Tapas, Raciones and Beer in Madrid – El Corazon Loco

Bar/Restaurant: Corazon Loco
Address: Almendro, 22
Metro: La Latina

Waiters at Corazon Loco

Wallowing in its wonderful excesses, Corazon Loco (The Crazy Heart) definitely lives up to its name. Here the levels of chatter, the number of people and the amount of cheap eats are off the map.

The young alterna-crowd packs in to this sturdily built old-Madrid style tavern by the masses on Sundays. Occasionally slicing through the cacophony of conversation are shouts of the waiters as they belt out the names of customers whose food is up, “MARIA!!!” -it is a homey touch.

And speaking of food, don’t miss
it. After you’ve muscled your way to the
bar, don’t stop at just drinks. They
have a selection of canapés which are drop-dead delicious. Particularly good are the cabra con nuez
(goats cheese with nuts) and the champiñon con alioli (mushrooms with garlic
sauce). Managing to eat what you’ve
ordered in a space slightly less crowded than a mosh pit is a bit of a talent, but you’ll figure it out. All of this is a world away from the more upscale Viajero (almost next door), but a truly Spanish experience, indeed.

If you are charmed by the deeply
Madrileño atmosphere, but not charmed by concept of full-contact eating, try the
dining room. Here the prices are a tad
higher and the portions bigger – not to mention the fact that you’ll be
afforded a little thing called “personal space”.

However you decide to do it, it
is a perfect end to a day of milling around the Rastro, the weekly flea market
that envelops the entire La Latina neighborhood on Sundays and holidays.