Anyone want to recommend a good tapas joint or a place where a jet legged passanger can get a good meal around the Huertas barrio? I realize there are 100's of places that you can't miss, but if someone has somthing they think is a must i would love to check it out!

ME! ME! OH ME!! Let me!! Hehehe.. I love it when people ask this question... WELLLLL, my friend... hehehe.. I can HIGHLY recommend (no lie) the near-Huertas... well, next to Huertas and next to the Atocha Train station... EL BRILLANTE!!!!

El Brillante is more of a sandwich shop but they serve any and all tapas you can imagine and it's so darn cheap. I don't think you'll find any tables or chairs here though so you, being a weary traveler, might not consider this. They are CITY-WIDE KNOWN for their delicious, LARGE, CHEAP bocadillos de calamares (fried squid sandwishes) but as I said, they make/serve ALL tapas including squid in its ink, patatas bravas, and really anything you could want. I LOVE this place.

There's also the fantastic chain called "Las Bravas" (like "patatas bravas", a favorite tapa). These aren't in Huertas as far as I know but there ARE a number of them between Huertas and Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor areas. Here you have tables in SOME, chairs only in some, and no chair/tables in others but only a wall-side counter on which to eat.

Also, there's the multitude of Museo de Jamón chain which I absolutely love too. Many of these have tables in the back/up/down but mainly hey only have counter service. Mmmmm...

Man-oh-man you make my mouth water whenever asking about tapas in Madrid. Huertas has A LOAD of them too but I can't recall most/any of their names and I've been to many of them. I'm sure that Antonio, Andrés, pim, or Chica could help with this one better than me.

Have a GREAT time!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMM... Saludos, MadridMan

Try this link for a bunch of suggestions:

http://www.madridman.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000137

Also, doing a search will yield up numerous threads - search in both Favorite things and Food, Drink and Entertainment

There are not a hundred places to eat tapas in Huertas but there may be easily 50 of them. Nevertheless my choice is:
"Las Bravas" there are four of them in Huertas and their orange signs will catch you eye.
Their beer and particulary their tortilla de patata brava (3.15$)
are hard to beat.

Cheers,
Andrés

mmmmmm, all this talk of food, and I'm getting hungry. I might have to check out Las Bravas when I'm in Madrid! I'm so excited I keep falling off my.........*BUMP*...chair!

Hey Chris! I live in the street paralell to Huertas. Check out Maceira, in cl Huertas 66 AND Jesús 7, Terramundi (across from my place) in cl Lope de Vega, and La Dolores, in the corner of cl Jesús and Lope de Vega.

¡Que aproveche!

pim

Pim, I may just look at those too. I am staying not too far from Huertas, and my mother is staying IN huertas, so there'd be no reason for me not to! Thanks. (I'm getting even HUNGRIER now!)

Madridman wrote:

I had breakfast at the one in Sol a few times. Besides being a source of quick, cheap, fairly tasty meals, the see-through glass counter makes ordering easy if your Spanish vocabulary (like mine) doesn't extend to food. You can point and politely ask for "uno de estos." It's funny: I can talk about all sorts of esoteric subjects in Castilian, but not food.

Yesterday I went shopping for guidebooks for my upcoming trip and found a useful pocket-size paperback that I plan to carry around with me: "How to Eat Out in Spain" by Ana Vásquez (subtitled "How to understand the menu and make yourself understood"). I recommended it highly.

I have to agree with MM, try EL BRILLANTE. The calamari sandwiches (bocadillos) and patatas bravas are excellent. Order them both with a glass (una cana) of beer and you have a great and inexpensive meal. It is also a busy place with great people watching. Friendly too. We were struggling through our Spanish trying to order but they were patient. They also remembered us the next time we came and made a point of saying Hola! Enjoy.

Ah, my mouth is watering thinking of El Brillante and those tender, lightly-battered calamari.

Well, having just returned not long ago from this fabled city, I will recommend:

on Calle de Jesus, in between Huertas & Lope de Vega

La Caña, looks like a dive, not many seats, but great empanadas and lacon gallego. Also one of very few places that I went to willing to serve you 1/2 ración of whatever.

Los Gatos Cervecería, crowded standing room only beer and bite at the front, but places to sit in the back below (watch out there is a stuffed bull's head when you approach the WC). So many little sandwiches piled high in that glass case ... and so little space in my tummy! Yum! Ladies, also particularly good man-watching here.

La Platería (Plaza de la Platería, 1 block off Paseo del Prado) ENORMOUS 1/2 raciones for cena and excellent wine list. Waiter treated me to pimientos de padrón even though they weren't on the menu but I had seen them on the tapas counter the night before (I had to ask). For the attentiveness, courtesy and the quality/price of the food ... I totally recommend.

There are so many good places to eat in Madrid, please report back!

Churrito