Hamam Ayala

It's been a cold winter, so a few weekends ago, we decided to warm up and wind down in a hamam.  We headed over to Hamam Ayala, reported to be the first hamam in Madrid, run by a terrific French guy who wanted to open up an authentic Arabic bath in the city.  He spent a lot of time in the Middle East and Africa, and was inspired to share his knowledge in Madrid.

When Hamam Ayala opened in 2009, there was a lot of buzz about it on Spanish television (if you understand Spanish, watch this short film -- as they say, the hamam offers an "opportunity to get clean on the outside and on the inside!).  

For our treatments, we opted for the Arabic bath and a 20 minute massage.  Basically, we entered the hamam, washed, sat in a mint/eucalyptus steam bath, got scrubbed, had a massage, and then were served mint tea and "Arabic" treats.  We paid 75 euro each for the hamam and the massage.

Overall, the experience was good.  The facilities were very clean, the steam room was especially nice (almost Scandinavian) and the service was friendly.  The Moroccan bath attendants (both female) were professional.  But, the place was very empty on a Saturday night, and we noticed that they took a few short cuts in some of the products, such as using the cheap brand of soap in the showers.

As we paid for the services at the end, we asked the owner how the hamam was doing during the economic crisis.  "Not good," was the response.  In fact, he is looking to sell the place in the next couple of months.  Such a shame, but it is one of the realities of the slow economy in Spain.

There are other hamams in Madrid, but Hamam Ayala is the real deal, at least for now.  If it's still around for your visit, try to stop by.


Hamam Ayala
Calle de Ayala, 126  28006 Madrid, Spain

Churros y chocolate

We heard that Madrid got cold in the winter.  However, having braved snowy winters in the American midwest and in Scandinavia, we thought we could handle Spain.  But, even we will admit that things get a bit chilly here in January and February.  Fortunately, there is a way great to keep warm -- churros y chocolate!

There are many places in town to get thick, rich cups of chocolate and the accompanying fried dough sticks.  If you're staying in the city center, you'll probably have heard of Chocolateria San Gines, the classic 24-hour place for chocolate in Madrid.  There's also the Valor chain of chocolate stores.  Either place would make a great start or end to your day. 

In our experience, you want to find somewhere that has freshly fried churros so look for big vats of oil in plain sight to be sure you're getting the freshest possible.  After extensive research, we recommend La Antigua Churreria.  There are three locations in town, but due to close proximity, we've gone back to the Conde de Peñalver 32 location several times (Metro: Goya).  The place has a terrific vibe with lots of neighborhood families and friends stopping by for an early evening (7-8 PM) snack.  Two cups of chocolate and one order of churros come to about 6 euros.

Warning: There's lots to like about the vibe at La Antigua, but the store closes early around 9 PM.  So, don't think of the churros y chocolate as a late night thing at this store, but rather, as an early spoil-your-dinner kind of snack.  You might even think of churros for a mid-morning break at 11 AM so you can make through the day to a 3 PM Spanish lunch.

Yum

Update: We stopped by San Gines on a Sunday morning around noon.  We'll admit that that chocolate was good and the churros were fresh.  The store is charming and worth taking the extra time to find on Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5, near the San Gines church and west of Puerta del Sol.  It is, however, very touristy.  You'll like it though.

Estay Resaurante

We obviously spend a lot of time in the Salamanca District, so we take care to make sure that we don't over-represent this neighborhood.  Convenience means that we generally fail.  But, we do recognize that some places need highlighting and might even be worth a trip into the district.  Estay would fall into that category.  It's especially close by if you're hitting some of Serrano's high end shopping.

Honesty requires the confession that we have probably walked past the entrance dozens of times, sometimes when we were actually cruising for a drink and a pincho.  Maybe it's just me, but it looks tacky from the street.  Not so inviting.



But, once you decide to go in, a spacious bar with lots of seating greets you.  As well as an interesting approach to "mini-cuisine" that means your pinchos are actually small works of art.  We did the chef's selection and got an interesting set of meat-based pinchos that were delicious, but perhaps not quite as memorable as the billing would suggest.  I also noted that no complimentary tapa was served and the bar service wasn't as friendly as we've gotten accustomed to in Madrid.

But, the food and the wines were excellent in a surprisingly hip setting.  We'll visit again and see how our impressions evolve.  One thing is for sure, we won't simply walk by looking for somewhere else.  It's on our map and should probably be on yours.

Estay Restaurante
Calle Hermosilla, 46
http://www.estayrestaurante.com/

Taberna La Daniela

Some places get all of the love.  Taberna La Daniela is featured in a lot of Madrid travel guides and foodie blogs.  Is all the attention deserved?

To be honest, como no!  Which is, confusingly, one way to say "yes" in Spanish.  We visited the Salamanca location to confirm what everyone else in the world has said, Taberna La Daniela is great.



The atmosphere is the first reason.  La Daniela has managed to maintain a sense of family intimacy and friendliness, even though it is generally packed with people.  The decorations, especially the colors, are a classic Madrid look.  The bar area is not very large, but that energy is infectious.  If you're looking for romance or a quiet conversation ... keep walking, perhaps a few doors down to Cerveceria Pardinas on the same street.

And the food? The tortilla is especially well regarded, but we've tried several different types of dishes, with no disappointments.  The benefit of a busy place is that the food you get with your drinks is more than generous (gotta keep that food moving).  Add in a couple of orders and you've really done well for yourself.

We haven't tried the restaurant yet, but when we're in the mood for cocido, which is one of La Daniela's specialities, we're remember to book a table.

Taberna La Daniela
Calles del General Pardinas, 21
http://www.tabernaladaniela.com/

Cerveceria Pardiñas

A couple doors over from the Salamanca location of Taberna La Daniela is another friendly, but less crowded cerveceria that is definitely worth visiting.  The first thing to appreciate is that they have their specialties and are happy to direct you to them.  One of the curiosities from Madrid's generally outstanding customer service is the sense of panic many bartenders get when you ask them for a recommendation.  And, if you happen to have the slightest hint of a foreign accent in Spanish, they're going to direct you to jamon and tortilla española.  Every time.  That, and it can be very difficult to get your waiter's attention for a second round or the bill. 

But, this little place is happy to offer suggestions.  Our waitress was all over us, in a good way, with ideas for another tapa to try.  When we were in the middle of an intense conversation, she even waited to interrupt us.

And the food was terrific.  We munched on potato chips, albondigas (meatballs), and some toast with cheese, beef and peppers.  We even ordered the tortilla, just to mix things up.  Delish.

Cerveceria Pardiñas
Calle General Pardiñas, 25
Salamanca District
91 575 43 88