Revulgo,
I'll check it out.
Speaking of Galician and not cheap, we had an outstanding lunch in Chueca last week at MORGANA at Calle Libertad 5. "Cocina viajera pero con alma de Galicia". Sort of fusion but with a Galician soul---creative.

Although it's not cheap (40-45/p w/wine), it was really, really "foodie" type good. We went on a Sunday at 3:30, the last seating. It was recommended by my Madrid chef and food blogger friends.
We had tomatoes filled with mango guacamole, an oxtail crepe (filloa) with green curry with a side order of rice in a coconut & yuzu emulsion, mussels in curry sauce, octopus grilled with a yummy potato puré, kimchi and San Simón cheese (spectacular. We finished the meal off with an equally spectacular cheesecake, the star of the house, and every bit as good as Fismuler's (perfectly runny and rich). We washed it down with a bottle of Talent Selección from Bodegas Cruces, Ribeiro, a mix of treixadura and albariño.

https://restaurantemorgana.es

ekscrunchy and maitaitom would love this place. We went before the Mariza concert at the Teatro Real.

Lrice,
It goes without saying that reservations are essential at all of your places, as far in advance as you can (as I know you will because you're an excellent planner ) since Madrid will be inundated with visitors during the holidays. Last year it seemed like the party central for all of Europe!

Gosto Café at the very end of León, at number 30, right side, before it meets Atocha is very vegetarian, even vegan friendly and also serves as a work space with Wi-Fi if you need it. They serve toasts (like avocado toast), yogurts fruits, bowls, brunch and more. It's a 5-minute walk from Plaza Santa Ana.

https://madriddiferente.com/siguelap...de-las-letras/

Cafés Tornasol on the bottom floor of Mercado Antón Martín in the middle section, in addition to their fine tortilla española, they have eggs Benedict, different kinds of tostadas, molletes (a mollete cubano, even).

The number of specialty coffee shops is booming here.

Dumb typo, marinera murciana.
Revulgo, I just read the Guía Repsol review of O Curruncho. I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for extending my impossibly long "to do" list.
https://www.guiarepsol.com/es/comer/...cho-en-madrid/

I'm always looking for good Galician restaurants that are also moderately priced, not the top seafood temples like O'Pazo or a Michelin star like Lúa or a Repsol sun like Alabaster (although I like them as well, but they don't fit into the daily budget).

I like "Taberna Garelos" in the Almagro area, "Ni subo ni bajo" in Chamberí, "Farmacia de Guardia" in Malasaña, "Arallo Taberna" in Chueca, but the latter is more of a fusion place, "traveling food with a Galician soul", La Lorenzo in Lavapiés with a great wine list and La Caníbal/O Pazo de Lugo in Lavapiés that's handy for lunch after a visit to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. The Ocafú on Calle del Prado, that I've recommended here. That's my Madrid Galician repertory.

We probably need a new thread, lol

Thank you Maribel and Revulgo! Looking at maps and such, and I have way too much in my itinerary. Especially on my Day 2. I don't think it is all physically possible. HAHA

For example, if we are going from our apartment on Plaza Santa Ana to the Reina Sofia to Tasca Barea to Malacintin, do we walk? Google Maps says the entire route is only a 37-minute walk but it never seems to really be what Google Maps says it is. Or will hop in ubers like in NYC? We don't read Spanish, so I don't see us using the metro much.

I think I'm going back to the drawing board.

Yes, you walk, or at least we always walk, it's really not that far, but you could also hop into a taxi (thousands of them and they take credit cards) or an Uber. The metro for that route won't be of use, really,

It's only a 15-minute walk (uphill) from the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to Tasca Barea, then from Tasca Barea at the corner, a 6-minute walk north (uphill) via Calle Embajadores to Plaza de Coscorro, then left over to Malacatín at Calle de la Ruda. It's easy.

Mouth watering at the description of Maribel’s meal at Morgana!

More of their dishes on their Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/morganamadrid/

And it's bookable on thefork.com

Rosi La Loca is more for fun than for food. I am told that the 'sangria' —which is not my thing— is good.

Sangría is definitely not my thing, so I wondered about the food, but the chef apparently has trained with Paco Roncero and at Zalacaín.

The last time I drank sangría was when I was a u. student at the now closed Las Cuevas de Sésamo, way, way, way back in the day.

I love sangria but have been told that in Madrid, it is for tourists! So, I will not partake. Haha

Las Cuevas de Sésamo at Calle Principe, deep downstairs in a room with a senior pianist. I think it's closed down. The last time I was there, the decor seemed old-fashioned and shabby.

