The art of tapas
When it comes to leaving for a destination located on ** line 12 of the Madrid metro **, some of those who live in the gentrified Madrid Central put on the same horrified face as the dentist from Nosferatu.
But the point is that It only takes 15 minutes from Príncipe Pío to Puerta del Sur , the subway station that announces that we are already on the other side, on the Madrid Gran Sur axis.
Mostoles, Alcorcon, Getafe, Fuenlabrada and Leganes They are the southern destinations chosen by those fleeing the rental bubble and seeking a better quality of life. What they didn't know was that they were going to find this.
ALCORCÓN, THE KING OF THE TERRACEO
It shares two stations with metro line 10 and can boast of having one busy dining schedule as far as tapeo is concerned.
Between Parque Oeste and Alcorcón Central, right next to the Fundación Alcorcón University Hospital, we stop at ** La Marcela ** _(Oslo, 31) _ where a good crowd is already concentrated in its covered terrace, perfectly conditioned for the heat and for the cold.
In addition to generous lid, rich meat and various threads, they certainly get away with broken eggs, an option that may well include chorizo, ham or even eels. They have an XXL option that is every potato grower's dream.
Good fried fish... in Alcorcón
Nearby is the Las Retamas neighborhood , another of the tapas areas preferred by alcorconeros which, on the other hand, is transformed at night into cocktail bars for those who want to extend a little more.
We find another of the essentials for alcorconeros, the charrito _(Broom, 72) _, one seafood restaurant also specializing in rice dishes , which has a simply spectacular fish fry. Its direct competition is in the frying house of ** Los Camarones ** _(Retamas, 80) _, right next door.
Alcorcón also boasts of having restaurants where, in addition to tapas, one can sit at the table and delight to infinity.
Other examples: The holly _(Pza del Sol, 7) _ where **Aladino (the owner)** may serve you the largest steak in the entire periphery ; the tiles _(Mayor José Aranda, 49) _ where grilled ears are an institution and The Fermin _(Sierra de la Estrella, 8) _ that in summer they even give you a number (like in the market) to get a table.
Well, and there will always be the Pirate's _(Navales, 33) _, where they can give you the many with drinks and concerts but, yes, it is full.
T-bone steak from Las Tejas de Alcorcón
LEGANÉS: SIZE DOES MATTER
Alcorcón's neighbor is not well known beyond its epic soccer team, which currently competes in the First Division alongside Real Madrid and Atlético.
But tapas in Leganés can become one of the most fabulous experiences . In fact, in the San Nicasio neighborhood, in a somewhat hidden area, we have discovered the Shooting Range Cafeteria (Pablo Freire, 2) , a small place where at order a beer They have showered us with nothing more and nothing less than three generous tapas per person **(gizzards, snails and ribs in sauce)**. And it is that Leganés is the capital of the food porn cover but nobody had realized it yet.
The Leganes center , very lively on weekends, is the fiefdom of Ketapas _(Jeromín, 16) _ and of Quique's tavern _(Plaza de España, 6) _.
The first was the winner of the best cover of Leganés last 2018; a fact that has turned the place into a hive of foodies looking for generous tapas and good vibes.
The second is the typical neighborhood bar where after some tapas people stay for the lunch menu and check out the shopping day.
The traditional tapa at La Taberna de Quique
The El Carrascal neighborhood , honoring that children's song, is a beautiful serenade of tapas bars. We have found the generous cover in the Castilian Corner _(Rey Juan Carlos I, 87) _, which usually has quite a few people looking to go out for lunch or dinner with two or three beers.
For just two euros they served us a double with a plate of chicken wings and a tuna potato casserole.
Another very famous one is **Kaligula´s,** better known as “el Jarrakas” (Rey Juan Carlos I, 83), which breaks it with his tapas menu. Here the price of double the beer rises to 2.80 but includes one of his oversized tapas among which there is no lack of potatoes with chorizo, torreznos or chapatines of various types.
If the choice falls on the burger, the size of the burger is not exactly mini, which has left us quite surprised. It has a dining room, ideal in those moments in which the place has been filled to the brim and finding a place is an impossible task.
You can always go up a notch and book at Monkey _(Parque El Carrascal, s/n) _, with its grilled meats and calçots. It is also a place that can surprise you with a chillout, a cocktail and even a concert.
Rice with lobster from Rincón Castellano
GETAFE, THE CAPITAL OF THE SOUTH
The capital of the south has us spinning like crazy . But it is true that of all the areas, the axis of The Bercial-University-Getafe Center has conquered us.
In the area of El Bercial , on the outskirts of El Corte Inglés, we can have a very interesting morning of cañeo. We have made a stop at the Cafeteria New Cabins , known there as “the cabins” _(avda. Buenos Aires, 19) _ and is one of the most famous in the neighborhood.
Once again, the sandwich and the hamburger have the singing voice in this family business where for some time, it has been ensured that They serve the richest toasts in the city. And their combined dishes are already from another planet.
Going down from Bercial to the university, there is another icon of Getafe tapas, ** La Panza ** (Uruguay, 3). He has his followers and his detractors, but what has made us fall in love has been the ear and tortilla, much better than many other places and not only in the south of Madrid.
Street in Getafe
The Diego Velazquez Sales _(Cedra, 37) _ has been another of the pleasant surprises that the neighborhood of El Bercial hides. Here it is true that after the third cane it is no longer necessary to go to the dining room to eat because one already feels completely full and satisfied.
Yes indeed, the atmosphere is bullfighting , so it is not suitable for staunch animal lovers. The oxtail of this place plays in another league, although worthy of mention are also the kid and the piglet . The ham It is usually present in their caps.
The center of Getafe is full of bars and taverns where a tapa with a beer or a wine is the most common . And they know a lot about that the barrel _(Magdalene, 11) _, the Oliver's Tavern _(Guanabacoa, 9) _ and the essential ** Tapa Tapa (Plaza del Reloj, 6) **. One of the hallmarks of these three places is undoubtedly the generosity in the tapas, which seems to depend on it for their lives. From squid and house croquettes to garlic prawns. Home cooking is the order of the day.
In Juan de la Cierva We have come across one of the gastronomic spaces that has most impacted us in the entire municipality. It is the ** Gastrotaberna Cachito’s ** _(Avda. Don Juan de Borbón, 1) _, very close to the El Casar suburban station.
Its gastronomic concept ranges from pinchos such as stuffed baby squid or crispy cod with oxtail or rice with lobster. End of the party with quite rich homemade desserts and a tiramisu that is possibly out of this world . Without a doubt, a place to return a thousand times.
And there are so many more options. Too bad I can't name them all...
From the Russian salad 'until the walks'