After a long and tasty evening of researching tapas bars in Madrid, our last stop was my favorite. At €18 the dinner we ordered wasn’t cheap, but when shared, and paired with wonderful €4 glasses of wine, it was both a great value and, it seems from this vantage point, may become a lifelong memory. I learned a good trick from Jorge, my guide: In a tapas bar, order your glass of wine first, before ordering any food, and wait as if expecting a free treat (which is expected by locals but often not given to clueless tourists) — and you’ll get a small plate of some delicacy for no extra cost. Then order your food. This stop (where we shared the dinner, and had two glasses of fine wine and the small starter plate) cost us about $15 each.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
Thanks. On a par with one of RS’s better tips. I can tell you there would have been a diplomatic
incident between the U.S. and Spain had a manager at a hotel in Spain tried successfully to charge me and my wife an outrageous fee because we used the hotel’s hot water in the lobby to submerse our own personal tea bags. Only because a “brilliant” RS female guide interceded is that manager still in the so-called hospitality industry. And after traveling in Europe for 25 years I can also assure you that kow-towing to merchants does not endear you to them. They just assume you are another US idiot with too many dollars and not enough sense. Thanks Rick.
On my first trip to Spain, in La Herradura, the first tapas bar we went to I ordered a red wine and within a minute they brought out tapas, and kept on replenishing them for free, so this tip for me really isn’t a tip at all because it was obvious that when you order a cocktail they bring you free tapas.
Rick: Good tip about tapas … some places will bring you a dish with *each additional* glass ordered too. We’ve eaten well by just ordering a few glasses of wine and eating the tapas that came with them. We’ve learned to always order the wine first, see what they bring out in terms of food, then order more food accordingly.
Fun video too, but you’re missing one important detail … what’s this place called?! Unless I’m missing it, I don’t see or hear any indication of where you are.
I will be in Madrid in a few months and would like to know the name of the wine bar.
Thanks, Mary
I see a couple of comments asking about the location of some of these commercial establishments and wonder if revealing their names puts both the business and RS at risk with competitors. Rick should really address this issue.