Top Ten Things To Do In Madrid

Glen and I enjoyed a fabulous child-free four days in marvellous Madrid back in January and I've picked out the top ten things to do if you're there for a weekend of indulgence and exploration. As always there is a bit more of a foodie slant to my list, but there are plenty of other options too.

1. Food Markets

Madrid has a ton of different indoor food markets and we visited several during our stay, which all had their own individual charm. 

Our favourite by far was the Mercado San Miguel in the Centro area, which is set in an absolutely stunning and historic building - all wrought iron and clear glass windows and doors, making it an attractive proposition before you even arrive. 

The atmosphere on a Thursday afternoon was electric - it was jam packed with tourists and locals alike; all being tempted by the many, many different types of food on offer. 

It isn't cheap, but it's super fun to hop from stall to stall trying different bites, and there are plenty of bars too offering beer, wine, cava or something stronger if you prefer. 

Our favourites here included this super creamy whipped burrata topped with jamon and cups of the most delicious jamon, that melted in the mouth. Well worth a visit and make sure you go hungry!

Burrata & Jamon at Mercado San Miguel

Jamon at Mercado San Miguel

Delicious olive, anchovy and roasted pepper morsel at Mercado San Miguel

2. Arts and Culture

You will be spoilt for choice in Madrid for galleries, museums and exhibitions - it's such a diverse and cultural city.

We enjoyed a few galleries but the absolute standout had to be visiting Museo Renia Sofia which is home to an astounding amount of fantastic pieces of art and photography from Dali to Picasso.

Picasso piece at Museo Renia Sofia

It's around 15 Euros per adult ticket - but they do have a free entry period in the evenings between 7-9pm if you're on a budget.

It's well worth the admission price especially to see Picasso's breathtaking Guernica in the flesh - the size and breadth are amazing. 

3. Chocolate & Churros

Chocolate & Churros at San Gines, Madrid

You will see dotted around the city a number of 'chocolateria'; but the oldest - dating back to 1890 is San Gines. 

We gladly joint the hoard of people queuing up to try the long doughnutty churros dipped in pure liquid chocolate - absolute bliss and a must-do for Madrid!

4. Take Your Own Walking Tour

Royal Palace, Madrid

Pack some comfy shoes or trainers as you really can see most of Madrid by foot - especially if visiting in a cooler month. 

Grab a map and make a plan of the places you're keen to see and attempt it on foot with some water on hand. 

There are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants all over the city to sit and cool down and hydrate in and along the way. 

Places of interest you might want to nose at include The Royal Palace, City Hall, the Cibeles Fountain (where you see Real Madrid celebrating sometimes), and the many, many beautiful churches in and around Madrid, to name a few.

City Hall, Madrid

5. El Retiro Parque

Palacio De Cristal, Madrid

El Retiro Parque, Madrid

The El Retiro Parque is for me comparable to Central Park in New York as it seems to be it's own little city, with different areas and districts within it and tons going on within it's gates. 

It's an absolutely beautiful and completely green space with tons of grassy areas, playgrounds, a boating lake and of course the stunning Palacio De Cristal - or crystal palace which is beautiful inside and out. 

Within the park you'll see loads of street entertainers performing all sorts of different arts - from tai chi, skate boarding, dance, singing and many other things. It's a great, free place to visit in Madrid.

6. Enjoy Cava in the Sunshine

Cava in the Madrid sunshine

Cava is Spain's sparkling wine equivalent to Champagne, Prosecco and the like; and it is absolutely delicious and much more modestly priced than Champagne. 

It's an absolute must to enjoy sipping on a glass of cold, sparkling cava sitting outside in the sunshine of Madrid and will only set you back 5 or 6 euros.

7. Take a Tapas Crawl in La Latina

Pan con tomate with jamon, Lateral, Madrid

You can pick up good tapas all around the city when you enter a bar for a drink, however mine and Glen's favourite after four days was the little district of La Latina, especially if you're talking about after dark. 

