it is WORLD famous, and is an absolute must for anyone in Madrid. In other words, anyone who knows anything about Madrid will ask you "Did you go to San Ginés at 3am?" And shame on the person who says no ;-)
Other than that, simply walk down the narrow streets and choose places that you think look authentic. Tip: Avoid Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía area (except for Cafetería Dulcinea that I already mentioned). They are very pricey and touristy. For real, local-approved areas, I suggest taking the metro to somewhere a bit farther from the tourists, like Moncloa. Moncloa (on the Yellow 3 Metro line) is a great area that is a favorite of madrileños.
Last advice: The customer is NOT always right, in Spain. If you speak Spanish, awesome! They'll appreciate it. If not, don't worry! But it's worth learning basic words for ordering food, saying please, thank you, etc. Waiters in Spain (and especially Madrid) are a bit notorious for treating foreigners badly if they think the foreigner is the least bit stuck up or unwilling to appreciate Spanish customs. So, a bright smile, an attempt at Spanish, and lots of "thank yous" will do wonders. Also, it is not customary to tip in Spain, so you'll get some funny looks if you leave more than literally a few coins leftover from the change.
Have fun in the greatest city on earth!
|
Travel Channel Discussions 