Outdoor cafes...year round?

Old Jun 9th, 2008, 05:31 PM
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Outdoor cafes...year round?

I am not sure Spain has quite the cafe culture that say France has, but my wife and I love to sit out and people watch. Maybe have a glass of wine between adventures.

And not just in cities. When travelling by car, we like to stop off in little villages, and have a nosh and a beer and just sit out. In France, every village seemed to have some al fresco venue.

My question is this...we will be in Spain the last week of February (2009)...do outdoor cafes operate year round or just seasonal? And is outdoor cafe sitting common in cities only or can you find tapas or other bars out in the country, too?

We will likely be in Madrid, and points south (Seville, Cordoba, etc).

Any info is appreciated.

Cheers.
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Old Jun 9th, 2008, 05:45 PM
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didn't notice peopel sitting out in barcelona in January but we did sit outside in Granada in th eAlbacin area about lunch time when the ice has melted in the fountains-lovely sunshine.
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Old Jun 9th, 2008, 05:46 PM
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It will all depend on the weather and which part of Spain you happen to be in at the time. People were sitting out in Plaza Santa Ana in Madrid in late January this year because the weather was so nice, and again in April, after it warmed up a bit. Everyone was sitting outside in Granada in early February this year, and we've set outside in early Spring in Extremeadura because it was so nice, but you can't always count on the weather being that nice in February.

One thing to be aware of is that most places in Spain, unlike France, do not use the outdoors heaters when the weather gets nippy.
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Old Jun 9th, 2008, 06:51 PM
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Plenty of people sitting outside in Barcelona in February; I can't speak for the rest of Spain though.
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Old Jun 9th, 2008, 10:07 PM
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As soon as the warm weather arrives, Madrileños rush outdoors to their beloved 'terrazas' (outdoor cafés). Lounging in the sun with a drink is extremely popular in Madrid and is a wonderful way of meeting friends, reading newspapers, watching people and having a lazy great time. Suggestions: try 'horchata', a uniquely Spanish drink made from 'chufas' (tiger nuts, don't worry if you don't know what they are, just try it!) and try a few terraces for familiarising yourself with the 'barrios' of the 'real' city: Las Letras (touristy), Salamanca (posh), Chueca (the gay scene), Malasaña (alternative & funky), La Latina (new-bohemian), Lavapiés (multicultural & multiethnic), Chamberi (neighbourhood atmosphere). Some of the more representative terraces are:

* Cervecería Alemana. Plaza de Santa Ana 6. This terrace is located on the touristic track and is a must for first-timers to Madrid. Beer is the thing here. Suggested time frame: 1pm to closetime. Nearby metro stations: Antón Martín/Sevilla.

* Piazzetta. Plaza de Chueca 8. Piazetta is one of the terrace bars located at the central spot of the cool gay scene, where every one is welcome. Pizza and rolls. Suggested time frame: dusk to closetime & also 1pm to 3pm on weekend. Metro station: Chueca.

* Café de Oriente. Plaza de Oriente. Elegant terrace in the stunning Plaza de Oriente in front of the Palacio Real. Indoor dining room in a cellar. Suggested time frame: dusk to closetime & also noon to 3pm on weekend. Nearby metro station: Opera.

* El Espejo. Paseo de Recoletos between Plaza de Cibeles and Plaza de Colón. Art-decó glass pavilion and pavement tables on a nice boulevard with a view to the National Library. Suggested time frame: late morning to 3pm & late afternoon to closetime. Often there's a pianist in the evenings. Nearby metro stations: Colón/Banco de España.

* Círculo de Bellas Artes. Calle Alcalá between Puerta del Sol and Cibeles, where Gran Vía meets calle Alcalá. This terrace is in front of outstanding buildings like Metrópolis and Instituto Cervantes. Suggested time frame: noon to 3pm & dusk to closetime. Nearby metro stations: Sevilla/Banco de España.

* Retiro Park. After strolling the park try any terrace close to the Estanque (artificial lake) to have a beer with crisps, a 'horchata' or a 'granizado de limón' (iced-lemon drink). Around the lake are puppet shows, fortune tellers and all kind of street performers. Suggested time frame: late morning to 3pm & late afternoon. Nearby metro station: Retiro.

* Café Comercial. This café with revolving doors was established in the 19th century and is a haunt of bohemian writers. The outside tables face the lively Glorieta de Bilbao. Local and foreign crowd. Suggested time frame: 1pm to 3pm & late afternoon to closetime. Metro station: Bilbao.