Take a stroll along the Calle Cava Baja and you'll soon understand the appeal - even on a cold wintery January evening, the whole stretch of road which is adorned with bars and restaurants was absolutely heaving with happy Madrilenos and tourists alike. Spilling out of the bars into the street tons of people were enjoying plates of tapas, ice cold beer, wine and cocktails too. It's a buzzy atmosphere and the food along here was some of the best we had in the four days. 

In the bars you'll be presented with a plate of tapas 'gratis' or complementary with your drinks, but there are some cracking restaurants along the Calle Cava Baja too. 

We really enjoyed some spectacular dishes in Cava Baja 17 and they were completely different to what we'd had elsewhere too - a little cheesy empanada was a nice beginning but then we had soft, flavourful Iberico pork topped with goat's cheese on fresh crusty bread which was great; and our favourite dish which was so unusual and so delicious was the bread again but this time topped with cod fish and then a honeyed aioli - it was stunning. 

Cod & Honeyed Aioli and Iberico Pork & Goat's Cheese, Cava Baja 17, Madrid

You don't have to limit your tapas choices to this area though; we didn't have a bad meal anywhere in Madrid - we enjoyed a fairly fancy tapas meal in a more up-market setting at Lateral Castellana 42, some lovely authentic tapas in Alahambra in the Centro district washed down with Fino sherry, and a relaxed but delicious array of tapas in Downtown Madrid at Aceytuna on Calle Fuencarral for only 40 euros with beers included. 

Blistered Padron Peppers at Aceytuna, Madrid

However my favourite dish of the four days was an inexpensive 'gambas al ajillo' - succulent juicy prawns in sizzling garlic oil cooked to absolute perfection and served with bread to mop up the juices in a very casual little cafe in the Sol area, called Las Bravas. We'd walked for a couple of hours and stumbled upon this little gem, full of locals and couldn't resist after seeing that being delivered to another table. Well worth a visit.

Gambas al ajillos, Las Bravas, Madrid

8. Enjoy a La Liga Game

Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid

Views from Wanda Metropolitano

As a pair of football fans, Glen and I were lucky that a local derby took place during our stay and we we managed to source a pair of tickets for around 70 euros for the pair. 

We watched Athletico Madrid versus Getafe CF at the incredible Wanda Metropolitano stadium. We've both been to some of the UK's best football stadiums between us but both agreed the Wanda Metropolitano was something special. The structure, layout, the fact there was no queuing once inside as there was ample bars, food stalls and most importantly staff - making the visit super easy. 

The structure also has huge (intentional) gaps so you are able to look out over stunning scenes of Madrid. We travelled on the Metro with tons of passionate Madrilenos on the way to support their teams and it was fabulous to soak in that atmosphere.

9. Go Dancing

As a rare few days without our two children, Glen and I indulged in plenty of beer, wine, cava and cocktails during our four days in Madrid. On the weekend evenings, I was keen to go dancing and for that we found the Chueca area to be the best bet. Known for being the LGBTQ friendly area of Madrid, Chueca is home to tons of bars and a handful of clubs, pretty much the Soho of Madrid for me. 

We enjoyed a few drinks in different upmarket bars such as D'Mystic and then ended up in a gay club called Black & White which I thoroughly enjoyed. I danced the night away while Glen was propped up the bar. Great stuff.

10. Start the day well

Breakfast at The Cappuccino Grand Cafe, Madrid

With most city breaks we tend to pack in a lot during the day and in Madrid, we did 90% of that on foot. With that in mind, we made sure to have a hearty breakfast each day to set us up for the day and there are some really good breakfast spots in Madrid.

Pan con tomate is a common breakfast item - sometimes with a fried egg on top, and you'll pick that up almost anywhere, as with a tortilla. But there is a fairly new breakfast and weekend brunch scene emerging in Madrid and we found a really great spot. 

The Cappuccino Grand Cafe opposite El Retiro Parque was home to our favourite breakfast of the stay. Despite being January, it was warm enough to sit out on the terrace to have our breakfast and I enjoyed delicious thick and creamy yoghurt topped with soft fruit and Glen had Egg's Royale - with smoked salmon, a rich Hollandaise sauce and a whole avocado - absolutely winning. This was a great people watching spot too.

