Does anyone know the name and location of a kind of "Casa de Tortillas"? I know there is one but I've lost the information. I am taking a group of 26 students to Madrid in March and need cheap but delicious choices for lunch and dinner. We are staying at Hostal Persal so breakfast is taken care of. We will hit El Abuelo and other tapas bars in the area but I am looking for a few sit-down options besides the Museo del Jamon. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Gloria.

I am sure people are starting to think that I get a commission from "Las Bravas" but I can´t help reccommending this place once and again, specially their 3 euros tortilla de pata Brava (ASK FOR THE SPICY SAUCE ON TOP). This is a chain in Las Huertas neighborhoud, there are 4 of them:

Pasaje de Mateu st
Alvarez Gato st
Nuñez de Arce st
Cruz st

Buen apetito!

Hi Gloria!
Does your hoped-for restuarant have to be in Argulles? Becuase Hostal Persal is no where near Arguelles. Arguelles is the district between Plaza de España and El Faro de Moncloa.

I agree with Andrés' recommendation of the Las Bravas chain but I doubt you'd get 26 people inside!! You might get 15 though and I don't recall any of the Las Bravas places having any table-seating, only a few bar stools but mostly standing at the wall-counters or at the bar. I LOVE Las Bravas though. GREAT food, really but I wouldn't call it a "restaurant" though.

You're looking for an ACTUAL place called "Casa de Tortillas" or some place which specializes in tortillas de patatas? Most EVERY restaurant and tapas place sells tortilla de patatas (a.k.a. tortilla española) and they're almost always very good.

I would HAVE to fully, whole-heartedly recommend the LARGE El Brillante. But like Las Bravas, it's not a restaurant and don't think they have anything but standing room at the bar/walls and I doubt the terraza outside on the sidewalk will be open yet in March but maybe! Anyway, they're good and cheap and popular with madrileños just as are Las Bravas.

As you mentioned, Museo del Jamon does have seating and they're cheap too but you can't eat there for every meal. Touring with large groups like this is ALWAYS a real logistical "challenge" (I was going to say "nightmare" but wanted to be more positive sounding. heheehe..). I know we have a few educators here who have taken school groups to Spain and maybe they can help out.

Antonio/Andrés, can you suggest some place large enough, and more-or-less cheap, which can accomodate 26 people WITH seating?????!!? I'd think this would be tough. You might have to split up into 3 or 4 groups.

Good luck! Saludos, MadridMan

Yes room for such a big group is sth to take into consideration. Go then to Las Bravas biggest bar, the one on Pasaje de Mateu st, you have sitting room there for about 60 people.

Andrés

Pasaje de Mateu st? Where is this, Andrés?? And it has seating for 60 people????? Wow! That IS big! How is it I've missed this one??

Thanks for those replies everyone. I lived in Madrid in the '70's, got married there in the '80's and we go back every year, but I haven't taken such a large group in a long time. What I was asking for is a real place I had heard of in the past, I think it was in Moncloa or Arguelles. My plan is to split up the kids sometimes among the places like Las Bravas and El Abuelo around Sol, but other times I want to make arrangements ahead of time. I know of a few places like La Pimienta down from Callao and Casa Gades up from Recoletos, or Cafe Gijon etc. Who I can contact ahead of time for reservations. I also wanted to pick a few of these other places like I am describing for a list of places for the kids to go. Just going back for a visit every year I have lost track of the places I used to know and things change every year. I was hoping Antonio or other Madrilenos could help me out.

Thanks to everyone for helping! I love this Board!

Gloria

Uppphhs it is not Pasaje de Mateo but Pasaje the Matheu st. You will find this street a little bit up Sol.
As for MM, yes man, you even know the place: is the only "Las Bravas" that has a terrace and I seem to remember you mentioned sth about a Las Bravas with a terrace.
As for our group organizer I think what you are looking for is "El Rey de las Tortillas" up Arguelles in Andrés Mellado st. Good choice, but smaller than Las Bravas.

Andrés

There is a restaurant just adjacent to the Plaza de España headed up Calle Princesa towards Moncloa that specializes in everything egg. I have not been inside, so don´t know how large it is, have just seen it from the outside. It´s called Cascaras and is located in the lower level of Plaza de Los Cubos (Plaza de Cubitos??) where the VIPs is.