Tapas in Madrid: The Vinoteca

The brilliance of tapas is that, like Spanish people, they don’t mess around – they get straight to the point. With other cuisines your plate features the star dish flanked by the obligatory supporting cast: the ho-hum salad and starch. With tapas, on the other hand, every dish is a stellar solo performance – no distractions.

Vinoteca, just off the Plaza de Chueca, has an all-star line up of tapas. Its fusion of old-world tradition and modern elegance is reflected in the cuisine and décor truly representing modern Spain. The restaurant, sporting the nouveau-rustic look, devotes half of the space to tapa/tostas and half to full-course meals – both are refreshingly inexpensive.

The more casual tapas/tostas portion is filled with elevated two and four tops surrounded by stools. The menu emphasizes tostas. A piece of toast with some fixin’s on it might not sound enticing until you’ve tried one. The menu offers a tosta solution for every possible craving : from morcilla with apple to salmon with cheese to curried chicken (4 euros).

On the other side, the full-course section offers more traditional seating. Here the ingredients are more rarified and the production more elaborate. The honey-glazed duck breast topped with sautéed pork and macaroni au gratin is a prime example (dishes 4 to 15 euros)

Both halves of the restaurant offer full wine menus that will satiate ever palate and satisfy every budget – seriously some of the wines are under two euros. And naturally the dessert selection is as devastating as the rest of the menu. The tarta de opera is a divine cube with alternating layers of chocolate and coffee mousse (6 euros). Given its central location, relaxing atmosphere and reasonable prices this one shouldn’t be overlooked. Final word, if food could win Oscars, this place would be a real contender.

Vinoteca
Gravina,6
Metro: Chueca
T: 91 523 98 16