In La Latina (and in Madrid in general), premises change hands as if they were trading cards and few survive beyond the first year. Given this, consolidating is not just a question of cuisine: it is a small feat. In this volatile context, with the constant flow of tourists and Madrileños going up Cava Baja and down Cava Alta, Barmitón has managed to establish itself as a place of destination, beyond just passing through.
Located at number 13 Cava Alta, a street with less traffic than its more bustling neighbor but with a more traditional identity, this restaurant has put down roots. What began as an informal bar focused on snacks and fine cocktails, has ended up being a reference point for the neighbors of the neighborhood and lovers of good food. In Barmitón there are no fireworks or gastronomic posturing: there is background cooking, chup-chup, inherited techniques and a clear taste for the power of flavor.
From a bar with cocktails to a restaurant with a background
Behind the project are Pablo Sánchez and Lalo Zarcero, also responsible for Marmitón, with whom they share the same philosophy and culinary DNA. A few months after opening, the inertia of the public was clear: they came for vermouth, stayed for dinner and ended up asking if there was room the following Saturday. Something was happening.
And what happened was that the kitchen, without losing its tavern spirit, was gaining prominence. Where there used to be quick bar dishes, today there are complex bases, fermentations, pickles and slow cooking. A discreet sophistication, without pretension, which is manifested in dishes such as oxtail turned into millefeuille with carrots -pure intensity- or the vadouvan curry croquette, prepared with the unmistakable spicy touch that Luis signs from his store Black Pepper in Chamberí.
At a time when stew has come back into fashion -as if it were a novelty-, Barmitón has been making it since the beginning. Without renaming it, without camouflaging it. Cooking it for real.
How long does it take to become a classic?
The answer is not simple, but repetition and continuous positive reinforcement are usually a good starting point. In just two years, Barmitón already has dishes that many people ask for “as always”: hake with green sauce pilpil, steak tartar with kimchi on crunchy oatmeal, leek en papillote or its creamy dark chocolate tart. And now, all of them -except for the citrus oyster, which is still off the fixed menu- make up the new ‘Classics Menu’, a tasting for 38 euros that sums up the character of the restaurant.
There are places that are designed to be a destination, and there are others that become so without intending to. Barmitón belongs to the latter. Its creative informal cuisine fits naturally in a place that remains, above all, a neighborhood place: tables without tablecloths, lively bar, rotating menu, adjusted average ticket (how many tasting menus for 38 euros can you find in this city?)
Its wine list, with more than 80 references selected with criterion, without predictable labels, shows its restless spirit. The same goes for its own vermouth, its selected beers or its cocktails, where the Bloody Barmitón -a traditional version of the classic- shows that the restaurant continues to drink from its origins.