Voy a Tomar el Camino Equivocado, Voy a Salirme de la Trayectoria

Madrid

Get yourself some friends in Madrid. You’ll be glad you did. The city’s best moments are shared with friends partaking in communal plates while drinking, and the best dishes are found at places only the locals know.

Somehow, in spite of the fantastic food, vermut on tap, and highly functional public transit, I don’t love Madrid. It feels too imperial, too...masculine. If Barcelona wants to seduce you, Madrid wants you to feel dominated. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not really my thing. The catch is that Madrid is also home to one of my favorite museums in the world—Reina Sofia—which was hosting several comprehensive radical queer and feminist exhibits this month. If that’s indicative of their usual curation, I need to add Madrid to my usual travel route. At least now I know where to eat and drink well when I come back. Until then, I’ll be stalking the Reina Sofia’s upcoming exhibitions and revisiting Almodovar’s back catalog.

Breakfast/cafes

There are loads of places to have more traditional Spanish breakfasts, but if you’re craving something a little lighter, I liked these two places.

Han So Cafe
Mision Cafe (where I had breakfast a couple of feet away from Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame. Swoon.)

Restaurants

La Castela - inviting locals spot featuring outstanding seafood. One of my favorite meals this trip. If they have langostinas and garbanzos, don’t skip it.
Tandem - another outstanding dinner. Sister restaurant to Triciclo, but with more flexible hours and easier to come by reservations.
La Tasqueria - Michelin starred offal restaurant that we stumbled into when we couldn’t get into our first choice. Not vegetarian friendly.

Other restaurants I wanted to try, but didn’t have time for or couldn’t get into

Snacks/Markets

Chocolateria San Gines - there are lots of churros places in Madrid, but the chocolate here is outstanding and the setting is lovely.
Corte Ingles Gourmet Experience - high end food court on top of El Corte Ingles. Each location has a different assortment of vendors, but the one at Serrano seemed like the best selection, including ice creams from Jordi Roca (of Celler Can Roca fame) which you can also find at the Mercado San Miguel.
Mercado de San Anton - less attractive than the Mecado San Miguel, but also less touristy. The food court here is open on Sunday nights which is a bonus.
Mercado de San Miguel - central market with pricy tapas and drinks, but the building is pretty.

Bars

La Venencia - stunning old sherry bar with limited snacks as well. Well worth a stop. “No photographs (this was established during the days when La Venencia’s clientele had to be wary of fascist spies). No tipping (out of respect for the bar’s socialist principles). And no spitting on the floor (sorry). All this adds to La Venencia’s old-world charm.”
Salmon Guru - At first glance, this bar seems like high end gimmicky cocktails, but the drinks were outstanding in spite of the overly fussy presentation. Go early as it gets invaded by loud American and Japanese tourists which definitely detracts from the fun.

Other bars on my radar