Hi Eddie,

Thanks for the info, I am not looking at a pub sort of vibe, something that caters for all. Cocktails, good music etc... I want to try and steer away from theme bars so to speak, I want to generate a variety of clientele, locals, tourist and such.

Yeah the World Cup is going to be big, but I think I will be staying here for that as I booked my tickets already.

thanks for the wishes!

JeanSP . I went to a great tapas place a few days .. my second visit . It´s very smart on one of Madrid´s most important streets ( Velásquez ) . You might want to check the link to see what they offer . They have a mouth watering pintxo of solomillo ( steak ) about 1/2 an inch thick . Cooked medium rare . Topped with either blue cheese or , my favourite , foie gras . I know that foie gras isn´t very " politically correct " ... ( It might even be banned in some States in the USA ) But it is widely available here in Spain . The link is : www.cadenalateral.es . They have 5 branches in the city , all of which are great locations . But I like the on in Velásquez .

By the way , even though they are a high profile group of tapas bars , some of their English translation leaves a lot to be desired .. but you´ll get an idea anyway ( I can´t remember where you said you spoke Spanish ) .

Wow that does sound good, I have to say I am no stranger in the kitchen, my friend owns a restaurant over here and now serves one of my own dishes as a main, and the customers love it...(red wine makes all food good..hehe)I am not familiar with foie gras, sounds interesting I will have to google that.

Yeah location is very important, which I think will be challenging to find but not impossible.

I dont speak spanish yet, I am only a week in my Spanish classes, man I feel like a grade 1 its amazing, I have a degree in journalism and I am battling with ABC's in Spanish haha...
All in good fun though

Foie Gras is basically the fattened liver of a goose ( sometimes a duck ) but the procedure is a little harsh as they force feed the goose with corn ( Maize ) . The result is like a paté but much more refined and MUCH more expensive .
Animal rights activists post images on the internet that are undoubtably distressing ... and I can´t quite explain to you the contradiction but I love eating foie gras as much as I love watching the bullfights .

Oh and we just passed by a bar today that´s up for sale in my "barrio" ( District ) ... My Peruvian flatmate was going crazy at me to check it out as a possible purchase ...
Another thing . I´m not saying that learning Spanish ( or any other language ) is easy , but one major advantage of Spanish is they follow the rules of pronunciation 100 % . Learn the rules ( pretty easy ) and you´ll be able to pronounce absolutely any Spanish word . ¡ Buena suerte ! Good luck !

Ive thought about that too Steve , giving up the offhsore life and opening a bar in Madrid , doubt it will ever happen .
I watched Anthony Bourdian visting a Foie grass farm in France , and the geese were coming up to the farmer to be fed , they are only overfed the last 2 weeks of their life's . Not all farms will be like that, just like most of the factory farmed chickens are compltely different from free range .

That sounds pretty drastic for the duck, but when in Rome do as the Romans I guess. I am willing to try anything out at least once

Yeah our teacher is starting us out with the correct pronunciations of words at the moment, I was lucky enough to study some basic Latin and I find it extremely similar so not doing to bad on that front, well I will only know once I start chatting to a native Spanish speaker I guess.

It will be tough purchasing a bar, I allowed myself 1 month to scope areas and bars out but I think I might leave it for 2 to be safe, it wont be my main source of income but I also do not want it to be a money hole.

Getting anxious about the whole move, wish it could happen sooner but alas life always has something thrown in the mix.

Soon very soon!!

JeanSp you make sure you give us notice of when you get to Spain .. I could predict a big lunch ..!

I think I would lean more towards Madrid... I just personally like that city better. I guess it also depends on what you're looking for in terms of bar. I think that malaga is a lot more touristy, so you would have to cater to that. Madrid would be a good option if you were looking to open something unique or different. But in both spots there is a lot of competition!