Asturianos is also a great place for sharing.
C. de Vallehermoso, 94, Chamberí, 28003 Madrid, Spain
Yep! The portions are HUGE! Yum, that fabada!
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So good, I’m a pretty big eater and I hardly made a dent in that, which was a shame 
@krystle920
While I don’t know where in the Madrid de los Austrias, around the Plaza Major, your lodging is located,
you do have other restaurants that do serve large portions for sharing for your group, along with the above-mentioned Xentes and La Caníbal, both within easy walking distance.
Again, I stress that it´s perfectly normal to share, as do all most all Spaniards. Their sharing of plates is an art form.
For example. In the Barrio de las Letras, on Calle Prado 10, you also have another Galician, Ocafú Taberna Gallega Santa Ana, a very local Galician chain, which has long hours, and serves large portions, all perfectly acceptable to share.
Our apartment is in the corner of Calle Mayor and C. de Bordadores.
The suggestion for Asturian and Galician cuisine is a great idea. We have never had those cuisines before so that would be unique. For Asturian, is it worth the trek to take 8 people to Asturianos since that seems to be the foodie pick? or would the other recommendations be just as good?
La Canibal seems like a good option for right after going to the free hours at Reina Sofia since it’s right next door. Initially, we were thinking La Lopez but the portions might be smaller than ideal.
Would it be worth going to Casa Macareno for dinner, not the menu del dia?
It seems like La Castela does not take reservations for our party size but Castelados does so we might go there for one dinner in the Retiro district.
Does Viva Madrid have a limited menu or is it possible to eat dinner there?
Does Alma Nomad deliver? I can’t figure out when in my itinerary is the best time to go.
Our schedule in Madrid is now as follows. Let me know if there is anything to switch out.
Day 1
-flight arrives in Madrid
-buy bread, jamon, and cheese
-dinner- Casa Amadeo - one of the few places open on Monday near our area
-Chocolateria Gines
Day 2
-Royal Palace
-lunch - tapas crawl - Casa Revuelta, La Casa del Abuelo, La Campana
-Plaza Mayor
-Mercado San Miguel
-Puerta del Sol
-Gran Via shops
-dinner - Casa Macareno? or something in Las Letras so we can go to Salmon Guru afterwards
Day 3
-Toledo
-lunch - Taberna Skala
-mazapan desserts
-Reina Sofia Museum
-dinner - La Canibal? La Lopez?
Day 4
-Prado Museum
-lunch - Casa Dani?
-Alex Cordobes
-Horchateria Alboraya
-Retiro Park
-dinner - Castelados?
Day 5
-Segovia
-lunch - Jose Maria
-dinner - Barmiton
Day 6
-lunch-?
-135 pm train to Granada
get there As soon as they open and you’ll be getting take out, tiny store front and very popular. Maybe one of the food delivery apps can deliver(?), but you won’t get the full experience and selection.
By the way, how reliable are the ratings on The Fork? versus say Google Reviews. I assume ratings on Tripadvisor and Yelp are the least reliable. I assume The Fork has more locals but ratings might also be skewed by the discounts offered.
@krystle920
I used to use The Fork for my reservations, but since most all of my preferred restaurants have their own booking systems or use Cover Manager, there are very few restaurants on The Fork that interest me, with a few exceptions. I find the reviews there no better than TripAdvisor, Google or Yelp and some are somewhat skewed by the heavy discounts that are offered.
In fact, the only The Fork discount that I use regularly, is the one offered by my favorite traditional catalán bistrot, Casa Bonet, across from Retiro Park.
I go there early at 1:30 pm (30% discount) for their wonderful pa amb tomaquet, their individual rice dishes and professional service. The reviews of Casa Bonet are not skewed. Right now they’re offering a calçots menu, a “calçotada”.
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@krystle920,
Your apartment is within spitting distance of Chocolateria San Ginés and in a very bustling area.
Since you’re concerned about portion sizes, a reasonable final bill and also the size of your group, I would go to La Caníbal for your Galician lunch after a visit to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. The back room will accommodate your group, as I dined there recently on a Sunday among many family groups.
I’ve never been to Casa Macareno for anything but the menú del día.
We go to Viva Madrid for cocktails after dinner, but they do serve meals. But the cocktails and ambiance are the draw here. In Las Letras on Huertas you have the century-old classic taberna, Casa Alberto, that visitors enjoy for a vermouth at the bar, along with complimentary olives, or a classic Madrid menu in the back dining room. See if the menu appeals:
We had a recent, fine meal at Castelados in the dining room and another at La Montería. Of the 2 we prefer the latter (the lighting is a bit too bright for us in the former–a very minor quibble), but they belong to the same family.
That said, I think you’d find La Castela, the original, to be more atmospheric. They do take large groups and will admit reservations for groups to up to 12, but their booking engine only accepts reservations a month in advance, up today until March 24.
