Next stop: Anton Martin
Many factors have led Antón Martín to be living his perfect moment. At a perfect crossroads between the stately Santa Isabel, the ethnic Lavapiés and the very touristy Huertas , this neighborhood is a bit of everything and none of it at the same time.
We tell you which are our favorite places, both the modern ones that are causing the dreaded gentrification, and the ones you walk around the house that are now giving it a definitive pulse. We start with the first.
ATTENTION! MODERN!
LAMIAK
Basque-inspired tavern and an oasis for those who need that elaborate pintxo (from 1.80 euros) to the stomach with a good wine before continuing any route. This oasis of culinary pleasure in which wood predominates is the little brother of Lamiak de los Austrias, heir to La Mandrágora of the 80s, although this new place has its own character: fresher and more casual . It offers varied exhibitions, jazz and funk are always playing in the background, and it has a gastronomic association that promises. (Of the Rose, 10)
A skewer of Lamiak
THE FUGITIVE
very much in line with these trendy places where you can have a coffee, buy a book and read for a while, the Fugitive bets more, if anything, on reading than on coffee. The location is fantastic, the coquettish place, the very pleasant atmosphere and the menu of teas, infusions, coffees, etc., in addition to their homemade cakes, gives a little variation. **There are also beers and wi-fi (but here it is about respecting a certain silence and a reading environment) **. They open every day in the morning for breakfast and in the afternoon for snacks. (Saint Elizabeth, 12)
La Fugitiva: cakes, biscuits and books without bordering on the excessive
THE CALETA
We break the silence to enter the heart of Cádiz in the neighborhood: fish cartridges, prawns, ham and chorizo papers, bienmesabe , shrimp omelettes, dogfish, baby lace, ortiguillas... Flamenco sounds at all hours and the treatment is familiar and close. If for you it is too much frying, one of its richest dishes is rice with shrimp (which must be ordered in advance). Although the place is a bit small, it is excellent to have a few beers and a snack. (Three fish, 21)
BENTEVEO
Typical baretazo of grandparents converted into a friendly place and, even so, rare, where to have some wines, some beers or some vermouths accompanied by delicious toasts and decent tapas (also a coffee with toast in the mornings). Add points for its large windows, for the patatuelas that they offer with the drink and because there is space to not feel overwhelmed (if you go with something bulky or moving: understand children / stroller, you also enter). In addition, it has good music at a correct volume. (Saint Elizabeth, 15)
Benteveo: typical grandparents' bar converted into a friendly place
THE PIOLA
A cafeteria always flowery and with a bohemian touch and a foreign point, which opens from sunup to sundown and gradually transforms itself into whatever it touches. Here you will find the right atmosphere (almost always) thanks to the amount of light that enters during the day, the warm lighting and the good music that plays (León, 9) .
MIX SANDWICH
Graphic designers who run a place where homemade food is served to take away (or to eat on the spot) and that they also use as an office. His collection of fanzines (and books) is really different. They serve brunch on the weekends and regularly organize concerts, workshops and all sorts of things (Santa Isabel, 5; Mercado de Antón Martín) .
Mixed sandwich: sandwiches and graphic design
THE COMPREHENSIVE
If you are looking to make a flirty little gift (for yourself or for others) in this place you will find a little bit of everything: clothing, shoes, vinyl, comics, furniture, stationery, accessories ... It's worth stopping by even if it's just to take a look at the material (León, 25) .
author gifts
THE RESISTANCE!
ALFARO WINERIES
Open to the street and with a mini-terrace that gives life, Few places add up so many points to have some well-tossed beers among friends at sunset . The staff behind the bar is very nice, the prices are affordable and the cap of olives, salmorejo or the plate of fries is never lacking (courtesy of the house). Keep that little point of the traditional winery from which you will not miss a detail to observe the movement of the diverse people through the busy Ave María street. The musical atmosphere bets on flamenco but at a volume that allows you to shed your sorrows and recount happiness to your colleagues without raising your voice (Ave María, 10).
GONZALEZ HOUSE
With tradition: Few places in the neighborhood are so recommendable to have a good wine (try their wines by the glass) and accompany it with a cheese board while you look at Calle León through the glass . The place has a history, open since 1931, and preserves the flavor and atmosphere of past decades, as well as a little shop where you can buy hams, cheeses, wines and delicatessen products (León, 12)
Casa González: traditional cheeses and wines
LIQUORLAND
Behind this unappetizing name and an old-looking shop window and sign, lurks one of the best liquor and wine stores in Madrid . A family business that has been operating since the 1960s. The treatment is impeccable and the girl who runs it knows more about wine than many other pretentious shop assistants. She usually has very interesting offers inside her (León, 30).
THE FILMOTHEQUE OR CINEMA DORÉ
The Doré Cinema has had periods of great splendor and other miserable ones that coincided with the nickname it had in the neighborhood: Sala de las Pipas . But it came back to stay when, definitively: it works as the Spanish Film Library's own premises for its public screenings (from 2.50 euros). Its sound library is a jewel for the material it conserves . The cafeteria is well worth a cup of coffee before a screening, and the chicken coop in room 1 is most welcoming and worth seeing, since it was an attempt to rebuild the original room of the Doré Hall. Room 2 has a more modern design and room 3, the Luis García Berlanga, is a summer cinema with a bar (note, summer only). (cupcake, 10)
Facade of the Doré Cinema
THE LEONESS
We change the third and imagine that you want to make the purchase. But not just any products. No. La Leonesa has the best material in sausages, hams, cheeses, preserves in many meters around. His position is one of those that look outwards in the middle of Santa Isabel street , next to the Filmoteca box office, and is already a legend in the neighbourhood. You can pay in cash or by card and the treatment is very friendly. (Anton Martin Market, Santa Isabel, 1)
LEAF
Well drawn straws, a terrace with some small tables and some grilled prawns... and little else (and little less, some would say) in addition to a lifelong service. This is what La Mina presumes, that baretito that for being humble and honest his unconditional fans adore (Ave Maria, 28).
MENTRIDANA WINERY
Tavern where you can drink some quality wines (better decide on a bottle) or have some beers with a tapa. A classic place to discuss the last movie you just saw at the Filmoteca. (Saint Eugene, 9)
The Mentridana Winery
THE AWAKENING
This local classic whose motto is 'Jazz with a club flavor' has been programming quality activities related to music since the 1980s (mainly jazz in its entirety) and also, with a careful bohemian aesthetic that is warm and that invites you to spend the night with friends or strangers (Torrecilla del Leal, 18) .
THE GREEN CAT
Good music, daily atmosphere and two floors that generate two very different atmospheres depending on what you are looking for: downstairs, a classic cocktail bar; and above, a more relaxing and intimate touch with small windows facing the street. The Green Cat or Cat for friends has a lot to do with Madrid, with cats, with Nina Simone... with a group of friends (Torrecilla del Leal, 15) .
La Piola: a coffee shop always in bloom
OFF LIMITS
Hidden in Calle de la Escuadra is this versatile industrial space but with a soul, in which Yoga workshops are taught as well as a porn performance or a traveling film show is scheduled. In this old bakery from 1908 today you can do almost anything (you can also rent the space) (de la Escuadra, 11)
SUCCESSORS OF IGNACIO LOPEZ
Those who know this business say that maybe it's the best dried fruit shop in Madrid , and we do not doubt it (with that name it commands respect) . Nuts, dehydrated fruit, honey, seeds, cereals... Ignacio López's children sell everything at a very good price and of excellent quality (Torrecilla del Leal, 32)