El Brillante
A far cry from the establishments listed above, this fast-food institution is always busy and service can be brusque, but it’s an affordable pit stop before or after visiting the Reina Sofía museum next door. Signs on the walls advertise a range of generous raciones, but El Brillante is most famous for its battered squid (bocadillo de calamares), which it claims is Madrid’s best sandwich (many agree). The 4-inch version makes a good snack;, the 10-inch bocata is lunch. Eat standing up at the long, stainless-steel bar and let your napkins float to the floor like everyone else. Late at night, output switches to chocolate and churros for revelers on their way home and continues at breakfast time.
A far cry from the establishments listed above, this fast-food institution is always busy and service can be brusque, but it’s an affordable pit stop before or after visiting the Reina Sofía museum next door. Signs on the walls advertise a range of generous raciones, but El Brillante is most famous for its battered squid (bocadillo de calamares), which it claims is Madrid’s best sandwich (many agree). The 4-inch version makes a good snack;, the 10-inch bocata is lunch. Eat standing up at the long, stainless-steel bar and let your napkins float to the floor like everyone else. Late at night, output switches to chocolate and churros for revelers on their way home and continues at breakfast time.
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