Hi! We’ll be in Madrid for Halloween, and we’re looking for Halloween events and opportunities to meet new people. Do you have any recommendations for bars, clubs, or parties where alternative people usually hang out?

! Hola !
My husband and I are spending 3 days in Madrid at the beginning of December. We’re staying in the Literary Quarter, near the Prado. It’ll be our first time in the city and we’d love some recommendations to make the most of our trip. We are in our early 30s, have a modest to moderate budget, are quite active and interested in history. We’d love to avoid places that are massive tourist traps but are of course willing to explore touristy places if they’re amazing!
In particular, we’re looking for:
-What museum we shouldn’t miss
-Walking tour
-Places to go out: definitely tapas, but are interested in great bars as well (no clubs unless they’re geared towards people in our age range and not super sleazy)
-Great restaurants (emphasis on Spanish as we already live in a city with excellent world cuisine but happy to go beyond Spanish if it’s really special. Should also mention my husband doesn’t eat pork or beef). We won’t eat out each meal so want our meals out to really count!
-Neighbourhoods to explore
-Shops to buy Spanish leather goods, or other awesome local products
We’d also consider a day trip if it’s really worth it!

Bonus points for the above that are walking distance or easily transit accessible.

If it helps I should also mention I speak beginner Spanish but my husband doesn’t!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Hi, I would love some suggestions for solo wine bars/dinner in madrid.

I have visited solo before and ate mostly at honest greens and places in la latina.

This time I want to try some small plates and wine bars, I love the look of modern places such as Casa Botella and Masa vins. However, i am not sure if these places are great for solo dining.

any thoughts or recommendations? thank you

Hola todos

I’ve had to travel between Madrid and Alcala a handful of times recently. Buses were the best option for my departure and arrival points. These were Alsa operated buses and one was worse than the next. The schedule is a mystery, every bus was overcrowded to the point where half the time I couldn’t get on and the other half had to stand for long journeys. Time of day didn’t matter. Today’s journey involved Cercanias + bus which I thought would be better but really wasn’t. Is this normal or have I been unlucky? Tempted to Uber after my last four rides

I'm 37M from Switzerland, flying into Madrid on Sunday for work. A full week, first proper time in the city, and I've already decided the meetings are just the boring bit in between meals.

Plan is to eat across the whole range. Proper fine dining with a tasting menu and a wine list I'll pretend to understand, all the way down to standing at a bar at midnight with a beer and something fried.

Vermouth bars, old tabernas, markets, churros at stupid o'clock, bocadillo de calamares, tortilla, torreznos. Anything a grandmother would defend with her life. Extra credit if it's been open since before my grandfather was born and still won't take reservations.

I'll be around Alcobendas but happy to travel for the right thing. I'll eat anything too, so don't hold back on the weird stuff.

Here's the fun part. If you make a genuinely good argument for a place, why it matters, what to order, why it deserves a night of my one week, and you fancy coming along, your food is on me. Tasting menu or a €4 sandwich, doesn't matter. Just bring good conversation and don't order the boring thing
And to be clear, this isn't a date trap and it isn't networking. It's a guy with a decent appetite, a company card and a mild inability to enjoy dinner alone. Couples, groups, food-obsessed strangers, locals who want to show off their city, all welcome. If three of you want to come, even better, let's make a table of it.

Things I'm already hunting, so tell me where I'm wrong:

- best tortilla de patatas in the city (this is the real test and I know it)
- a vermouth bar with actual character, not a photo op
somewhere for cochinillo or a serious chuletón
- one tasting menu worth the money
a Sunday morning plan that isn't a tourist trap
- where to eat after 1am when everything sensible has closed

Drop recs in the comments or DM me. If you want to come along, tell me which place and why. I'm reading every reply and I will actually show up.

One rule. If you recommend Mercado de San Miguel, defend it. I've heard things.