Mercado de la Reina: Tapas Bar, Restaurant and Gin-Bar

This is one of the maginificent facts of living in a metropolis: life never stops. Although the situation of spanish social and economic system is not at its best, now in 2012, cities like Madrid keep in constant change.
It is true that some bars and restaurants have closed down, due to the severe recession, but the good ones stay and there is always space for new ideas and creative projects. It is also true that consumption has decreased because of a general lower income, but there is luckily still enough to spend a few Euros on a full bodied Utiel-Requena red wine or on a juicy hake stake.To keep Madrileños at home for longer than 48 hours is an impossible duty.
El Mercado de la Reina is one of those places that has gotten better and better since it opened. The restaurant is located in the very center of Madrid, at Gran Via 12 , where some years ago no reasonable food could be found. "The queen's market" is devided into 3 different spaces: The Tapas Bar, the main Restaurant and the Gin Bar.

The glass door wellcomes you to the Tapas Bar, which consists of several high tables and a long marble bar, equiped with show windows to see the selection of tapas offered: different types of spanish "tortilla de patatas" ( potato omelete ) , deep fried baby shrimp and calamary, russian salad, "croquetas de jamón ibérico" ( deep fried breaded bechamel with ibérico ham ) ,...
When it comes to preparing tapas, the most important issue is the freshness of the products, more than creativity. The tuna must be oily, the braised pepper must shine,  the bread has to look crunchy and the parsley must have an intense clear green colour. To start, order a Cruzcampo, the southern beer, which is served ice-cold. You can also chose a glass of wine from a concise wine list, with references from all around Spain.

The main restaurant is in the upper floor. It is a wide room, all in wood and a large glass wall gives natural light to the whole space. You can sit on a large bench and share seat and conversation with other costumers or chose a smaller table for you and your companions. The quality of the food is excellent. Traditional dishes with a modern touch and nicely served.
In the lower floor, the Gin Bar is a perfect place to end the evening and start the night. It was one of the first specialized Gin Bars in Madrid, even before gin consumption became a successfull trend in Spain, and it was also the start up for the whole project " Mercado de la Reina" in 2006.