La ruta del restaurante ‘mignon’

There are foreign expressions that are justified, and one of them is mignon, which in French means “cute”, “pretty”, “charming”. Mignon is much more than just appropriate decoration; it is love for details and putting your soul into something. In France, they know how to do it properly, which is why we start this short route around mignon places in the Institute Français, in its charming Café-Bistrot. It is a café that was devised to foment a coming together between Spanish and French cultures, where one could enjoy breakfasts and homemade cakes as well as lunchtime menus of international cuisine at decent prices (12 euros). It has a pleasant terrace that is ideal for a spring lunch al fresco despite not opening for dinner, since it currently has an office-embassy timetable. You can find it on Calle Marqués de la Ensenada, 12.

Without leaving the French atmosphere, we get to La Crêp’ Madrid, a restaurant that specialises in Breton-style galettes (savoury crêpes), with neat details that alpha males would not be comfortable eating. Its sweet crêpes for dessert are also something quite special, as are their salads with brie cheese. Its location is also noteworthy, on the quiet street of Calle San Pedro Mártir, 3, a few yards from Plaza Tirso de Molina.

And without losing the mignon spirit we move from France to Italy, to the brand-new Bosco de Lobos, in the recently renovated Architect College in Madrid, on Calle Hortaleza, 63. In this building’s garden, with diaphanous, pleasant and modern lines, the place has been conceived as a bar, terrace, meeting point, workplace and somewhere where you can have brunch and picnics on weekends. The menu offers Mediterranean and Italian dishes at modest prices in a space that is open to the garden with large windows, giving it a touch of sophisticated distinction in the centre of Madrid.

And here are our two last recommendations. The first one is Los Porfiados, on Calle Buenavista in Lavapiés, a pleasant place that stands out for one peculiarity: all of the food is homemade and made by hand. Created by four food-loving partners, you can tell that it is a restaurant that was lovingly devised and its location is curious, since it is on a street that barely has any restaurants or bars. The second one is TriCiclo, on Calle Santa María, 28, in the heart of the Barrio de Las Letras. Here, each dish is extensively explained to the client, who can then even see how the recipes are finalised on his table.

If you fancy going on this charming route in our city, what better way of complementing it than by staying in a charming hotel in the centre of Madrid. Stay with us at Hotel Puerta de Toledo and, if you book through our website, you will get excellent value for money.

Categories: Madrid Restaurantes