Off the Pass - Madrid
A bi-monthly travel guide for those of us who plan entire days around what we’re eating next.
The best trips are built on shared intel like that wine bar your friend DM’d you about three years ago that you’ve had saved ever since, a blurry photo of a handwritten menu from a place with no sign, or your cousin’s cousin’s map labeled “bites.” That’s the good stuff. That’s how I travel.
For me, food is the trip. It sets the mood, tells the story, and gives you a real sense of a place. So, why not write about it?
This new section of The Fifth Course is for the eaters, the wanderers, the "what’s the food scene like there?" types. Every other month, I’ll be sharing a guide to a city I’ve just eaten my way through (or one I’ve loved in the past. Plenty of flights on my calendar this summer, so get ready.)
No top 10 lists. No SEO fluff. No “must-eats” that require begging Resy bots four months in advance. Just thoughtful, localish, flavor-forward picks I’ve actually experienced, lingered over, or still think about when I’m hungry at midnight.
Each guide will follow the flow of a great travel day:
Quick Bite – something small, casual, and a little under the radar
Sit-Down Bite – a proper meal you’ll want to savor
Drink – a cocktail bar, a natural wine spot, or a nightcap gem
Side Plate – a sensory or cultural detour that fed the soul, too
And if you’ve got spots I need to know about, hit reply or drop them in the comments. This is for the ones who travel with snacks in their bags and dinner reservations in their hearts. Let’s eat well, travel better, and share the goods.
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Before getting into food, here is your July Sound Bites
Madrid Bites
Madrid is often overlooked, just a pit stop between Barcelona and the Basque Country. But the real ones know: if you stay, the city shows off. This is a late-night town where dinner starts when most people are brushing their teeth. You sip your Tinto de Verano slowly, letting the anchovies melt, and crunch into a Bocadillo de Calamares as if it were a religious experience. You come here to stretch out time.
My husband, Garry, and I were in town for a friend’s wedding (Mars free!), which meant lazy lunches that somehow rolled into late-night dinners, a little too much cava, and espresso martinis that led to wandering down side streets with no destination.
My only note: don't come in the summer months. I love the heat, but it was borderline unbearable. But this goes along with Madrid’s night owl personality! Here’s what stuck:
Quick Bite:
A small, unassuming restaurant tucked away on a quiet street, filled with locals who clearly know what’s good! The vibe was warm, no frills, and precisely what you hope to stumble upon while traveling. They served homestyle Galician dishes that were simple, soulful, and downright heavenly. Our order:
Iberian ham, Razor Clams, Grilled scallops
A covered market offering local food and delicacies. Vendor after vendor. Fans and minimal seating. I ate my weight in the perfect combo of sardine butter toast, sardine blue cheese toast, Galician octopus, and fried anchovies.
Sit-Down Bite:
An experience, to say the least. Think molecular cuisine meets performance art, most dishes came with a bit of theater, which was half the fun. The space itself has a lab-like, tactile vibe that feels designed for experimentation.
I’m probably late to the party since they now have five locations (including an event space), but I visited the original.
Now, full disclosure: I’m a homestyle cooking and cozy dining kind of girl, so this wasn’t exactly my dream meal. But wow, what an inspiring experience. From the wild ingredient pairings to the flawless presentation, everything was executed with precision and creativity. Our order:
Rolex: Egg yolk, Pancetta, Foie, Truffle, Sauternes
Langostine: Hollandaise sauce, Dill powder
Baby Leek: Smoked yolk, White bean, Truffle
Chuleton: Tartufata, Tomato, Olive oil
Lion's Mane: Honey, burnt leek
Drink:
Cocktails and service done right. A Madrid institution that is giving New York-circa-1990 swagger. The bartenders were suited up and very dapper, and man, do they know how to make a cocktail. Our order:
Negroni x2, Espresso Martini x2, Martini x2
And yes, we were not sober after.
We were in Madrid for exactly 5 mornings, and we were here 4 out of those 5 mornings. The cafe was cute and vibey and did caffeine right. Our order:
Cold brew with coconut milk, matcha with pureed mango and coconut milk, and a pastry.
More on the 5th morning if you continue reading…
Side Plate
A non-edible bite - this one will be a story.
Wedding guest in Madrid
Huge fan of weddings. Especially destination ones. Especially kid free ones. I love my baby more than I know how to say, but dancing, drinking, eating, and exploring with just my husband? I missed that version of us. It felt like hitting a tiny reset button on our pre-baby lives, which honestly weren’t that long ago.
Now, this particular wedding day came with a few tumbles. My wedding guest moment had a tragic start but was beautiful journey. We overslept. Alarm? Either never set or cosmically ignored. It was 11am. Church was at 1. Madrid is not a morning city. I ordered breakfast, jumped in the shower, breakfast arrived, and I was feeling weirdly on top of things.
Then my blow-dry brush exploded. Literal sparks. Cool cool cool. No backup plan, just anxiety, and no time for it. Garry ran out in husband hero mode to find a round brush. Three stores, zero luck.
I pivot to makeup, slip on my dress—first time ever trying it on. It’s dragging a solid 10 inches too long. Again, very cool. It’s now 12:10. We’re a 12 minute drive from the church. I search for nearby salons, look Garry dead in the eye and say, “I’ll send you my location. Be outside with an Uber.”
To paint the picture i’m full glam, heels, jewelry, half-wet hair, gown sweeping the Madrid sidewalks as I run from salon to salon. First two say no. Third takes pity and gives me a six-minute window while someone’s hair color is being set. They blow me out in five flat, hand me three safety pins for my dress, and shove me back into the world. Garry’s waiting curbside. We show up five minutes late. Not bad for a morning that started with sparks and a sprint.
The rest? Magic.
Dress stayed pinned. Hair held. Until it was slicked back by sweat. And the next 12 hours were pure perfection: drinking, dancing, eating, more dancing, more eating, more drinking.
We closed out the night at 4 am with loaded hot dogs. Like I said, perfection.
Takeaways from Madrid
Traveling without your kid? Essential. For you, for your partner, for your relationship. A reminder of who you were before diapers and nap schedules and a reset that hits in all the right places.
Madrid? Hot. Why am I sweating through this linen? I won’t be back in the summer, but I will be back.
The food scene? Unreal. So much flavor, so much jamón, so many anchovies. And there’s still so much left to taste. Timing didn’t allow me to hit every bite, sip, and shop on my list—but that just means the next trip’s already calling.
Here’s the short list of what I missed:
The Rastro - The best Sunday market dating back to 1740
Cervecería La Campana - no frills and known for their calamari sandwich
Casa Canito - this place has a bit of buzz around it, but a have a few trusted sources that said it was very good
Museo Cerralbo - once the lavish home of a Spanish marquis
Lhardy Restaurante - fairly luxe restaurant with red velvet everywhere! Opened in 1839, it is known for its Madrileño stew. Also, it just screams drama.
Until next time, eat well!
xx
Gina
Straight out of a movie that wedding morning!