One of my favourite bars in Madrid is Casa Alberto, a bar dating back to 1827 when it first opened. However, the time scale of the bar is not the only significant thing about this building, as it stands upon the site of a previous building, the home of Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes lived on this spot for a while during 1614, fairly close to the site of the printers who first published Don Quixote, and thus paving the way for Castilian Spanish to be referred to as 'the language of Cervantes.' The two centuries between Miguel's staying here and the opening of the Casa are a little vague, and it's not until you come into the twentieth century that another connection with literary genius descends upon this place.
Hemmingway drank in most bars wherever he went, and Casa Alberto is no exception. Dominating the bar is a towering bronze font for the draught vermut that he drank so much of in this bar. On my first visit I sat at the bar, just in front of the font, and asked for his favourite tipple from here. I then asked in a broken form of Spanish if the barman knew anything of Hemmingway drinking here. He replied in quite good English that he believed he sat where I was. Great minds think alike! A perfect stool to sit on beside the font and choose from the tapas on offer.
The tapas in Casa Alberto are constantly renewed, meaning that what's on offer from one hour to the next will change, never mind day by day. I chose empanadas, small savoury pies, with various fillings. I had two, one of which was white crab meat with a hint of smoked paprika, and another with a lovely filling of tuna, onion, leek and white wine cooked down. I've had empanadas elsewhere, with chorizo, and a particularly good one with spinach, apple and hazelenut which shows the diversity you can encounter.
Casa Alberto is decorated in bullfighting memorabilia, reproductions of Old Master paintings, story-telling tiles and engravings. The bar and gantry are clean and impressive and the atmosphere is relaxed. If you want something more substantial than tapas then there is a seated area through the back with a full menu. From what I could see, reservations are best, as even on weekdays this goes like a fair.
Situated at Plaza de las Cortes and Huertas, and just off of the Plaza Santa Ana, this is an easy bar to find if you're staying in the central triangle which is the main area for tourists. If you are staying further out, get a metro to Antón Martín, and head up the way on Calle de Atocha, vearing to the right. Atnother metro stop to use nearby is Puerta del Sol, heading away from the crescent and off Gran Via.
Choose your time when to go, as I believe it doesn't open on Sunday and Monday, and takes a break between 4pm and 8pm on the other days. Still, going out to this area after eight is best, the place comes alive and the Plaza Santa Ana springs into beauty and the Madrileños don't really hit the town until eleven anyway. Wander around the Plaza Santa Ana at this time of night and look at the beautifully lit ME Madrid Reina Victoria hotel, the historically preferred choice of the visiting matadors and with a statue of Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600 - 1681), the famous Spanish playwright in front of it. At the opposite end is a statue of Federico García Lorca, who greated me on my first night in the city. Lorca stands in front of the oldest theatre in Madrid, Teatro Español, whose origins go back to 1583, although it was rebuilt in 1807 due to a fire. In this theatre Spain's most important writers have seen their works acted out on stage.
The square was originally the site of the Convent of Santa Ana, founded in 1586 but demolished during the reign of José Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother), in 1810. In its place, the Plaza was created around 1848.
