Are you all teetotal?

Thanks for all the advice on eats - but what about drink! How much is it for a beer or wine? Where are the cheaper places? Is there anywhere around the Lopez (we are there for three nights from 15 Oct)? Which bars have free tapas? Will you still be around when we are in town Madridman?

Thanks for your help everyone!

I think that you will find most of the prices for beer etc are very much as you would pay in England, that is in the bars.

As for free tapas the only free ones tend to be very basic.

Prices in Spanish bars are the same as in England?. Well, it could be if you go to a club or even at [I]bares de copas[I] but not in normal bars.

Andrés know much more about the subject than me but I can tell you that normal prices for beers, wine, etc are cheaper than in England. Oh, and what about Spanish "cubatas"?. They put about 3 times the amount of spirit you get in England.

And even more, if you buy alcohol in a supermarket then it's a lot cheaper than in England. I remember comparing wine prices in England and in Spain. The cheapest wine I saw there was a special Tesco offer and it was about £2 per 75 cl (about 500 pesetas). But normal prices were about £3 (about 750 pesetas). In Spain the cheapest wine is about 100 pesetas. Of course this 100 pesetas wine is the worst you can get but for 500 pesetas you can get better wine than Tesco's.

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Hi Mikey & Wendy! Are you talking about Madrid here? I didn't notice it in your subject line or your posting. IF you are talking about Madrid, I'll be there until October 18th (leaving in the morning).

Beer AND wine are really quite cheap, at least compared to the USA. There are TONS of places around Hostal Lopez , but I don't think more are in the cheap category. That's not to say they're expensive because they really aren't, but just normal range. Have a GREAT time!!

Saludos, MadridMan

If you're 'off the tourist trail' it will cost about 135 pesetas for a copa of draught beer (Mahou is great, on tap) along with a 'tapa.' We stopped at one across from the Centro Comercial in the Barrio de Pilar in north central Madrid - they served us some boquerones en vinagre. For dinner, look for the places that post their menu del dia on a chalk board (for about 1.100 pesetas incl. wine or beer).
On the tourist trail, it costa a bit more: about 200 pesetas for a beer. Across from the Ayuntamiento on Calle Mayor there's a tavern called Amarillo. The (Asturiana) cook puts out some really good menu del dia dishes - and one day a week it's a Fabada Asturiana.

Antonio,
I agree about the supermarket prices but I only pay about £1.70 for a pint of beer in the north west of england about 442 pts.
Although, I am shure you are correct about London prices.

On another note:
Unfortunately I’ll miss Madridmans night out. I arrive on the 15th October.

mal suerte

[This message has been edited by steveaqui (edited 09-30-2000).]

Well, I wasn't talking about London prices. When I went to England last year I went to Norwich, Brighton and Bath.

Look at what Eddie said. 135 pesetas per 1 beer. Of course 1 pint is more than 1 Spanish caña but not more than 3, I think. Thus, 3*135 = 405 pesetas = £1.55. Therefore, I think it's cheaper.

As for wine and Spanish cubatas the difference is even higher.

What I can tell you is that everything in England was more expensive than here in Spain. If not, why there are so many English people going to Mallorca and getting drunk all the time?.

Regards,

Antonio

Hello to all, Hello Antonio!

Drinking in Huertas is not easy since the number of bars is endless, it is almost impossible to decide for one.
Here goes some useful information for your area:

Huertas 18
La Casa de Alberto
Tap Vermu (Vermu de grifo) 175 pts.
Vermu is an strong spirit-aperitif very typical of Madrid made of different wines. Strong flavor.

Plaza de Santa Ana 9
Naturbier
They have their own self-made beer
Half a litre 500 pts

Echegaray 7
La Venecia
Authentic Tavern specialized on Sherry wines.

Good luck and please write back to the message board with your experiences

Andres


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

Antonio,
Because many English people like drinking is the reason.
But Benidorm is the place for real cheap beer.

Hast luego

si, si, Benidorm does have cheap beer, and lots of other.... benefits.
I even met my husband there, although he may not remember all of it because... you guesses it, he was drunk on that cheap beer!
Salud

Mikey and Wendy:
What is significant about drinking in Spain--as opposed to drinking in England--is not the prices but that this pleasant activity is rarely inhibited by law or tradition. (Although I think there is now a legal public drinking age.)

The routine consumption of wine and most other alcholic beverages is part of the Spanish way. The idea of a Spanish bar being restricted to particular hours in which they are "licensed" to serve drinks is unheard of.

Spaniards grow up with alcohol (wine). They are expected to know how to handle it and not make fools of themselves in public.

I don't know how things are today, but even as briefly as 20 years go it was considered a gross social blunder to be seen drunk in public. (I don't know if that's true now. Can anyone advise me?)

Anyway, keep in mind that you are not in England for a while, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Cantabene

[This message has been edited by cantabene (edited 10-05-2000).]