Madrid with a magnifying glass: Conde Duque street
Conde Duque has something of Malasaña, Argüelles and Alonso Martínez. But above all it has a lot of the Count Duke himself; this area is pure Madrid, half town, half hive of people They don't know each other but they're going to take half an hour to do it. This summer the neighborhood is more alive than ever. A neighbor complains (with a small mouth) laughing: “They are kicking us out, they don't leave room for those of us who live here”.
But let's not get distracted, the challenge is to reduce the route to a single street, that of Conde Duque; it has sidewalks for tightrope walkers , elderly neighbors who have never moved from the neighbourhood, other young people who would never move to others and important doses of contemporary culture. We could dress, feed and feel very modern and very from Madrid without deviating from it. Let's go by parts.
We'll start at the end by the area that touches Alberto Aguilera . And we'll end up at the bottom of the hill. Ready, Set, Go.
I WANT BREAD. THE SMELL, OH THE SMELL
It's that simple. Carbohydrates are one of those reasons why life is worth living. In the form of a fragrant and freshly baked bread they are, directly, life. Panic could be another of this new breed of bakeries that graced Madrid and tried to convince us that bread was a luxury. From the look of it, it could be (and from how difficult it is to get certain breads, too). El Comidista called Panic "the antiboutique of bread" . And as usual, Mikel is right. This is a bakery, nothing more, nothing less. The space is beautiful, the bread really tasty and the prices sensible. And let's not talk about the smell, which should be kept in glass jars.
Hmmmm... the smell of fresh bread
I STRANGE ARGENTINA, DID YOU SEE?
With the smell of bread, suddenly, we have remembered Buenos Aires, something that does not make much sense because it is not that Argentina is the country with the best bread in the world. But we have agreed. The same because we were listening to Calamaro. The fact is that we want to buy alfajores, chimichurri (there are people who live without chimichurri!) and some empanadas . More calories to add to bread. happy calories. La Franco Argentine is already a street classic and sells ashá specialties.
Alfajores, chimichurri, empanadas... everything you need to taste Argentina
I WANT IT ALL: SING, DRINK, BUY, WATCH A MOVIE, SEE AND BE SEEN
Now that we are fed we need to feel like a perfect product of our time. that's what it's for The barracks . The Cuartel del Conde Duque , which has been here since 1717, hosts this summer The Barracks by City Lights , a project by Callao City Lights , Better and Javier Muñoz Calero. This open-air sub-barrack has come to light up the neighborhood. Many things happen in this space and all good: can be purchased at some of the contemporary artisan shops that meet here. You can have a drink on the sun loungers and listen to live music weekends; we can get (more) hungry.
Here you can also eat: specifically a menu designed by Andoni Luis Adúriz, Paco Pérez, Albert Adriá and Ramón Freixa. The dishes are cooked Kitchen Consciousness, a project of the Raíces Foundation that seeks the integration of young people in exclusion through restoration.
If it gets dark, and we have bought a ticket, we can see some of the films that are projected in the summer cinema which is also part of El Cuartel. Everyone talks about this cinema in the middle of Madrid and also about its sung screenings (Sing Along), that cross between cinema and karaoke that takes place on Fridays and Saturdays in August. We talk too. The summer of Madrid passes by stepping on the cobblestones of this patio . That's how it is.
Cinema, culture, markets... everything (and nothing military)
I'M A BOY AND I NEED CLOTHES
If this is the case, we are on the right street in the right neighborhood. Sportivo was a pioneer in locating here, in 2001, when it was a street far from any type of shopping circuit. It was not an alternative decision but, directly, crazy. This wonderful store has been dressing a generation of guys very well for more than ten years. She has been an educator of taste and a door opener. What should be a good store.
Clothes and more clothes
I AM A ZAPATISTA, SO WHAT?
Those who say this must end up, sooner or later, in Duke. It is, like the rest of the shops on the street, small in size but high in ambition. Brands such as Bensimon, Comme des Garçons, Fjallraven, YMC, Asics, Brooks, Doré Doré, Scott, Pantherella, Richard James, Hill Side, Red Wing, Birkenstock, Sunpocket, WHummel, Kenzo, Sperry, Band of Outsiders, The Hundreds, Amsterdam Shoe Co., Keds, Opening Ceremony, Henry & Henry, by Mott, T.U.K. that satisfy the most fetishists. They also sell accessories, not everything is going to be putting on shoes. And all with that air so Conde Duque, so personal, so chatting with customers and modernity without pyrotechnics.
Get dressed in Conde Duque
I'M A GIRL AND I ALSO NEED CLOTHES
Maggie is, with her older brother Polar, a project of the Barral brothers. They were among the first young entrepreneurs to choose the street more than ten years ago. They say that "here comes whoever wants to come". And they celebrate neighborhood life and the camaraderie between shops and bars. Maggie dresses girls and women who are looking for clothes with personality from brands that they choose with the same care with which the store is decorated. They sell Sessùn, Bellerose, Samsoe Samsoe, Après ski, Beatriz Furest and Chichinabo pottery. Maggie always comes out with that classic garment (nothing classic) that always awakens a “where did you buy it?
Non-classical clothes always wonderful
I'M A BOY AND I NEED MORE CLOTHES
The boys, always insatiable. We have not had enough with Sportivo: they want more. That's what Polar is for, which has been around since 2003 (almost since the last century!) Both are complementary and both are necessary. . Polar is a beautiful store, to begin with. It is presided over by a wooden structure that gives it an enormous personality. It sells selected brands with a magnifying glass such as Brands: Original Penguin, Penfield, Nudie Jeans, Junk de Luxe, Bellerose, Samsoe Samsoe. Clothes for guys who don't buy clothes, but buy a world.
More boys clothes
SHOPPING MAKES ME HUNGRY
But I don't want first, second and dessert. That is nothing Count Duke. I want, for example, a sandwich, but it has to be aligned with the character of the street. That is: personal, with a point of authorship, with imagination and without ostentation. For that you have to go to Crumb , which opened a year ago with the noble motive of giving imaginative Sandwiches, those that we see in cities like Denmark or San Francisco but made with local products. Here they ask for sardines with tapenade and, to accompany, always revolconas potatoes with torreznos. Do not stop to photograph it, although you will be tempted. Eat and shut up. That already, almost without realizing it, you have traveled half a kilometer. Perhaps one of the most interesting "half kilometers" in Madrid.
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Eco sandwiches with sourdough bread
inside the premises