The weather in Madrid has taken a turn towards summer and streets throughout the city have sprouted terrazas. You can surely find a sunny spot for a drink and a snack near your apartment or hotel, but there are two streets in Madrid that truly are prime for dining and drinking al fresco.

Starting at Calle Menendez Pelayo (on the eastern perimeter of Retiro), calles Ibiza and Alcalde Sainz de Baranda are proper boulevards whose wide, paved medians are dotted with newsstands, benches, and, April through October, a non-stop parade of terrazas.

Along these roughly 10 blocks you’ll find all manner of food and drink and almost no tourists. Located in the heart of the Retiro district (located east of the park and south of the Salamanca neighborhood), the area is favored by the locals and the prices are set accordingly. You’ll obviously pay more for dining outside than for having a drink at the bar, but the prices are below those found in more touristy areas. And FAR below those found at the terrazas in the nearby Retiro.

Head over that way in the early evening and pick a place which looks nice — or, more likely, one that has an open table. In the warmest months, the terrazas fill up starting around 7:30 and stay busy until 1 or 2am. If you get there at the right time and can take your pick of the locales, try one of these favorites:

Drinks and snacks

• El Ratón Vaquero, C/ Alcalde Sainz de Baranda, 25 – Vermouth on tap and good tapas
• Natur Aidlans, C/ Ibiza, 17 – Shakes and smoothies made to order
• Tramontana, C/ Sainz de Baranda, 51 – Cheap mixed drinks served to a 20-something clientèle

Dinner

• La Hacienda Argentina, C/ Ibiza, 41 – Every cut of meat you could want
• La Marisqueria Méndez, C/ Ibiza, 33 – Top notch, fresh seafood. Appetizers are the highlight here.

Metros: Ibiza (Line 9), Sainz de Baranda (Lines 6 and 9)

See map below for locations mentioned above:

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Enter La Sal, one of the most delicious (and reasonably priced) taperías the city has to offer. The menu is short, and having tried almost everything on it, I can say consistently excellent – although the veal steak and duck risotto deserve a special mention.

Deserts are small but exquisite. You won’t regret ordering the apple tart or the chocolate brownie, full of warm sauce. A word of warning, though: the (goat’s) cheesecake does taste a bit like it’s just walked off the farm. Not for the faint-hearted.

The only downside is that the clientèle is a little on the pijo (bumptiously posh) side. You might want to brush down your muddy boots before stepping into the minimalist white decor scheme.

Metro: Banco de España Address: C/ Montalbán, 3 Phone: 91 521 02 28 Hours: lunch 13.30-15.45, dinner 20.30-23.30, closed Sundays.

See map below:

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First of all I’m writing to say that I hope that grumpy old git Rajoy doesn’t kick you out of your job later this year (in fact I particularly hope that HE gets kicked out of a job instead – he really is the most odious, obnoxious politician I have ever come across in my life).

Secondly I would like to thank you for the great job you are doing of putting big stinking roads into big stinking underground tunnels. I think this will be your legacy: the mayor that put big roads in tunnels. More of the same please. Do us all a favour and bury the Castellana, ASAP.

Now to the main point of my letter. I’m lucky enough to be able to take a stroll quite often around the Retiro Park. What a delight! You really have done a fine job of keeping it spick-and-span, although there are times when I’d like to take those infernal noise-making leaf-blowing machines and chuck them in the lake.

Ah, yes, the lake. Now the bongo playing round the back of the lake in that big semi-circular plaza with the columns used to drive me slightly mad, until at last I was able to appreciate the talent at work in those endless repetitive beats. What I can’t get used to though, is that every time I walk around that side of the park I am offered drugs by young gentlemen who whistle, hiss and beckon at me persistently, from 100 yards away, and don’t seem to get it into their heads that if I completely ignore them right up until I pass under their noses, it means I don’t want what they are selling. I ignore them, and they keep hissing, beckoning, whistling and cajoling, and it is really starting to piss me off.

I appreciate that it is important to group certain aspects of the cities talent in niche locations (keeping so many prostitutes on hand on the Calle Montero, just off Sol in the heart of commercial and touristy Madrid, is a masterstroke), but I just can’t see the connection between selling drugs, and people relaxing in the sun and playing ethnic musical instruments by a beautiful lake in a big beautiful park.

Well, if you are happy to let these guys stay there, I’d just like to suggest that you set up boothes for them, like the guys who sells peanuts to feed the fish, so at least they’ll know that we know where to find them, and they won’t have to keep annoying innocent strollers like myself.

Keep up the good work, and don’t give in to the lunatic with the beard,

Yours obligingly,

A Concerned Citizen of Madrid

P.S. A taxi driver recently told me he thought all the city’s transport problems could be solved by putting a vast undergound bus station under the Retiro Park. Seems to me he could be onto something. What do you think?

Want to use this site to get in touch with the Mayor? Send in your letters via the contact page and we’ll publish them here!

On everyone’s list of must-sees in Madrid is El Parque del Buen Retiro. But when should you visit? A leisurely stroll through the Retiro on a Tuesday morning is a completely different experience than joining the masses on a Sunday afternoon.

Wander through the park on a weekday morning and you’ll likely find yourself alone more often than not. The terrace bars are closed, the chocolate-dealers are absent from the park entrances, your only company will be cyclists and joggers, and you can even find a swing on a deserted playground to pretend you’re a kid again. And you might even want to leave your iPod at home. The sounds of nature and even the occasional complete silence are a treat that will make you forget you’re at the heart of a city of 4 million.

Stop by on a Sunday and you’ll have to watch where you walk so as not to bump into someone. Particularly popular with young families, you’ll dodge as many wagons and tricycles as you do palm-reading gypsies. Despite the crowds, the ambience is a unique one filled with puppet shows, portrait artists, jewelry stalls, and fortune tellers. And should you be so inclined you can park yourself at one of the many terraces and get an ice cream, caña, or coffee – that is, if you can find a seat. Also of note: the Retiro is often host to various special events such as Cibeles Fashion Week, the annual book fair, and last weekend’s Bike Fest. On such occasions the influx of visitors is even greater than on your typical Sunday.

Crowded and festive? Quiet and calming? Which face of the park do you prefer?

Map below:

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