Cafeteria Trebul

One of the problems with having a cervecería or cafeteria on every corner is that you walk by so many promising places and end up ducking into the last place you see.  The agony of infinite choice.  This is probably why Spaniards tapa hop, so they don't have to make a decision.

Cafeteria Trebul was our last option, after wandering through the Salamanca district with rumbling stomachs for a little too long.  Hunger led us to simply asking the waiter for the specialty, which turned out to be a "fried seafood platter."  


As demonstrated by the picture below, this included calamares, sardines, shrimp, squid and some unidentified fish eating its own tail.  All fried.

Taking a step back, the ambiance was typical of many cafeterias in Madrid. Long bar showing off the food items, clean, very bright.  Perhaps it was the time of day, but Cafeteria Trebul was full of older people.  The waiters almost seemed glad to see patrons younger than themselves.  But, you learn a lot about a place by how they treat an indecisive abuela and these waiters were kind and patient.

Back to the fried seafood platter, which we would almost never had picked but for being tired and open to any suggestion.  It wasn't bad, although we are not fried food kind of people.  The fish-eating-its-tail was actually the most savory part of the dish, with a lightness that reminded us of Scandinavian boiled whitefish.  The calamares were good, better than we experienced on a tapa-hopping night earlier in the week.

We left feeling like we hadn't chosen the right dish for us, but that we should give it another chance.  We'll keep you posted.  Bottom line for now ... we'll go back, but unless we have six other people with us, we're not ordering that fried seafood platter.

Cafeteria Trebol

+34 914.35.6623

Avenida Felipe II, 10

(south of Goya)