Night stroll in Madrid. A bar hopping tour to taste local cuisine

Cava Baja Street is a 300m alley lined with over 50 bars.

Cava Baja Street in Madrid is lined with over 50 bars in a short distance of about 300 meters. It is a long-established bar street that is well known to local Madrileños. Before going out to "bar hop", let's learn a little about how to enjoy the bars.

Each bar has its own characteristics. They may focus on a certain type of alcohol, or have a particularly popular appetizer menu, such as "delicious cod croquettes" or "excellent mushrooms." People visit the bar just for that one dish.

People tend not to stay long in one bar, but move from one bar to another, so it's common to see people standing around the bar chatting. In order to enjoy the flavors of a few different bars, it's a good idea not to order too much at each bar. Some bars offer a free mini tapas with each drink, so if you order too many you'll get full quickly. Make sure you're as hungry as possible and start touring around the first bar.

Let's toast with "Beer for now" instead of "Bermuda for now"

La Bolita Negra

In Madrid, why not toast with "vermouth" instead of "beer"? Vermouth is a drink made by infusing wine with herbs, and is called vermouth in Japan. It has long been a popular aperitif in Spain, but has become even more popular in recent years.

"La Bolita Negra" is a specialty store that stocks about 20 different kinds of verum. Verum has the effect of stimulating appetite and aiding digestion. If you wake up your stomach with the first glass, you will be able to enjoy your tapas even more deliciously.

"Vermut de Madrid" is a fresh vermut made in Madrid that is easy to drink and slightly sweet. It's easy to gulp it down, but it has a high alcohol content, so be careful not to drink too much. When you taste it together with the olives and specially made dried fruits that are served with the glass, the refreshing aroma and acidity blend with the vermut to create a refreshing taste.

The soft-boiled egg melts in your mouth. Enjoy the classic Spanish dish "tortilla"

Pez Tortilla

Next, we went to a restaurant famous for its tortilla, a traditional Spanish dish. In Japan, it is called Spanish omelette, but tortilla has a deeper meaning than just an omelette.

At the popular Pez Tortilla, which has two locations in Madrid, including one on Cava Baja Street, you can enjoy perfectly cooked soft-boiled tortillas. The classic "Clásica" is a simple dish made with eggs, potatoes, and onions. The simplicity of the dish makes the deliciousness of the tortillas at this store even more apparent.

In addition, there are tapas with various ingredients such as paprika, truffle, chorizo, etc. Another reason for the popularity of this restaurant is that you can eat tapas of the day at a reasonable price starting from 2 euros.

They offer 8 types of draft beer and 15 types of craft beer from around the world, including local Madrid beer. This relatively new bar in the area has a clean and bright interior, making it popular with young people.

Enjoy the gastronomic delights of the renowned Basque Country without leaving Madrid

Txakolina

At Txakolina, you can enjoy the cuisine of the Basque Country, known as one of the most gourmet regions in Spain, while enjoying Madrid. The glass case on the counter is filled with a wide variety of colorful pintxos that will whet your appetite just by looking at them. Pintxos are a snack that represents the Basque Country, a light meal of a single dish served on bread, and all of them are surprisingly filling.

You can order all the pinchos by pointing, so even if you don't speak Spanish, you don't have to worry. The recommended pincho is topped with "gulas." In Spain, young eels are treated as a luxury ingredient, and gulas is a type of white fish paste shaped into a long, thin shape.

The dorsal fin is colored with squid ink, making it look like the real thing. The glass itself is light and plain, but the ajillo flavor is cooked with plenty of garlic and olive oil, and the red chili peppers give it a slight tingling sensation. Even though it's a "mock", it's still delicious enough to feel luxurious.

For drinks, try the specialty "Txakoli," which is also the name of the bar. This is a slightly sparkling white wine from the Basque Country, and is poured into the glass from a high position, with the bottle held above your head. This mellows the acidity and creates fine bubbles. Be sure to check out this impressive performance.

The city of Madrid is a city where different cultures intersect and all sorts of individuality coexist. Being able to enjoy the various food cultures from all over the country is one of the luxuries that can only be found in Madrid.

Wine bottles cover the entire wall. Taste and compare carefully selected Spanish wines.

Tempranillo

The last one we would like to introduce is "Tempranillo." Before we explain, please take a look at the photos of the interior of the store.

The wines that cover the entire wall are all from Spain. The store's commitment to wine is apparent from the store's name. Tempranillo is a grape variety that is used to make red wine, which is representative of Spain. It has a rich aroma and a delicate taste with some acidity. Of course, the store's wine list is filled with carefully selected Tempranillo varieties. This is the perfect place to compare high-quality Spanish wines, created in a wonderful environment and by skilled craftsmen.

The recommended tapas is "Grilled quail breast with salmorejo sauce" (Pechuga de codorniz a la parrilla con salmorejo). Salmorejo is a tomato-based creamy soup. The fragrant bread is moistened with the salmorejo, which harmonizes with the salty, soft and juicy meat. If you want to share with a few people, we recommend "Grilled squid with natural artichokes" (Chipirones a la plancha con alcachofas naturales).

This shop is closed between 4 and 8 p.m. In Spain, the heat is intense in the summer, so it is customary to take a break called "siesta" between 1 and 4 p.m., and resume activities when it has cooled down. Restaurant staff also take a siesta break. The hours vary depending on the store, but unless you are in an area with a lot of tourists, there are few stores that are open all day, and most stores have a break of several hours.

A place that feeds the Spanish stomach and provides five meals a day

In Spain, people generally eat five meals a day: breakfast around 7am, a snack around 10am, lunch around 2pm, a snack around 6pm, and dinner after 9pm. When you think of a bar, you might imagine an adult social gathering place to drink at night, but many traditional local bars open early and serve all five meals.

Some people eat churros and drink coffee for breakfast before going to work, while others take a break from work and eat a bocadillo (sandwich) with prosciutto. Families with small children also come to the bar. Bars are truly the places that support the stomachs and lives of the Spanish people.

The closest subway station to Cava Baja Street is La Latina. On Sundays, the largest flea market in Madrid, Rastro, is held in this area. Along with sightseeing in the area, why not enjoy a bar hopping tour to get a glimpse into the daily life of Madrileños?

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