We are visiting Madrid end of July for 3 or 4 days; booked an apartment close to the La Latina Metro station. Is the area close to all the actions like restaurnts and bars, and most importantly, is the area safe?

There is no shortage of bars or restaurnt anywhere in Madrid. Some have been there before either of us were born.

LOTS of very good restaurants and bars in this area, around the Cava Baja/Cava Alta streets.

Is the area safe? Depends near which metro station you're staying. But keep in mind there are THREE La Latina metro station accesses. It's all rather safe, well-lighted, lots of foot traffic day and night. If you're a woman alone I wouldn't recommend walking around Lavapies at night though. You might find information about the safety of this area in the "Safety & Security" forum category of our message board. If you give us the exact address we might be able to better advise you - but really, this is something we should discuss in the "Safety & Security" forum category.

Saludos, MadridMan

On Friday I went to a long-time vegetarian restaurant called El Estragón (web: http://www.guiadelocio.com/estragonvegetariano ). We arrived at about 2pm and the place was nearly empty. By the time we left, 4pm, the place was FULL! I was told El Estragón has been a popular vegetarian restaurant in Madrid for many many years. It's located on Plaza de la Paja, 10 , just "down hill" from San Andrés Church before reaching Calle de Segovia. So if you're standing at the La Latina metro station next to the large market, go WEST 3 blocks past the Cava Baja/Alta to Plaza Puerta de Moros to Plaza San Andrés, turn right, down the hill to Plaza de la Paja.

GOOD food, too. They had a Menú del Día for less than 10 Euros each. I had the spinach salad first and then a "grilled soy filet with mustard" with little cheese croquets on the side. VERY tasty - and I'm not a vegetarian restaurant fan either.



Saludos, MadridMan

From La Latina your about a 10 min walk to Plaza Mayor which is pretty much the center of the city. And there are tons and tons of restauarants around there, far to many to be able sample them all in a week or two. There are so many side by side I some times wonder how they all stay in business.

I live there and I love going out for a walk at 10 or 11 at night, amazes me how the city comes alive. See how many young families you see out that time of night, never ceases to amaze me.

I agree with MM, El Estragon is very tasty and i´m not a vegitarian either. Once we saw Gabrial Garcia Bernal (the actor) eating lunch there.

As far as bars on Cava Baja, we really like Bar Tempranillo, it is a wine bar with a rustic feel, great tapas, and you can try many wines by the bottle, by the glass is more like big tastings, Good ambiente tambien. You really can´t miss with any bars on the CAva Baja.

I really like the place - El Estragón - too, even though they're a bit on the fundamentalist side of the Vegetarian spectrum. The "Austrian quarter" as the area is called is one of the upstreaming barrios of the city centre, you could also mention the term "gentrification". Pretty posh at times.

The range and variety of veggie restaurants in Madrid is really surprising - and impressive. There is also a very good veggie restaurant right behind the Cortes. And if you want a neighborhood veggie restaurant where you find the granddaddy, the motorcycle rocker and a punk couple alike, try "El Granero de Lavapies" in Lavapies.

Wow, I have to dissent on El Estragón... Unless you are a strict vegetarian, I think there are dozens of better places to sample more interesting Spanish food in the neighborhood. And I'm a veggie lover who lives just a few blocks from the place...