Hidden Gem in La Latina!

We all know that after the Rastro on a Sunday afternoon the hip thing to do is head to La Latina for tapas, drinks, and fun. But what many people don’t tell you is that it’s sometimes difficult to find a place that a) isn’t packed and b) isn’t expensive. Well, aren’t you lucky that you found us! Because we’ve stumbled upon the perfect place to go after stocking up on goodies at the Rastro…We even debated not filling you in. Just kidding, we would never do that. Okay, ready? It’s called La Buena Mezcla, and it’s on Calle Redondilla, 9, around the corner from the jam packed Plaza de la Paja.

So what makes this place stand out? On Sundays La Buena Mezcla gives you free plates of food for ordering a glass of wine or a beer. Yes, it’s not the other way around. Order a glass of wine or beer and you get to choose between dishes like Pisto (similar to Ratatouille), warm eggplant salad, spicy yummy lentils, tortilla, and more. Of course, there are other things you can order off the menu, but the free plates are large enough to fill you up. And, if you order another glass of wine/beer, you get another plate, for free!

La Buena Mezcla is exactly what its name translates to in English. It’s a mix of everything. Walk in to the establishment and it looks like Oprah should hire one of her de-clutter bugs to help clean out the place. There are paintings, tea pots hanging from the rafters, and the feel is vintage. The music is chill and soulful, and if you go downstairs you’ll find low tables, pillows, and great bathrooms. The downstairs has more of an  Arabic feel.

We should also mention that they are known for their Mojitos, and Frutos Naturales. During the day they offer a Menu del Dia for 6 euros; the food is typical Spanish or Jordanian dishes.

Also, everyone there is super friendly. Lola is the owner of the place and she greets everyone with a smile as they walk through the door.

Now, whenever someone asks, “where should we go after the Rastro?” You’ll say, “I know this really great place. La Buena Mezcla. Have you heard of it?”

Beer = 1.50 – 3 euors
Wine = 2.50 euros
Cocktails = 7 euros
Menu del Dia = 6 euros

La Buena Mezcla
Calle Redondilla, 9
91 365 1106
Tuesday – Friday – 8 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Saturday-Sunday – 1 p.m. – 2:30a.m.

To go to the main Food and Tapas page click here

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1. Calle de la Redondilla, 9

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Arabic Food in Madrid: El Turkito

Spain rests on the border of the Arab world and enjoys a variety of influences in music, language, cuisine, and culture. El Turkito, the Arabic restaurant and lounge located near Sol, is one site where these influences all come together through a pleasant ambience, delicious food, and an international experience. While the crowd is mixed and includes Spaniards and tourists, it also largely consists of people from northern Africa and the Middle East, who set this spot apart and call it the “crown jewel” of Arabic restaurants in Madrid.

El Turkito promises a casual, affordable, and enjoyable dining experience. Owned and operated by people from Turkey, Morocco, and Iraq, the food is authentic and delectable. A broad menu offers falafel and hummus for appetizers, salads and pitas, and a variety of kebabs and plates. Choose between the traditional doner kebab, the super kebab, or the durum kebab—filled will spicy and succulent chicken or pork and a flavorful cheese dressing (3.50-5 euros). Make sure to order the crispy fries as well, bathed in a fiery hot sauce (2 euros). If you’re not in the mood for a kebab, the specialty platter includes a sampling of chicken, pork, fries, rice, bread (7 euros). Beyond the generous entrees, El Turkito also presents a colorful array of Arabic tea; mint, cinnamon, jasmine, and sugar, among other options. Keeping with Arabic tradition, the tea is presented in a delicate, silver teapot and served in jewel-toned glasses. A pot of tea is accompanied by a plate of sweets (8 euros) or by one of many shisha options (10 euros). If you enjoy smoking shisha, the quality at El Turkito is unparalleled. Made from fresh fruit, it tastes of apple, strawberry, grape, peach, or melon.

Groups of people always fill the restaurant’s breezy outdoor terrace on Calle Cadiz, passing the shisha and sipping sweet tea in on of the most relaxing and pleasant ways to spend a summer evening. Yet indoors, El Turkito is bright and lively as well. Tangerine-, honey-, and chocolate-colored walls create a vivacious ambience, and multihued Arabic lamps hanging overhead cast dapples of rose, crystal blue, and sea foam green light across the ceiling. Tables are arranged in the center of the restaurant, but off to the side is a colorful lounge. Tall shishas tower on brightly painted, hexagon tables that are surrounded by low stools or cushioned booths. Lively Arabic music fills the space, complemented by the trickling water of a small stone fountain next to the lounge.

The final element of authenticity found at El Turkito is the welcoming spirit exhibited by the staff; you will feel more like a guest in a home than a client at a restaurant. It is not uncommon to see the owner or a group of waiters sit down at a table with diners to share stories, pass the shisha, and relax over the seemingly bottomless pot of tea late into the night.

PRICES:
Kebabs- 3.50-4 euros
Plates- 5-10 euros
Menus (includes a kebab, potatoes, and drink)- 5.50-7 euros
Tea and desserts-8 euros
Tea and shisha- 10 euros

El Turkito

Calle del Doctor Cortezo 5

Neighborhood: Sol
Metro: Sol, Tirso de Molina or Anton Martin
Telephone: 91 522 82 51
Hours: 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily

By Jane Caffrey

To go to the main Food and Tapas page click here

1 places are mentioned in this post!

