GLOP VINOS — Restaurant in Madrid

Had two lovely red wines by the glass, As Xaras and Graciano Tinto. The bikini de butifarra and queso Mahón is one the best small plates I have ever had in my life - I’m not exaggerating. It was truly an extraordinary thing. Perfection in both the burst of flavour and the texture.

Friendly, gracious servers who were comfortable talking about the wines to someone who is knowledgable (my friend, not me). Very good quality for the price, though I’m sure it will get more expensive as time goes by.

Sophisticated yet unpretentious atmosphere, which is a hard combination to nail down in Madrid - it’s usually one or the other. Pale pink walls, elegant minimalist decor that still felt acogedor.

My only quibble is the stools which I found to be uncomfortable and awkward, and having to move where I was sitting to accommodate the people behind me. It’s a tight space.

Despite that, we stayed for 3 glasses and will...

Would give 3.5 out of 5 stars The wine (all natural) was excellent. Could change anyone’s mind about natural wine. The restaurant is small, and in the back room it gets pretty loud. The service was okay – the waitress spoke English, and was helpful in describing the wines. She didn’t pour it into our glasses, but just set the bottle on the table..although I saw her pouring for other patrons, who all were Spanish and not foreigners like us 🙃 The food was good, but very small portions. For the price, I was not impressed. The cheese board was the least impressive I’ve ever ordered. I would return, but...

No es fácil dar con lugares como este en Madrid. Bar de vinos (naturales) con una pequeña carta (no mas de 10 platos y un par de postres) todos y cada uno de ellos excelentemente ejecutados. Algunos de ellos, verdaderamente soberbios: el steak tartar tiene que ser uno de los mejores de Madrid, el bikini de butifarra es uno de los platos mas originales de la ciudad, el boniato con setas parece sencillo pero es una locura. Hasta los básicos (el pan y la mantequilla) brillan con luz propia. Los postres, el colofón final a una cena perfecta.

El restaurante esta muy bien ambientado, con iluminación tenue y dos ambientes, el de mesas altas y barra a la entrada, y el de sala de servicio a mesa en la trastienda. Es un lugar perfecto para ir con un grupo pequeño de amigos o con tu pareja. La buena vibración que emana el lugar predispone para conversaciones memorables. De estos sitios en los que cuando miras a derecha e izquierda y ves que todo el mundo esta pasando un buen rato, sabes que no es coincidencia y que el lugar tiene algo especial.

Los creadores de Glop, Julia y Juan, no paran de sacar conceptos que sencillamente hacen a la ciudad un poquito mejor de lo que era antes. A qué mas se...