Day 1
The draw of Casa Amadeo is its stew of snails in a spicy sauce. Are you sure that this will appeal to everyone in your group? And its torreznos (fried pork bits) and zarajos (baby lamb intestines). Does everyone in your group like offal?
Day 2
Salmón Gurú doesn’t take reservations so it’s tricky for a large group. Salmón Gurú and Viva Madrid are just a block and a half apart and have the same ownership.
For an inexpensive dinner in Las Letras, you could try another Galician, Ocafú Taberna Gallega Santa Ana on Calle Prado…
or for an Asturian within spitting distance of your apartment, El Ňeru, on Bordadores, also inexpensive, serving huge portions. But the latter is extremely popular so reservations are essential.
I don´t believe that a trip up to Asturianos warrants the time involved via the metro from Sol to Canal plus the walk, or the expensive taxi fare. It´s in the upper reaches of Chamberí, a very large district.
Day 3
Make sure to purchase your Toledo mazapán treats at Obrador de Mazapán Santo Tomé
Larger portions at La Caníbal or Xentes than at La López, which I truly love, but does have a cult following among Madrid food lovers and the bill can add up. I say that because of the budget issues.
Day 4
After the Prado you´ll need to take a longish walk up to Casa Dani for tortilla and be patient. If you arrive at the very busy lunch hour, the inside the market dining area will be crowded, but there is a constant ebb and flow. There is an annex restaurant on Lagasca next to the Lagasca entrance to the market and an outdoor dining area at that entrance before entering the market.
I don’t know what the lines will be like at Alex Cordobés but one can purchase equally delicious Fismuler cheesecake at Pastelería Mallorca on Calle Velázquez 59 or Serrano 6.
Dinner at Castelados, the first seating at 8:30 pm
Day 5
Be sure not to over order at José María as portions are huge. When having cochinillo in Segovia with our 5 person family, two of us share an order (or just have one leg each), and we order 2 starters to share. We also share their ponche segoviano with vanilla cream and almond nougat ice cream for dessert among 3-4 people because it’s very rich. Again, with the budget concerns, the bill here can quickly add up.
Dinner at Barmitón with prior reservations.
It has one Repsol sun (sol).
Open on Monday within walking distance of your apartment at corner of Bordadores and Mayor:
Xentes, a Galician, serving large portions. At Humilladero 13, past Cava Baja in La Latina
Their empanadas will easily serve 2 and their soupy rice (arroz caldoso) can easily be shared.
We are Filipino-Chinese so in terms of food preferences, this group likes seafood and meats, and would enjoy pork jowls/head and tripe. Snails are fine too. Brains and intestines might be more of a sell. Because people in the Philippines eat plain white rice with every meal, the only issue I could see is craving the plain rice eventually especially with the rich stews to sop up the sauces.
Are the other Casa Dani dishes worth the trek to go there for lunch? I noticed Casa Dani delivers so we are also considering having their tortilla delivered then we can eat a little bit each day for breakfast in our apartment. That will save the long walk to Salamanca from the Prado. My dad who is 75 prefers not to walk too far.
I will incorporate the Asturian and Galician places in our itinerary since those are unique regional cuisines we don’t have in the US. Those razor clams look so good!
Yes, Casa Dani delivers.
Regarding the walking, your dad will definitely have a long walk if you try to walk from the Prado (a visit to the Prado itself can be exhausting) up to Calle Lagasca, corner of Ayala for just a slice of Casa Dani’s tortilla, then on to Alex Cordobés on Velázquez (not far), or if the line is too long, to one of the Mallorcas for Fismuler cheesecake, then the walk on to Alboraya at Alcalá 125, corner of Jorge Juan. Then a stroll through the enormous Retiro Park. That is a lot of walking on Day 4! I suggest that for some of this, you use taxis that can be easily hailed on the street since your dad doesn’t enjoy a long walk.
Yes, the razor clams are delicious. We have them regularly at the Galician places and at the Castelas.
Yes, I think we would just need to take taxis so he doesn’t get too tired especially after the Prado.
The other day that concerns me in terms of walking is the day trip to Segovia. How tiring is it to take the subway from our apartment to Chamartin, take the Renfe train, then take another taxi/bus in Segovia to the town center, roundtrip? Is that pretty straigtforward? I tried to look for a van/driver but they are expensive and hard to find, and we need car seats for the kids.
Because of the ongoing and enormous construction project that is Chamartín rail station, you will need to do considerable walking to catch your train amidst the construction. And from your apartment, you should take taxis to Chamartín or you will need to take the Cercanías (commuter or suburban rail line) C-4 directly to Chamartín, then find your way to the tracks.
See the Cercanías schedule here, choosing Sol as your departure and Chamartin Campoamor as your destination.
