Page 32 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2022 DISCOVERING MADRID

Calle Cava Baja

One evening, wending our way home from Gran
Via, we joined the throng of people turning down a
side street we hadn’t explored before. To our de-
light, we were swept up in a festive scene of color-
ful bars and restaurants, bright lights and
animated weekend revelers.
Welcome to historic Calles Cava Baja and Cava
Alta, La Latina’s famed restaurant row, a gour-
mand’s pot of gold and magnet for fun lovers.
This little section of the barrio, just steps from
our apartment, is lined with over 50 vintage bars,
historic restaurants, and some of the best tapas
purveyors in the city. They named the two streets
after the caves dug by the Moors for refuge during
the Christian takeover of the area in 1085. A cen-
tury ago, it was a busy hub for peasants, farmers,
and tinkers selling their wares in Madrid. At days
end, they would spend the night at one of the inex-
pensive but cheerful inns or Posadas along Cava
Baja. A few of these original Posadas remain today,
primarily as restaurants.
If there was anything we learned from our fre-
quent incursions along the Cave streets, was that
each eatery and bar had its own specialties and
personality. One restaurant specialized in wood-
fired-cooked lamb, another suckling pig, while
each tapas bar had a dish or drink knowledgeable
customers knew to order. There was a handful we
liked so much that we returned several times and
others we plan to revisit the next time we’re in
Madrid. So many fine choices, so little time.

32 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022