El Tigre

El Tigre seemed to be somewhat of a legend when I arrived here. Everyone was talking about it and suggesting I try it. Rumour had it you pay 6 Euros for a drink and they just bring you food until you can eat no more!

Being a penniless student but wanting to go out and explore Madrid as much a possible this seemed like a good opportunity for me. So when Geertje, a girl I had met in the Spanish language course I took when I first arrived here, invited me to go, along with some other class mates, I accepted the offer.

We had heard that the restaurant gets really busy by about ten o’clock so we decided to meet just before then. But, naturally, people were late, so we ended up arriving at an absolutely packed bar with a waiter ushering us through. Despite the crammed surroundings, he seemed keen to get us in as we were such a large group and we were led to a busy corner around a table which was home to a hefty animal leg. Slightly unimpressed by this positioning, and unable to all fit round the table, the waiter kindly moved a smaller group of people here allowing us to take their place around two large barrels which had cleverly been transformed into tables.

The waiter took our drinks orders; it seemed to be a choice between sangria and beer, so I opted for sangria. Within five minutes he had returned carrying trays stacked three high on one hand! Our drinks came in cups the size of a small bucket and the sangria had a thick layer of sugar settling in the bottom. On top of the trays of drink there were plates upon plates of food. He settled the trays down and dished everything out and we began to dig in.

Being that El Tigre is so cheap the food isn’t exactly five star gourmet; the dishes are mostly bread with cheese and meats on or croquettes and patatas bravas with the occasional toastie thrown in for good measure.

Being that there was so many of us, the waiter presented us with a feast fit for a king (or two). I want to warn you that under no circumstances should you come here for a quick snack. The vast amount of bread and the sugary drinks will fill you to the brim until you no longer feel able to move, so make sure you’re hungry!

While the food is not bad, it is definitely the other features of the night people are willing to squash in for. We were impressed by how the waiters were able to weave in and out of the masses of people with these trays stacked three tiers high, it kind of added some entertainment to the night. All the staff were really friendly and up for a good laugh, even photobombing some of our pictures so you feel right at home. Be warned, you may not be able to get a seat, especially around 10, as there is quite literally a queue out the door and down the road! But as the evening progresses people move on and you are able to breathe a bit better!

The bar does get very hot, I found myself having to go out for fresh air and the walls were sweating. However, the atmosphere is buzzing and the set up reminds me of just going to a friend’s house or a big family gathering as the bar is full of kitchen dining tables and the sound of excited chatter infiltrates all the available air space!

For a cheap and cheerful meal out in Madrid, I definitely recommend El Tigre. For those of you more used to five star dining, or indeed people looking to show their parents around, I’d maybe suggest somewhere else!

One of the main concerns when one goes to Madrid (especially for Latin Americans) is the high cost of food, beer, entrance to the clubs, etc. After racking our brains for a while trying to find a place where we could enjoy ourselves without having to spend a fortune, we thought of a place that had been recommended to us: El Tigre de Hortaleza.

The concept of el Tigre de Hortaleza consists in buying a drink (what you want) and with this purchase, they bring you a plate of Madrilenean tapas. It's very recommendable to go with several friends, considering that whilst there are more drinks, there are more different dishes to share with everyone and you can therefore try many more things.

The service is very good and efficient. They served us many dishes of food. Amongst them was a dish of Spanish paella, tapas, potatoes with cheese and cheesy popcorn. Really, everything was very delicious. Considering the paella came accompanied with fried chicken, none of us left hungry. The dishes came within three minutes of us having ordered them and the drinks within two.

Apart from everything, the place is found situated in the centre of Madrid and you can find the famous Gran Vía street, the Callaco cinema, the Plaza del Sol, the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace) and the Almudena cathedral within a street. You will be able to experience the famous Madrilenean nocturnal atmosphere at a very accessible price.

How much does it cost?

El tigre is a cider bar and considering that they sell home-made tapas, they greatly reduce the prices. It really is very cheap.

The drinks cost between 3 and 4 euros but a drink is a jug of almost a litre. Truthfully, it's very much worth it. At the 'El museo del jamón' for example (another restaurant), it costs you a euro and a half for 250ml of tinto de verano not counting tapas. Here, you have a large plate of food included for the price of the jug.

How to get there?

The easiest way is to get the metro (line 5 or green) and to get off at the Gran Vía station. When you get off, carry on walking straight ahead to the Calle de la Hortaleza until number 23. It's not difficult to get lost.

Recommendations

Well not everything could be hunky dory. The only bad impression I got of the place was the lack of hygiene in the bathrooms. Other than that, everything was perfect.