Trains depart every 11 minutes and the ride to Chamartín takes 11 minutes. Purchase your tickets from the self service red machines with an inverted C.
The train ride to Segovia itself is speedy, 30 minutes, but goes through many tunnels so not scenic. Then once at Segovia Guiomar station, outside of town, purpose built for the fast trains, you will need to taxi into town or take the bus #11 that will leave you just below the aqueduct square. This bus is timed to meet the trains and makes 2 intermediate stops. I believe the current bus fare is 2.25. Taxis would cost about 15 euros.
In booking a round trip train fare to Segovia, the AVANT fast train fares are the cheapest and are static, as they don’t change. The Alvia and especially the AVE fares (trains that go on to Valladolid and beyond) are the most expensive.
From the aqueduct square, Plaza de Azoguejo, to reach the cathedral you will go up a steep street that changes names as you ascend (Isabel la Católica, Juan Bravo, Cervantes). Just follow the crowd. Then the cathedral is to the left of the Plaza Mayor, and José María restaurant is just east, to your right, of the Plaza Mayor.
To visit the Alcázar from the Plaza Mayor you´ll descend steeply via Calle Daoiz.
From the Alcázar you may (??) be able to catch a taxi to take you back to the Segovia Guiomar train station, or just retrace your steps (a long walk!) back to the aqueduct square, Plaza de Azoguejo, and the taxi rank just below it, to your left.
Another way to reach Segovia while Chamartín is a giant construction project, would be to take the Avanza bus that departs from the Intercambiador de Moncloa. The ride does take one hour, 20 minutes, however. One can purchase a ticket online or just wait until you reach the Intercambiador de Moncloa to purchase, and seats are numbered. There is a senior fare. Buses depart very frequently
The Segovia bus station is located in the center of the city, not far from the aqueduct square, where the tourist information center is located.
The Intercambiador de Moncloa is a transportation hub for interurban and long distance buses, plus Madrid metro. So inside this terminal you need to look for island (Isla) 1 and tracks (andén) 8 and 9 on the monitors. Round trip bus fare would be far less expensive than the train fare, but you may prefer the speed of the AVANT train, although the departures and returns are less frequent.
See the bus schedule by choosing Madrid Moncloa as your origen, then choose Moncloa and Segovia Todas las Paradas (all stops) as your destination.
https://booking.avanzabus.com
P.S. Segovia is in my “back yard” now, so to speak, and I go often.
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That is a great suggestion to take the bus to Segovia instead. It does seem less stressful overall. Navigating train stations under construction while being worried we’ll miss our train does not sound enjoyable. I assume it is pretty straightforward to take the #3 line from Sol to Moncloa. Are there potentially long lines to buy bus tickets at the station or a chance all 8 of us won’t get on the same bus? We can buy the tickets online but there is a small fee and it does lock us into a specific departure.
As a local, what are your other must dos in Segovia? We’re planning to see the Aquedect, lunch at Jose Maria, and Cathedral for sure. Not sure if Alcazar is a must? Any must try snacks or desserts, or shops?
Yes, it’s straightforward. I take the line 3 twice weekly from Moncloa to Sol.
I don’t think there will be a problem with all 8 of your group getting on the same bus.
My “must sees” in Segovia are the aqueduct, the cathedral, the Alcázar and a roast suckling pig or suckling lamb feast. I wouldn’t miss the Alcázar!
If you fall in love with the classic Segovia dessert, ponche segoviano, and want to take some back to your apartment, the Pastelería Limón y Menta at Isabel la Católica 2, near the Plaza Mayor, sells this delicious sweet to go, as my Madrid family always orders ahead of time to take home.
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Just a slight correction to the info on the Intercambiador de Moncloa station on Calle Princesa, from where the Segovia buses depart. Look for Isla 1 (there are 3 "Islas in this large complex), which is on level -1 and dársenas (docks) 8 and 9. The Segovia buses leave from both 8 and 9.
I checked just now for tomorrow and a few Madrid to Segovia afternoon departures are sold out; the departures at 1:30 , 3 pm, 3:15 and 4:30.
For the return tomorrow, Segovia-Madrid, several very early morning departures are sold out but the afternoon departures have seats available.
So I can’t absolutely guarantee that you can all get on your desired bus, but whether to purchase tickets online to be tied to a particular departure is up to you.
Here’s a map on the Intercambiador de Moncloa
I just checked for this Friday for 8 people, since we are going on a Friday. You are right in that they do get sold out. In the morning, 9:45, 10:45, and 11 am are available, but not 10 am and 11:30 am. Same with the return. 5:15 pm and 7 pm are sold out, but 5:45 pm, 6 pm, and 645 pm are available.
I assume we want Segovia Estacio, not Zorrill or Rafael.
Yes, Segovia Estacio is the final stop. From there it’s only an 8-10 minute walk to the Plaza de Azoguejo, tourist office and aqueduct.
