On our first evening in Madrid, we took a leisurely walk up Ponzano Street to check out the tapas spots the area is known for. Our first stop, Bokaxankla Bar, had a young vibe. Lots of tables were marked reserved at 8pm mid-week but the place was mostly empty. Our drinks, a Rueda for Eric and a Spanish red for me, were served with a small bowl of snack mix. Bartender spoke no English but we managed fine.

Our second stop, Don Bernardo Madrid | Raza Iberica, had a more elevated vibe and the glassware and snacks matched the ambiance. Each of us ordered a ‘field blend’ from Las Contiesas. The white had seemingly every Spanish grape in it (Tempranillo, Verdejo, Palomino, Godello, Albillo, Doña Blanca, Garnacha Tintorera) and the red topped out at 5 varietals (Tempranillo, Palomino, Godello, Doña Blanca, Garnacha Tinta). Both were very drinkable and came with a small plate of Manchego cheese and bread sticks.

For dinner on our first night we went to Charnela Ponzano, a charming (small) place so I am glad we had booked ahead as the dozen small tables were full during our meal. The bread surcharge included a basket of bread and a tuna-ish dip that was okay, not memorable. For our main meal we ordered four items: a gilda, croquettes, cecina, and the traditional mussels. The half portion of croquettes came with all four varieties listed: Gamonéu cheese, langosteen and truffle, oxtail, and jamon. Some very different flavors and the texture was great. I liked the oxtail best. The Cecina de Leon was fantastic – beautiful texture and flavor. This was our first experience with this PGI-protected Spanish cured beef delicacy from the León province, often called “Spanish beef ham” but it wasn’t the last! We were happily snacking and enjoying our bottle of house rosado when I saw mussels being delivered to other tables and I hadn’t received mine yet. I flagged down our waiter and after about 15 minutes, my mussels arrived (yeah, they totally forgot). The broth was more like salt water and while the mussels tasted good, the shells were extraordinarily large compared to meat inside. Overall a fine visit but wouldn’t rush back.

the first of many cecina platters we consumed on this trip

For lunch on Thursday, we visited one of several Lateral locations in the city (Lateral Castellana 42) – this one being a tad hard to find due to construction on the building. Not busy at 3pm, we sat at a corner table and ordered a light lunch. A goat cheese toast with caramelized pepper jam and a glass of tempranillo for me and pork cheeks with red wine sauce and a limonada with passion fruit for Eric.

After our museum visits, we walked back north to the Mercado de la Paz to look for a snack. There were multiple stalls with various fruit and veg, including some restaurants. We landed on Vinoteca Tierra and grabbed one of the last barrels with two chairs just outside the entrance. Our server (owner) was very friendly and let me try two wines before deciding on a glass. Eric had an Albariño and I opted for the Ribera del Duero. Our drinks were served with nice potato chips. This area is a great people and pigeon watching spot! It also looked like people were ordering cheese from a neighboring stand, so something to keep in mind for the future. After we finished our glasses, we purchased a bottle of Mallorcan rose to have with dinner back at the hotel.

For aperitivo, I wanted to try Doble y Gilda, a place that specializes in, well, gildas. Most tables had beers so that’s what Eric ordered but by the time we left a few other tables also had wine (what I ordered). We got potato chips with the drinks and I had three gildas: the standard, a cured beef and cheese, and the octopus. The guindilla peppers were spicy! All were good, though not super memorable, but the outside patio was great for people and dog watching.

We opted for dinner back in the room after picking up a few empanadas from Empanadas Aiken a takeaway spot next to Doble y Gilda. Eric had 2 ham + cheese and I got a mushroom and Roquefort cheese. They went well with the rose we picked up earlier.

At the end of our trip we also had a night in Madrid before we headed home. We opted to stay close to the hotel and chose dinner at Paellitas Tradición | Paella Madrid. We ordered a glass of wine each, a Obejita Pink (rosé) for Eric and a Obejita Tinta for me, both from Valencia made with the Bobal grape. One of the features of this place is that you can order a single serving of paella, so we could each get our own combo – not common in Spain! Eric got the Valencian paella (chicken, rabbit, green beans and lima beans) and I got the Baked Rice paella (pork ribs, blood sausage, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and sliced potatoes). Everything was delicious and we enjoyed sitting outside on a warm night.

For a nightcap, we walked over to La Gintonería de Candilón for cocktails. Even though ‘gin’ is in the name of the place, I assured Eric that not all the cocktails had gin in them. He got the Passion Shake (cachaca, passion fruit puree, pineapple juice and passion fruit liqueur) which was bigger than expected and pretty good, although on the sweet side. I had a Manhattan that came in a very generous margarita glass. Drinks were served with small dishes of candy gummies and a salty corn mix to the tune of 80s/90s music. Our drinks were 12€ each, which is pretty reasonable for this area of Madrid – plus they were huge!