Yes, it shut down. It was well past its prime!
I won’t even tell you the last time I was there but will simply say pre-1975! All I remember is the ubiquitous pitchers of sangría and the piano music. I used to go a long long time ago with my friends after studying at the Ateneo. It was kind of a dump. I honestly don’t know what the attraction was,,,
Yes, for me and for my entire family, sangría is a tourist drink. Vermouth however, is a whole different kettle of fish.🙂

Maribel, thanks for the link to their instagram and great to know re booking on the fork.

Waiting for Berlanga to open their online reservations for New Year's Eve.

I know I said was going to avoid the Mercado de San Miguel but has anyone ever been to La Hora del Vermut? I was googling another restaurant and this came up by accident. My husband LOVES vermouth. He is sampling different ones here constantly. I don't love it -- it's too sweet for me -- but a place focused on vermouth and olives would be right up his alley! They do not appear to take reservations.

https://lahoradelvermut.wordpress.com/

Yes, I was inside last weekend and as I may have said before, it was an absolute ZOO. So packed to the rafters that people were sitting outside eating their purchases on the sidewalk! because there was no room inside, literally, trust me. And the market is being renovated , don’t know how, maybe to expand or to add an outdoor terrace. Revulgo will know. I’ll try to send photos of this zoo later.

My husband said it reminded him of the Pamplona bars during Sanfermines as to the crowds. There are dozens of wonderful vermouth bars in Old Madrid more authentic and atmospheric, ime.
He even took a video of the mass sea of humanity inside and spilling out the door.

To make a vermouth less sweet, just add a few drops of Angostura
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters

Map for your days:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/vi...j7tT_jHgG2kQUA

My comments:
Day 1:
1:00 pm Check in to Plaza Santa Ana apartment.
2:00 pm Lunch. Steakhouse for the kids? or Casa Mortero?
--Visit the Arts and Crafts Fair on Paseo de Recoletos. Slow stroll from the City Hall (Plaza de Cibeles) going south, along the Paseo del Prado, to Plaza de Neptuno and then going north along Paseo de Recoletos to Plaza de Colon (monument to Columbus). This square is very close to the Christmas bus departure point.
6:15 pm Christmas Bus (50 minute journey).The route is circular and ends at the same point as the departure.
8:00 pm Charity organ concert in the church of San Antonio de los Alemanes on Calle de la Puebla, Malasaña. The closest Metro station is Callao.
10:00 pm Dinner at Ocafú near Plaza de Santa Ana. Make reservations in the basement with exposed brick walls. The Spanish 'tortilla' is a must-try.
-- Bars on Calle Echegaray to choose from: Salmon Guru, Lovo, Viva Madrid and La Venencia (this open until 12 midnight).

Day 2:
9:00 am Ambu Specialty Coffee on Calle Huertas.
10:45 am: Walking Tour of Old Town (ends at Opera House). Teatro Real on Plaza de Isabel II is the Opera House. During the dates of your stay in Madrid they will be performing Rigoletto.
1:45 pm: Lunch near Royal Palace at La Mi Venta, Spanish restaurant at Plaza de la Marina Española 7.
4:00 pm: Tour of the Royal Palace.
--El Riojano to order Roscón de Reyes; if you don't want to buy a whole 'roscón', you can have a cup of chocolate with a piece of 'roscón' (or 'soletilla' cookies) in a coffee room at the rear.
--New Year's Eve Feast Shopping at Mercado de Antón Martín (supply market), Casa González (deli) and Estela Hojaldre (confectioner).
7:30 pm: Reina Sofia Free Night to view Picasso's Guernica.
9:30 pm: Regarding Malacatín, Spaniards do not eat 'cocido' for dinner because it is considered a very copious meal before bed. Instead of Malacatín, I suggest 'vermut' and dinner at Casa Alberto.
--Explore bars NW of Plaza de Santa Ana. Baton Rouge on Calle Victoria and Lynch Madrid on the pedestrian Calle Barcelona, among others.

Day 3/New Year's Eve:
9:00 am Gosto Café on Calle León.
11:00 - 12:30 pm Guided tour of Prado Museum.
2:15 pm Lunch in Retiro. Taberna & Media or Marcano. They are open in Sunday for lunch.
--Walk back to the apartment through El Retiro Park. Gate to enter the park on Avenida Menéndez Pelayo near Calle Menorca.
8:00 pm: Feast in apartment.
10:30 pm: LobByto appears to be open all day and night according to their website.

At the OP's request, we have altered the thread's topic to better reflect the content

Thank you Moderator 1! Revulgo and Maribel have been so very generous in sharing their wonderful recommendations, insights, tips, and tricks. I am extremely grateful to them both, and hope others traveling to Madrid and throughout Spain for the holidays can stumble upon this thread and build a trip from their expertise.

On another note, Revulgo, I really appreciate your thoughts on my itinerary and the reorganization of it so we are not crisscrossing the city.
And the map is A M A Z I N G! Muchas gracias!