There are tons more things you could pack into a mini break to Madrid but these were our favourites. Please do share any top tips as we will certainly return. 

Iberica, Victoria

Spanish food is one of my absolute favourite ways of eating; lots of small plates.

A couple of weeks back, I spent a few hours in the Victoria area with Bridget waiting for my passport, and in the evening Glen joined us for a lovely meal at Iberica in the Zig Zag Building.

Firstly the staff were incredibly welcoming and accommodating of us with the buggy and our rather mischievous 17-month old toddler which is always a good start. We love to eat out but some of our pre-child favourites restaurants aren't very child-friendly. 

The waiter took us through the menu knowledgably, and when we ordered he told us we were ordering a dish or two more than we needed; not that this deterred us.

We ordered the half and half cured meats and cheese selection. The cheeses included mild and creamy manchego (Bridget's favourite) and Urgell; and a softer, smokier one, of which the name escapes me - all equally delicious. The cured meats included spicy chorizo, a really tasty fuet de vic (slithers of a sausage made from the belly and loin of the pig) and the classic lomo or cured pork loin - all delicious and each bringing something different to this delicious board. Accompaniments included quince and Membrillo jelly and complemented the cheeses perfectly. A great start. 

Half and Half Cured Meats and Cheese and Pan Con Tomate

Another board included the pan con tomate or lightly toasted crusty bread topped with flavourful tomatoes. This was good too, but I make this quite often at home and prefer the tomatoes to have a little more bite rather than this paste-like consistency, discussions with a Spanish colleague informed me that each town in Spain has their own way of doing this so I'm in good company apparently.

The stand out dish for me at Iberica was a plate of grilled prawns with mushrooms, cooked in really fragrant garlic oil and not much else. Stunningly simple. A true example of letting a few great ingredients sing together. I'll be attempting to make this at home. 

Also delicious, was the Chicken Chillindron with rosemary roasted potatoes. The chicken was so soft, tender and juicy it was perfection; and surrounded by a warm and sweet tomato sauce, just stunning. The roasted potatoes were tiny, but delicious morsels too. This was a favourite for the three of us. 

Chicken Chillindron

Another great dish was the Iberico Pork Sliders - mini burgers, so moist and tasty and served in brioche buns with a mustard dressing and a pepper - they were only a couple of mouthfuls each, but very, very good ones. 

Iberico Pork Sliders

Glen's favourite dish was the Venison Meatballs which were in a rich a gravy. I'm not fond of venison but did have a nibble and they had plenty of flavour and weren't dry at all, as is often the case.

Venison Meatballs

We also had patatas bravas - roasted potatoes topped with an unctuous, almost sliky and creamy tomato sauce, some plump Manzanilla olives, and Serrano ham croquettes or croquettas served with a strong and superb aioli, again a great dish. 

Serrano Ham Croquettas

This was a fantastic meal and with a Mahou, several soft drinks and a glass of Olorosso sherry came in with service at under £80 which I thought was reasonable given the various dishes.

We love taking Bridget out to eat with us and think it's really important that we do so she learns great table manners and social skills and I never worry about what she might eat as there is always something. I also think it's super important to encourage children to eat lots of different types of foods. Here at Iberica she absolutely loved the ham croquettas, the manchego, the pan con tomate and the meatballs. I had to cut them in half to remove the stone but she also had a few Manzanilla olives with me. She is a true baby or toddler foodie and long may it continue.

There are tons of Spanish style restaurants around London and here are a few tips for some of my favourite dishes or drinks at some of them.

1. The crab croquettas at Barrafina, Adelaide Street are sensational
2. Jose's original Bermondsey tapas bar has the best pan con tomate I've ever had
3. Pix in Soho offers the most wonderful Sangria
4. The Opera Tavern serves simply stunning Iberico Burgers

Copa de Cava, Blackfriars

After visiting Gizzi Erskine’s organised Spanish Fiesta themed Street Feast with my brother and some friends back in August, my brother’s name got pulled out of a hat by Copa de Cava as the winner of a meal for two at their Blackfriars venue.

