Here in Madrid, SANDEMANs is probably best known for their free walking tours, which have long been a staple for local guiris who want to take visitors around their adopted city. However, they also offer a number of alternative tours, including a Tapas Tour and a Pub Crawl Tour. Being a foodie, I decided to check out their “Tapas Experience” tour one afternoon, to see what all the buzz was about.
The tour started at a pleasant tapas bar in Opera, right in the heart of Madrid’s historic district. The first thing we did was go around introducing ourselves. There was quite a mix of visitors there: some Australians, a German girl, a Mexican guy, a few Americans…even a Spaniard came along. For most of them, it was their first time in Madrid. Our tour guide, O.D., spoke both English and Spanish, but as most of us were native English speakers, we all chatted in English most of the time.
Since a few of them had already been on the free tour, they had heard the story of the origin of tapas, so they were able to explain it to the rest of us. Then the food and drinks came out. On this tour, we could choose beer, wine or sangria. At first I ordered sangria, which is a must for any visitor to Spain. It was plenty sweet, just the way it should be. When I later switched to wine, I was pleasantly surprised to see them bring out a nice bottle of Rioja.
A lot of the conversations revolved around food, which was handy for first-time visitors because they got tips on what to try and where to eat. It was made clear to everyone that they couldn’t leave Madrid without sitting down for a hearty dish of cocido!
The walk between bars was pleasant, and the streets were packed. The route wound through some of Madrid’s most famous districts, including Puerta del Sol, Lavapiés, Embajadores (where the Rastro flea market is held) and of course La Latina, which is probably Madrid’s most popular area to tapear in. Along the way, O.D. pointed out historic buildings and told us a few stories about Spanish history. In fact, that was first time I’d ever heard of why the famous Rastro flea market is called Rastro. Let’s just say, the origin of the name isn’t very appetizing, so I won’t describe it here! You’ll have to ask O.D.
At one of the stops, bar owner Raul gave us a thorough introduction to some of the more typical Spanish tapas. He’s the third generation to run his family-owned bar, so he knows a thing or two about the subject. Raul stressed that he is especially proud of the sauce they make for their patatas bravas, which he says was his grandmother’s recipe. I tried it and it’s indeed worth bragging about.
Besides bringing visitors through the most emblematic parts of the city, the tour seemed to be designed to introduce people to the widest range of Spain’s foods. As Raul put it, when you eat a full meal, you only get to taste one dish, but when you go out for tapas, everyone pools their money and gets to dig in and try more stuff. By the end of the tour, visitors had tried a wide variety of Spanish specialties, which of course included jamón. There were even options for the vegetarian in our group, who got to sample some lovely cheeses and salads.
Everyone stayed after the tour officially finished, and by the end of the night, emails were exchanged and promises were made to meet up later in Madrid or elsewhere. All in all, I had a great time sampling tasty finger foods around Madrid.
