La Castela
Set in a quiet neighborhood on the eastern side of El Retiro park, this unpretentious bar-restaurant nevertheless gets busy at lunchtime. That’s because it serves some of Madrid’s best bar food. You can reserve a table in the restaurant at the back, but it’s more fun to book a spot in the bottled-lined bar at the front for first-class tapas. The menu leans toward fresh seafood—vivid red carabinero prawns are stacked at the counter—and everything is beautifully prepared. It’s a good idea to choose half portions (media raciones) and try a few different dishes. Clams in manzanilla sherry, soupy rice with octopus and squid, and oxtail with boletus mushrooms are among the local favorites. Track suited servers run around making sure everyone is happy. Michelle Obama ate here with her daughters when they visited Madrid, but the dueño of the Castela is not the type to shout about it.
Set in a quiet neighborhood on the eastern side of El Retiro park, this unpretentious bar-restaurant nevertheless gets busy at lunchtime. That’s because it serves some of Madrid’s best bar food. You can reserve a table in the restaurant at the back, but it’s more fun to book a spot in the bottled-lined bar at the front for first-class tapas. The menu leans toward fresh seafood—vivid red carabinero prawns are stacked at the counter—and everything is beautifully prepared. It’s a good idea to choose half portions (media raciones) and try a few different dishes. Clams in manzanilla sherry, soupy rice with octopus and squid, and oxtail with boletus mushrooms are among the local favorites. Track suited servers run around making sure everyone is happy. Michelle Obama ate here with her daughters when they visited Madrid, but the dueño of the Castela is not the type to shout about it.
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