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LAVAPIÉS |
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By Candela |
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1999 |
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LAVAPIÉS |
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By Candela |
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1999 |
They
say Lavapiés looks pretty much the same as it did a few hundred years ago.
It sure feels like a blip in time, far away from the glittering
skyscrapers of Gran Via and Castellana.
But it's not so much left behind, as just moving at a different pace.
As much of Madrid is zooming fast-forward into a land of fiber-optics and
urbanización, Lavapiés is quietly adapting the way it always has.
It's streets now burst with as many bohemians as castizos, as many
nationalities as corner bars.
Along with this influx of diversity, has come a wave of funky bars and
restaurants and adventurous shops.
Of course, they've settled themselves right next to the same old places
that have kept Lavapiés running for eons.
And you know what?
It works perfectly.
Drinking
and Eating
Don
Quixote
specializes in a wacky mix of cultures.
The black and yellow tiled walls recount scenes from Cervantes' famous
one, the menu features Mexican food, and the bar, German beers, including my fav
Franzenkaner wheat beer (375 pesetas).
The place is packed on weekends with in-the-know folk scarfing down
burritos (300 - 350 pesetas) and bobbing heads to really loud disco.
Just
uphill is Café Melos, famous
city-wide for their insanely huge zapatillas—loads of jamón york smothered in
melting cheese jammed between inch-thick slabs of Galician bread (750 pesetas).
Perfect with a bottle of Ribiero (800 pesetas).
If
you're crazy for hummus, schwarma and falafel, this is the barrio for you.
There's a middle eastern restaurant on almost every corner.
Check out Babilonia.
The stuffed grape leaves (1100 pesetas) are house specialties.
On weekends, enjoy them while a belly dancer sashays around your table.
A couple of blocks away is the economical Beirut.
Under their sky blue walls and mural of Lebanon, feast on a combination
plate for only 950 pesetas.
In
the mood for pasta?
Head over to Tía Doly.
Choose from a variety of pasta dishes, then pick a sauce—from a zesty
pesto to funghi porcini flavored with sherry, basil and olives (1200-1500
pesetas).
There are also simple salads and 16 types of pizza.
If you're one of those two meat, no veg types, fear not, just pop across
the street to La Pampa, where meat rules.
All the carnivorous delights you'd expect from an Argentinean grill house
are here.
Bring a friend and share the monster-sized variety plate (3900 pesetas).
Vegetarians should just walk on by—
—straight
to El Granero de Lavapiés.
Between
the harlequin-tiled red and green floor and the paper globe lamps swaying above,
some of the best vegetarian fare in Madrid is served.
The timbal de hortalizas (vegetable drum) with homemade carrot ali-oli is
not to be missed.
For a lesson in serenity, watch the waitress for a while.
Though already gray-haired, she moves with the grace of a 17-year-old.
Despite crowded tables, misplaced orders and dropped dishes, her blue
eyes never falter and her smile never even slightly fades.
If this is what meat-free living can do for you, I am ready to convert.
C/
Argumosa is Lavapiés answer to the terraza craze.
Make no mistake, this ain't Castellana, the hairspray to air ratio is a
whole lot lower and the drinks affordable even on a budget. Try the Eucalipto—cool Cuban rhythms and even cooler fruity drinks.
Fancy fresh melon juice with rum or a frozen strawberry daquiri?
They've got 'em and more
(550 pesetas apiece).
Across the street is the funky rough-around-the-edges Automatico.
Try their dates stuffed with almonds and wrapped in bacon (125 pesetas
apiece).
A few steps away is Bar Achuri,
a place with revolutionary illusions and liberated food.
The spinach with roquefort and the onion torte prove it (550 pesetas
each).
Step
back into time at Café Barbieri.
Sky high ceilings, parchment colored walls, miles of worn red velvet and
cracked tile floors set an elegant, if battered tone.
The rickety marble tables are great for wasting time.
Trust me, you'll have it to spare.
The waiters are famous for their rude inefficiency.
However once you do get served you're free to stay as long as you like.
Read a paper, write a letter or just watch the young couples, oblivious
to the world, furiously kissing in the corners.
Shopping
la
niña bala
is the latest addition to Lavapiés' burgeoning art scene.
Run by three friends, the shop specializes in revamping old furniture.
Nightstands go in non-descript and battered and come out with
glass-mosaic drawers, jewel-like handles and whimsical paintings across their
doors.
Functional art is on offer too.
I fell in love with a lamp made of shirt collars and a dress made of
photos.
Another
great art/gallery shop is Bazar K.
The upstairs salon is crammed with gorgeous things—swirling colored
lamps, furniture, wall hangings, sculptures, frames and downstairs, there's a
small gallery and workshop.
More
fun can be found at El desvan de Vicky.
Like the sign says "objetos curiosos" abound.
I'm particularly fond of the Laurel and Hardy heads.
For the fashion conscious there is also some unique jewelry and must-have
crocheted bags.
If
cooking's your passion, stop by Al Zahra.
This shop has exotic spices and foodstuffs galore—curry pastes,
chutneys, bags of tandoori spice, coconut milk, lotus root in cans, spicy
pickled mango, hot pepper powders, basmati rice and much more. Owner Sali and
brother Sadir are super-friendly, able to help you find just the right spice.
Like
so many of the old barrios of Madrid, there are shops specializing in everything
from springs to lightbulbs.
Of course, you could just go to the Simago
hulking over the plaza, but if you did you'd miss out on folks like Consuela.
She's been working the counter at the no-name Perfumeria/Drogeria
on the plaza since no one knows when, not even she is sure.
She spends most of the day plopped on a chair, peering out of the shop
door.
But step inside and her and her partner will great you like an old
friend.
She works the perfume counter, selling all the bodily necessities
including makeup, an area that seems to be her specialty.
Everyday, no matter the heat, her face is made up as perfectly as a
Broadway star—thick purple and blue eyeshadow, heavy black mascara, sweet pink
blush, ruby red lips.
Beneath it all, her eyes still shine the way I'm sure they did when she
was still turning boys heads.
After all, despite the road construction plaguing every corner, Lavapiés
is thankfully, artfully, slow to change.
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