Places to think twice about in Madrid - Los Gabrieles

Anyone got any places (well-known or otherwise) in Madrid they'd rather not go to? Here's mine. Los Gabrieles a well-known bar in on c/Echegaray (Huertas) with some fancy old tile work advertising Andalucian wine companies etc. It has flamenco shows, appears in guides, etc. It's worth a look. But a canya'll cost you 500 ptas! My wife and I discovered this just before ordering our 3rd round. 2000 ptas for a couple of small beers with no tapas! !Anda ya! I don't know how they get away with it in that area. We moved swiftly on to that vermouth bar on c/Huertas - much better!

Canallas! I remember once that they try to do the same thing with me and my friends. We were at a bar in Getafe (outside of Madrid) and when we asked "que te debo?" (How much?) it was something like 5000 (we were 4 people and we only took coffee and some cake) So when the waiter was busy we left the place without paying. Okay, that is not the right thing to do, but as my grandmother said: "Quien roba a un ladron tiene 100 años de perdon"

Let´s enrich our friends Spanish vocabulary:

Lesson 1.

> So when the waiter was busy we left the place without paying

This is called: "Hacer un 'sinpa'" (sin-pagar).


Saludos.

>This is called: "Hacer un 'sinpa'" (sin-pagar).

Can we assume this is "andalu" and not castellano?

We should have done a sin-pa! We were sitting near the door (o sea, 500 ptas en la barra!).

Nuria - thanks for the saying. I love Spanish expressions!
Poderoso caballero es Don dinero! (o algo asi).

Francisco,

Please, don't teach people slang or strange expressions (I've never heard of that one before).

I think it would be better for people to learn Spanish sayings like the ones Nuria and El Boqueron said.

Los Gabrieles: Echegaray, 17

I agree this place is not cheap at all but not many of the so called "trendy" are. This used to be a flamenco dance-saloon being the tiles more than a hundred years old. It is a very calm, relaxing place in the evening with beautiful lights and soothing flamenco music.
At night it becomes a nightclub with flamenco live music on Tuesdays 10.00pm
If you are looking for beer I would go to Naturbier (Plaza de Santa Ana,9) and try their famous self-made one.

Regards,


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Taste Madrid with:
http://www.walksofspain.com

The term "sin-pa" really exists. My mother is from Madrid and I have lived there almost all my live an can positively say that "marcarse uns sin-pa" is a very common expression in Spain. And MadridMan: it´s deffinitely not andaluz, buddy!
Saludos y un abrazo!

I find it difficult to order food or drink in Spain unless I see the price list posted outside or a menu. "In the beginning" when I was carefree in my ordering, I was shocked at the prices I was being charged. After three such events in less than a week, I have forever looked for a price list. Does ten dollars for a small milkshake at a regular cafe on Gran Via sound resonable? When I asked to see the menu upon receiving the bill, the waitress and other employees pretended they couldn't understand my spanish. I knew there was a con going on because my spanish language skill was not the problem.

Perhaps this is why so many places post their menu in various languages. Those places know how to protect the tourist and I give them my business.

We love Museo de Jamones! They post a menu, and their prices are shockingly reasonable. The food, drink and atmosphere are the best.

We look forward to finding Bar Brillante in February 2001. It has been a focus of MadridMan's last and upcoming trip to Spain.

In the case of Los Gabrieles it's not a "con" - that's the price they really charge. My wife and I are bar fiends, we know our way around, we speak in Spanish (my wife's Andalusian and has been in Madrid dozens of times), but we never got hit for so much anywhere, fancy tiles or not!

I've also been to Los Gabrieles. It's great looking -- it feels like Madrid. I also knew that it was expensive, since a couple of guide books warned about their somewhat extravagant pricing. What the heck, once in a while you pay a bit more but at least you remember the place. Needless to say, I only go there once in a while.
The Naturbier is good, so is the Cerveceria Santa Ana in the Plaza Santa Ana. Many a great afternoon there sipping canas or dobles. And yes, I agree, the Museo del Jamon is one of the best (and cheapest) lunches in Madrid.

I was in Madrid recently and, despite going back a few times, the bar Los Gabrieles, appeared to be closed (sadly). They might have priced themselves out of the market.
I agree that it was expensive, but I did like going there for the occasional beer. Any takers out there for forming a consortium to buy it over and open it as a tapas bar at reasonable prices?
Robbieroy

While it sounds certainly expensive, think that some places avoid charging you an entrance fee by rising the prices of drinks and/or food.

I've just been in Paris and after being charged 6 € (1,000 pesetas) for a coke or 25 € for a small whisky with coke, Madrid still seems a heaven

Fernando