Happily Dan asked me to join him, and so we went one cold, wet and dreary Friday evening in September and had a lovely night.

We were welcomed by a team of super friendly staff, one of which absolutely made our evening, so attentive and warm was she in detailing items from the menu and matching us with a Cava that she thought we would both enjoy according to our palates. She was fantastic and this experience really brought home the fact to me, that good staff really can make or break a place. A very good start.

We enjoyed an array of tapas style dishes and continued to be impressed throughout the evening. We started with some Spanish olives in a dressing of Cava vinegar, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. The olives alone would have been succulent, plump and juicy and full of flavour but this simple marinade truly elevated them.

The second dish was another simple but addictive dish– ‘Pimientos de Padron’ or sautéed green Galician peppers. These were small bite sized peppers coated in coarse sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil after being lightly charred. They were a delight and an intriguing one at that – one bite was never the same as another, some had a much deeper chilli heat than others – all were divine.

We had a board of charcuterie that was superb. It comprised of chorizo, lomo Iberico, Teruel D.O. Jamon and something I had never tried before but instantly fell in love with – fuet. Fuet is a Catalan speciality, cured pork sausage meat in a pork gut (this concept reminded me a little of a faggot). The meat was so soft and tender that it literally melted in the mouth and whilst it was quite salty, the flavours were just amazing. The charcuterie came with a selection of little bready bites – it would be a great plate of food to enjoy with a friend or two over a few drinks if you were only looking for a snack.

Patatas Bravas came in an unusual way – little cyclinders of fluffy potato in a crisp, delicious coating – I’m not sure how they were cooked, they didn’t taste as if they had been fried, so I’ve no idea how they had such a glorious outside, but I would love to find out. The sauce was smoky with paprika, smooth and velvety – my only complaint would be that in the interests of keeping the dish looking dainty, not enough sauce was given – I could have devoured much more of it.

The next two dishes were our final ones and they really had saved the best two till last. We had octopus with an olive oil mash and I just don’t know where to start. I’m a big fan of octopus anyway, but often it can be too chewy and have a rubbery texture from being overcooked, not so at Copa de Cava. I would hazard a guess that this had been slowly braised on a gentle heat, so tender and wonderful was the final result with just a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of paprika over it to complete it. Served on gorgeously soft mash which had a pepperiness from the olive oil and just the right amount of salt to complement the octopus perfectly. An absolute triumph. The photo is unfortunately not giving this dish justice, due to the lighting and my keenness to start eating the dish.

Our final plate was the favourite for both of us – Presa Iberica, shoulder of rare Iberico pig, with pearly barley, Iberico ham and Manchego. The pork was cooked rare and as with the octopus it was soft, tender and melt in the mouth. It was quite a strong flavour, with an almost game-like quality to it. Personally I loved the accompaniment which was basically a risotto of pearl barley instead of rice – or at least that’s how it both appeared and tasted. Creamy pearl barley that still had a slight crunch or bite to it was flavoured with salty Iberico ham and topped with a generous grating of Manchego cheese – fantastic.

We chose a bottle of the Reserva Aria Segura Viudas after a helpful chat with the waitress. We loved its almost smoky yet light and delicate flavour – it was selected as I said how much I love wines flavoured with peach and apricots, and this fitted the bill perfectly. We also had a glass of the Semi Seco Valarnau Demi Sec ‘Barceona’ to start off with, which was also enjoyable, yet a little drier than the bottle we had.

Copa de Cava is pitted as more of a Cava bar than a restaurant, but there are some seriously good dishes on the menu and I would certainly return. It’s a particularly good spot for catching up with friends. The downstairs section or ‘cave’ where we sat was cosy, warm and busy with a great atmosphere – in short a great venue.

If you’re a fan of Spanish food and Cava then this place is just waiting for you.

Meson Los Barriles - A Taste of Spain?

For the past 6 years, every summer I have spent one or two glorious weeks on the infamous Spanish party island of Ibiza.

Naturally the bars, clubs and generally hedonistic party lifestyle has been the main reason for returning year after year. However in recent summers, as I moved further and further away from my student days, I began to really appreciate the food.

