Plaza de Santa Ana is a pretty square near the top of Calle de las Huertas (see separate post).
On the eastern side is the Teatro Madrid, the oldest theatre in Madrid and to the west the Hotel Reina Victoria (pictured) which has a bar on the roof.
In front of the hotel is a statue dedicated to the performing arts which has some quirky features.
And another celebrating the poet Federico Lorca.
There are lots of restaurants with terraces in the square. This one is the most famous:
Cerveceria Alemana (Intermediate B+), 6 Plaza de Santa Ana www.cerveceriaalemana.com
It’s an atmospheric old bar where Hemingway used to drink.
I asked for their specialities and got some decent ham croquettes (B).
And a deep-fried tomato and tuna empanada (B+).
Cerveceria Santa Ana, next door at 10 Plaza de Santa Ana en.cerveceriasantaana.com has some character too.
El Sueno de Baco, 9 Plaza Santa Ana, Tel. 918 256 109, www.elsuenodebaco.com
This is a kind of wine club where for a set price you can try different wines and buy them if you like them. I went with my manager who requested that the tasting guide speak in English which he did, but I’m not sure you can expect that. The wines we had were okay (B) but nothing out of this world. An experience.
I love this place in a street nearby:
La Venencia (Elementary A+), 7 Calle de Echegaray
This is one of my favourite spots, tucked away on a side street to the east of the square. It’s an old tobacco stained bar, with big barrels of sherry behind the bar (they don’t sell anything else to drink).
It’s very traditional and they don’t like people taking photos so I could only sneak this one. Their picos, olives and manchego curado are all good to nibble on (B+) with a glass of Oloroso.
Back in the square there are a few other nice buildings with interesting features.