1. Calle del Doctor Cortezo, 6

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Lebanese Restaurants in Madrid: Las Mil y Una Noches

If you’re looking for a Lebanese cultural experience that doesn’t involve the exertion of traveling, then this place will appeal to you.  With brilliantly colored, byzantine murals and Arabic arches adorning every room, Las Mil y Una Noches (A Thousand and One Nights) is decisively arranged to make you think you’re on a mini vacation. You can smoke Shisha (a water pipe with tobacco and honey) or sip hot tea at any hour while sinking into one of the numerous plush sofas.  Or – if it’s a weekend venture – you can nurse a bottle of Lebanese wine or beer (Almaza) as you marvel at the careful art of the belly dancers.

Beware of the seemingly “gratis” basket of pita bread, which they will plop down on your table at some point.  They’ll end up charging you per person for this small gesture.  To add injury to insult, the food is starkly over-priced and depending on your taste buds may not be worth it.  We’re talking about hors d’oeuvres for 7 euro and 10 and 13 euros for main dishes like Tayin, a small earthenware bowl of meat with prunes; or Chap, two (that’s right, just two) tepid croquettes filled with rice, potatoes, meat and pine nuts, all accompanied by a meager iceberg lettuce salad.  Dessert will add an additional 8 euros and if you order the Baklawa (the Lebanese version of Baklava) you might end up with a microscopic portion.

In short, everybody has different palettes, but you may leave this restaurant thinking you’d have been better off saving up your ducats and catching a flight to Beirut to experience Lebanon cuisine.

Las Mil y Una Noches
C/ Martín De Los Heros, 28
Telephone: 915 595 785
Metro: Ventura Rodríguez or Plaza de España

By Michelle Campagna

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1. Calle de Mart�n de los Heros, 28

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Maoz Vegetarian – A (Mostly) Pun-less Review

Feeling Maoz-y At Midnight

This article was definitely not by Andrew Poole

Don’t worry. Even though most people pronounce the name of the restaurant “mouth” we will avoid such bad puns as “It’s maoz watering!” – we simply aren’t that sort of publication.

This non-pun-oriented restaurant is almost more of a hybrid restaurant/kiosk, but think cozy not cramped. It’s the place for every frazzled, Madrileño who’s short on time and money, but wants to eat healthily on occasion. If you are from a city that has entered the vegetarian realm a little more deeply than Madrid (for example, any place where “ham” isn’t classified as a vegetable), you’ll definitely appreciate this opportunity to “veg out” – that wasn’t a pun my finger slipped on the keys, I swear!

Maoz really only has a couple of menu items, but think selective, not limited: you can get a hummus and falafel pita, Belgian fries, or the salad bar. All items are very filling and less than five euros. If you don’t believe that a salad can be a full meal  it’s worth mentioning that you can make as many repeat visits to the vegetable/salad bar as you like.   Another nice touch is that you can fill your pita with the vegetable/salad bar items as well; however, “re-pita” trips are not allowed. Also not a pun! That is simply a phonetic spelling with a slight Italian accent – there’s a difference.

The ingredients in the above mentioned salad bar are healthy and unique: olive pate, seared cauliflower, marinated vegetables, and much more. If you think you’ll have room left, you can indulge in the Belgian fries which showcase the restaurant’s Amsterdam roots.

Not willing to merely let the news of this wonderful restaurant travel by word of “Maoz”, the nice folks in Holland have, of course, set up a website.

Ok! OK! That last one was a pun – they were all puns – I admit it! I just came off a sixteen-hour-shift and have regressed into a cheeseball motor “Maoz” dashing off bad puns in the early hours of the morning. I realize this makes you want to punch me in the “Maoz”, but don’t let my lack of good taste reflect poorly on this restaurant.

Maoz

Calle Mayor, 4 or Calle de Hortaleza, 7

647 40 87 31 (same number for both locations)
Open: 11h to 2.30

To go to the main Food and Tapas page click here

Naomi Grill

A trip to Naomi Grill, one of Madrid’s two Sephardic kosher restaurants, gives one pause for thought. Entering the white, crisply decorated space and seeing the yarmulke-clad clientele snaps Spanish history into sharp focus.

Ironically, if one weren’t reading the menu carefully, one might assume Naomi was a Moroccan restaurant…which just happens to serve kosher Spring rolls. What, did a portion of the diaspora make it as far as China? Giuseppe Gavizon, the owner, simply smiles and replies, “It’s the only place some people can eat spring rolls.”

Amid a wide range of North African-related dishes, Naomi prides itself on its assortment of Tajin, a stew-like dish cooked in a special earthenware vessel. The chicken tajin, for example, is a sweet, saffron-spiced dish simmered with prunes and almonds. They also specialize in couscous dishes including the traditional lamb option.

The wine list, or course, is fully kosher and the desserts are the traditional baklava.

If you like North African cuisine, you’ll love Naomi Grill. Any historical epiphanies you may have while eating are free of charge.

Naomi Grill
C/ Pensamiento, 25
Metro: Tetuan
91 570 69 23
Hours: 13:00 to16:00, 20:30 to 23:00 Sunday to mid-day Friday
Closed Friday evening and Saturday

4 places are mentioned in this post!

1. Calle del Pensamiento, 25
2. Calle del Pensamiento, 25
3. Calle del Pensamiento, 25
4. Calle del Pensamiento, 25

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