Apparently when one of the Time Out editors came to Madrid to tie up some loose ends on the Madrid Guide (which I highly recommend by the way), she declared that this little Madrid secret would not be going into the book. “There are some places,” she said, “that you just don’t put into the guides”. Well, travel writing etiquette is made to be broken, so here we go:

Casa Granada is at Doctor Cortezo 17, just off the Plaza Tirso de Molina (map). If someone didn’t tell you it was there you would never find it – you enter through the ordinary doorway to a block of flats. Ring the Casa Granada buzzer to get in. Ascend to the top floor in one of the dodgiest looking lifts in the city (the light inside is often broken, frankly, you may want to take the stairs!) Get ready for the view over the rooftops of Lavapies (arrive too late, i.e. after 7.30, and you may have to queue for a much-sort-after table on the Terrace).

There are no photos with this post for a reason, the Casa Granada experience is best had without too many preconceptions. Just remember that you aren’t there for the decor (simple, Andaluz style), or the food (generous if unextraordinary tapas – try the pimientos del padron), it’s the view that does it – and the fact that no one else knows you are here! Just keep this one amongst yourselves, OK?