Ibiza may not be known for it’s culinary greatness, but I think there are some true gems to be found across the island. From the many harbour-front restaurants in Ibiza Town serving traditional dishes such as fresh seafood stews or lobster paellas to some of the simple residential bars dotted in every area of the island where slices of divine cured jamon straight from a big hunk of meat, are served with bowls of plump, juicy Spanish olives, all washed down with rich, fruity sangria.

I love food from the Mediterranean and can honestly say some of my favourite memories of Ibiza come from eating a good meal, with lots of wine and indulging in that age-old sport of people watching - and nowhere else have I ever seen such an eclectic mix of young and old. Some truly happy, relaxed memories.

In a sad nod to my growing years, this year the fantastic White Isle does not look likely to be graced with my presence. Instead I have a few other little trips lined up, beginning on the mainland of Spain - and there will be more on that and my other trips very shortly.
As the summer months have crept up and holidays and weekends away have started getting booked up, the sad truth had to present itself. Although I have some fantastic holidays to look forward to, I’m not heading to Ibiza any time soon. So in a quest to relive Ibizan sunset meals, my White Isle party friend Jenni and I took a few steps East to check out Spanish restaurant Meson Los Barriles in Lamb Street, in Spitalfields Market.

We’d booked ahead and on arrival were greeted like old friends, in a typically Spanish display of hospitality. Our waiter was a very jovial Senor who was happy to make some menu recommendations and was very efficient with bringing us our Rioja, bread and olives. So far, so good. The décor immediately put us in mind of Spain, it was all dark wood, with jamon and red wines on display and even the odd barrel. Once we started on the olives our hopes were getting incredibly high.

Jenni is a vegetarian and as we were having tapas, or finger foods, we opted for a range of veggie dishes.

Firstly we got some Manchego Cheese which came with a quince jelly. I was surprised to find that I really liked the taste of the cheese - I was under the impression that it would be a rubbery, flavourless cheese. I was gad to have this myth shattered. What I found instead was a delicate, creamy yet mild taste which was actually very pleasant. I wasn’t keen on the quince, it was very sweet, and I think it would have better complemented a stronger taste.

We also had an aubergine gratin, which had a cheesy, breadcrumb and herb mix on top. This was a very rich dish, which I enjoyed immensely, the sauce was thick and creamy and had a garlicy flavour running through - it appealed to my greedy nature and I thought it would be a great comfort food. Jen didn’t agree with me though, she found it much too rich, and said she’d have preferred it with about half of the sauce that was used.

Jen has only recently started incorporating fish into diet and after first trying them in Ibiza town a few years ago, now adores prawns (although she does make me peel them for her if they arrive with their shell on). So she’d ordered the Garlic Prawns, which smelt sensational when they reached the table. Jen liked them, but I have to say I found that they were seriously overcooked with the result being garlic-tasting rounds of prawny rubber - I wasn’t impressed and I’d be reluctant to order this dish again.

Finally I couldn’t resist ordering something meaty, so I opted for a classic dish of allubias. This is a white bean stew, cooked very slowly with your choice of meat - I went for the staple Chorizo. The beans had been stewed with garlic and saffron, so they had turned a gorgeous yellow colour, and the whole dish was packed with rich, Spanish flavours. The spicy Chorizo added a depth to the dish and overall this was my favourite dish by far - it was simply mouth-watering. So much so that when the beans and spicy sausage were gone, I mopped up the remaining sauce with some bread. Amazing.

We paid around £45 for our meal including wine and a service charge and the portion size was so good that we both left feeling full, warm and content. Aside from the rubbery prawns which I obviously wouldn’t recommend, the meal was very pleasant. We ended the evening with yet more wine….until next time!

To book a table at Meson Los Barriles, 8 Lamb Street, Spitalfields Market, E1 6AA call 020 7375 3136.

I’m still on a search to find places that bring me a small plate of Spanish sunshine and would appreciate any London or Essex based gems that you may know of.

As to Ibiza - the summer is still young, so I may get there yet!