* Los Galayos. The Plaza Mayor is usually a trap for hunting fresh tourists, but as this plaza is so charming I've chosen 'Los Galayos' at calle Botoneras and Plaza Mayor 1. Good tapas. Suggested time frame: 1pm to 3pm & dusk to closetime. Nearby metro station: Sol.

* El Viajero. Plaza de la Cebada 11. Three floors from the pavement tables until the impossible-to-get tables at the cosy rooftop. Beer and barbecued Argentine meat. Suggested time frame: dusk to closetime & also 1pm to 3pm on weekend. Nearby metro station: La Latina.

* Cervecería Santa Bárbara. At a colourful tiled corner where calle Goya meets calle Alcalá. Lively shopping area in front of one branch of El Corte Inglés. Suggested time frame: noon to 3pm & late afternoon to evening. Beer and prawns. Metro: Goya.

* Casa Puebla. Plaza de Olavide 8. The Olavide circus is a place for getting the neighbourhood feel. Beer and 'tortilla de patatas y ensalada' (potato omelette and lettuce salad). Suggested time frame: dusk to closetime & also 1pm to 3 pm on weekend. Nearby metro stations: Iglesia/Quevedo.

* Café de Las Comendadoras. Plaza de Las Comendadoras 1. Chill out 'terraza', close to a nuns convent, in a nice traffic-free square at the cool Conde Duque neighbourhood that holds some hidden bars for people-in-the-known. Suggested time frame: dusk to closetime & 1pm to 3pm on weekend. Nearby metro station: Noviciado.

* Soydemersol (aka El Económico). Calle Argumosa is the 'sidewalk tables' street of Lavapiés, a multicultural and multiethnic neighbourhood with alternative bars, moorish tea rooms and latin-american or chinese food to take-away. Good value drinks. Suggested time frame: dusk to closetime & 1pm to 4pm on weekend. Nearby metro: Lavapiés.
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Old Jun 10th, 2008, 05:29 AM
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thanks for the insight, all. and a big thanks to Revulgo. what a list!!!

any insight on Sevilla?
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Old Jun 10th, 2008, 01:58 PM
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Well, I wouldnīt recommend Piazzetta. Itīs the only place in the Plaza de Chueca where you donīt get free potato chips with your drinks.

It is always a last option, and when you sit there and see the people in the other tables munching away ...

Bye, Cova
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Old Jun 10th, 2008, 03:53 PM
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It depends on the weather. In Madrid - or even Barcelona - it's likely to be too cold to sit outside (Madrid can get snow in the winter).

If you go to southern Spain it's likely to be warm enough in some of the cities - but not in the mountains - where they have skiing in some places.
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Old Jun 10th, 2008, 05:07 PM
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To answer your specific questions about late February-
outdoor cafes operate whenever the weather permits. If it's a warmish day in Feb.,the establishments that have outdoor seating will put their tables out if they possibly can (but no, they don't use those heaters like in France).

As Revulgo explains, outdoor cafe sitting is very much an integral part of the culture of cities, but of villages as well.

In Madrid, if you hit warm days, look for that outdoor cafe culture around the Plaza de Santa Ana in Old Madrid (all the bars and cervercerías there have outdoor seating in warm weather), go to the Bar La Platería at the end of Calle Huertas, opposite the Prado which sets up its terrace on sunny days (and has very decent prices), the Sun. "after the Rastro" crowd gathers around the Plaza de la Cebada and in the Plaza de la Paja, the Café de Oriente as Revulgo suggests (but expect sky-high prices there for terrace privileges), and one on the south side of the Palacio Real that hasn't been mentioned-El Anciano Rey de los Vinos, whose terrace gets filled especially after the noon Changing of the Guard at the Palace.

While it can get cold in winter in Madrid, our past three Jan./Feb. stays have been quite mild, actually.
No snow for us.

In Córdoba and Sevilla in late Feb. you should find quite a few "terrazas" open, and yes, in Granada the 1st week of Feb., I found outdoor terraces already set up on the Paseo de los Tristes, tons of them in the Albaicín (Plaza San Nicolás, Plaza Larga, Plaza Aliatar, San Miguel Bajo-great sunsets with your drinks on the terrace of El Huerto de Juan Ranas right below the Mirador de San Nicolás) and on the Campo del Príncipe.

As far as Barcelona the last week of Feb., my experience is that it has, indeed, been warm enough to sit outside. Lots of "terrazas" in the vicinity of the Seu (cathedral) in the Barri Gotic, in El Born (around Santa María del Mar church, the Placa del Palau), on the Rambla de Catalunya and Passeig de Gracia in the Eixample and down in the port area.

But then again, I can't absolutely assure you of warm, sunny weather, but I certainly hope that you do have some nice, sunny days!
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