Straddling the divide between fancy sit-down restaurant and traditional tapas bar is Casa Alberto, which opened in 1827. Passing through the classic wooden frontage – painted in Spain’s characteristic red, yellow and black – you’ll notice the tapas tropes of hams hanging from ceilings and folks at the bar sipping a vermouth or caña and nibbling small plates of tapas. The boquerones en vinagre (sardines in vinegar) are good here.

Among the framed newspaper clippings and black and white photographs on Casa Alberto’s wall is a plaque commemorating Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote in the same building. The wolf’s head water fountain and vintage tap are a marvel to behold while savouring rabo de toro (stewed oxtail), the house speciality.

Open since 1827 and located on the street level of the building where Cervantes lived while he was writing Don Quixote, Casa Alberto is a classic neighborhood bar and restaurant with an atmosphere that transports you back in time. The kitschy chef statue holding a menu outside the crimson facade of Casa Alberto might make you think that this is a tourist trap, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The locals far outweigh the tourists here, but step inside and you’ll be greeted with a smile and warm service like anyone else.

This bar was frequented by writers and brave men of a different stripe. Founded in 1827 in the same building Cervantes once lived in, Casa Alberto was a firm favorite with bullfighters who would come to congratulate or commiserate with each other over a glass of vermouth. According to Expancion, it was also a meeting spot for pickpockets who, during the period of severe poverty that succeeded the Civil War would down a shot for courage before setting off on a purse-snatching spree.

En 1924 abría esta castiza tasca en el Barrio de las Letras, cuyos propietarios fueron los responsables de poner de moda el vermut en la ciudad. La ubicación de Casa Alberto, muy cerca de algunos de los teatros más populares de Madrid, era un imán para actores, toreros y espectadores. Aquí se sirve, además de cañas de cerveza bien tiradas, vermut de grifo, que se combinan con torreznos, caracoles, callos, bravas, rabo de toro, oreja guisada o huevos cervantinos.

Casa Alberto: This is “old school” – 1827 old- and it occupies the bottom floor of a building where Cervantes is said to have written one of his books. Every detail in Casa Alberto says “traditional / taberna.” We wandered in very late one night and wedged ourselves in shoulder to shoulder with locals at the far end of the bar. We ordered vermouth and chatted with the bartender for awhile until we were led to a cozy table.

Casa Alberto is another great tapas bar located just steps from our hotel in the Barrio de las Letras neighborhood. This classic tapas bar has been around since 1827 and serves tapas, along with housemade vermouth - which is a specialty in this region of Spain. The food here is traditional and delicious--you'll want to try their famous tortilla española, which is a Spanish omelet, and the squid.

After entering the front door of the bright red façade at Casa Alberto, you arrive into a traditional tapas bar at the front. Keep on going and you get to the more formal dining area at the back, surrounded by old paintings, and posters of bull fighting. I vividly remember watching cooking shows about Spain when I was a kid, and this restaurant reminds me of the types featured.

You will have a pleasant dining experience in this charming restaurant situated in the previous home of Miguel de Cervantes. You can mingle with the locals at the bar while enjoying delicious tapas, or you can have a full meal in the restaurant. Their specialties include fried squid, shellfish in vinaigrette sauce, and chorizo (sausage) in cider sauce.

If you like to travel back in time, have good traditional food and be involved with the local culture then Casa Alberto might also be a good shout for you. Like any traditional Spanish restaurant, you can expect to see on the menu the tortillas, tapas, croquettes. But what this place has best it’s the service and the beers.

Casa Alberto: This 200-year-old tavern has excellent food and drinks. While it has kept its historic old looks, it has modernized its food options. The great writer Miguel de Cervantes lived in the same building, and the tavern was a beacon during the 80s music scene in Madrid, known as La Movida.

Madrid is where old and new collide: classics like Lhardy, Casa Alberto and Bodegas La Ardosa are worth a visit if even just to admire the historic decoration, while recent arrivals in town include Tramo, a social enterprise combining elegant dining with environmental and social consciousness,

A total institution in the Huertas area, this classic bar lures passerby with its traditional bright red facade. It's known as one of the best places in Madrid for vermut de grifo (sweet Spanish vermouth on tap). And at Casa Alberto, torreznos (fried pork rinds) are always close at hand.

Casa Alberto has been open since 1827 in the former house of Miguel de Cervantes, located in the Las Letras area. The stew and oxtail soup are most popular with customers. In the Lavapiés neighbourhood we find La Taberna Antonio Sánchez, which dates back to 1830.

Casa Alberto, with nearly 200 years of history, is one of our favorite taverns in Madrid. Formerly, this traditional tavern was a meeting place for bull aficionados. Even today, the décor retains a fair part of this taurino aesthetic.

Casa Alberto is an iconic tavern that dates all the way back to 1827. This spot is exactly what I think of when I picture a Spanish tapas bar. (Which is why I obviously had to add it to my list of most Instagrammable spots in Madrid!)

And if you’re looking for the essence of a Madrid tavern, don’t miss Casa Alberto (since 1827), near the Barrio de las Letras neighbourhood. Oxtail, vermouth and walls steeped in history for an afternoon with character.