Yes, it is an olive grove and an orchard in the middle of Madrid.
In the shade of these olive trees Napoleon sat down Probably, to lament how he lost without turning back the War of Independence. A century later, Jose Castillejo, jurist, pedagogue, disciple of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, one of those men who believed in advancing this country through culture and knowledge he bought those same olive trees fleeing the hubbub of Madrid, but without going very far.
Those olive trees then belonged to the town of Chamartín de la Rosa, today they remain as a Mediterranean oasis in the middle of the Chamartín neighborhood, near Plaza de la Castilla, a paradise in which, for a moment, you breathe stories and not smoke.
Acorn-fed Iberian ham cut with a knife in Olivar de Castillejo
That's it The Olive Grove of Castillejo, a garden with more than a hundred hundred-year-old olive trees (worth the redundancy) that this summer it reopens to the public with a very attractive cultural and gastronomic offer.
Owned by the ** Castillejo Foundation, ** heirs of its official owner, created precisely to preserve this unique spot in Madrid, it is one of those places that you have to take advantage of to get to know when its green doors open. Beneath the olive trees, among the rockroses, brooms, rosemary and lilacs, the noise of the cars ceases to be heard and the tall buildings of the nearby Paseo de la Castellana are barely visible. That's why, It is the perfect place for a summer night plan. One of those that seems like a dream.
You'll think you're not in the city anymore...
It will open June 14 until September 14; every afternoon it will first offer classical music concerts, on the Estrella Damm stage, and then dinner.
The concerts (and some nights, plays) start at 8pm and, when they finish, (almost always by reservation) you can go to the end of the Olivar, where some wooden tables under the old trellis and olive trees have been transformed into Malquerida, a restaurant that opens only at night designed for light and summer dinners.
That is, fresh dishes, to share, a brief walk through an international and modern kitchen. Starting by the burrata with buffalo with melon carpaccio, acorn-fed Iberian ham cut with a knife, the charcuterie and cheese board... and ending with the _sweet&ch_ili chicken milanesitas, the cochinita pibil tacos with guacamango or the steak tartare with parmesan and mustard ice cream.
Napoléon may have leaned on this olive tree.
WHY GO
Because if you didn't know that this place existed in Madrid, you have to discover it. And if you knew, you'll want to come back.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
The garden has one more corner, one also in the open air, but more intimate due to the vegetation that surrounds it and that has been transformed into the Voll Damm space, available for private events up to 100 people.
Light and international dishes.
After the concerts, the dinners begin.
*Article published on July 24, 2018 and updated on May 21, 2019
Address: C/ Menéndez Pidal, 3B See map
Telephone: 663 95 90 50
Schedule: Concerts from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Dinners from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Additional schedule information: [email protected]
Half price: €25 / Concerts €10