Tapas and Raciones: La Poza

Uncategorized — By admin on April 13, 2008 12:00 am

La Poza

Espiritu Santo, 40
Metro: Tribunal or Noviciado

When you’re roaming the streets of Madrid
late at night and looking for some cheap bar food, kebabs are often your only
option. Well, not anymore, my fellow MAPistas! A drunken staple of the American
bar diet, the hotdog, has made its way into the Spanish “marcha.”
Hurrah!

La Poza bar in Madrid
is the perfect place to kick back, get some good grub, and make some new
friends without breaking the bank. While every bar and restaurant in Madrid
seems to be hiking up prices, La Poza is keeping it real–as in really cheap–with
cañas (small glasses of beer) at 1.20 euros, bottles of beer at 2 euros, and
cocktails at a staggeringly low (no pun intended) price of only 4 euros. A giant
“mini” superglass of national or imported beer goes for only 4
euros; fill it with a cocktail for just 9 euros.

The dreadlocked, friendly owners have created a scene of sophisticated
tranquility in La Poza. Warm red walls boast modern art, a Pulp Fiction poster,
and a faux bamboo fence. Tapestries of Eastern and Indian art, one of which
displays the giant face of the sun god, droop down from the ceiling. The
diffused lighting is bright enough to keep conversation bustling, yet low enough to keep it mysterious (as in, you know, getting your groove on and going
for the hook up)…

Service is attentive and fast, with the owners working the bar themselves, happy
to recommend items from their menus.

If you like bar food, La Poza is one of the best in Madrid – specializing in hotdogs and tostas
(toast served with special or often gourmet toppings). MAP went for a couple of
“Doodles:” a hotdog served with red pepper and two infamous Spanish
sauces: ali-oli and brava. For those unfamiliar with these, “ali-oli” is
a kind of garlic sauce; “brava” refers to a spicy sauce made of
ketchup and tobasco. At only 2 euros a pop, we could have eaten quite a few
rounds of these. However, one of the owners recommended that we try one
of their special tostas; minutes later we were facing an exquisite mound of
blue cheese, carrot shavings, and ham on a large slice of toast. Delicioso.

The crowd at La Poza is an unpretentious mix of young professionals, hippies,
hipsters, and students. MAP noticed a few tattooed Betty-Page look-alikes, met
a couple of business managers, and ran into more than a few writers. The
environment is conducive to making new friends because, after all, with prices
so low it’s no sweat inviting the young lady next you to a drink or two.

So if you’re looking for a good time, check out La Poza. And may the sun
god shine down on you!