Bodega La Ardosa

Bodega La Ardosa is a traditional Madrid tavern on Calle de Colón, in the Malasaña district, established in 1892. The bar is one of the most authentic surviving examples of the classic madrileño bodega format: a narrow, tile-lined interior with wine barrels stacked against the walls, shelves of bottles and old tins, and a dark wooden bar counter behind which the house specialities are dispensed. La Ardosa is particularly celebrated for two things: its tortilla de patatas and its draft vermouth (vermut). The tortilla here is made in the traditional style — potatoes and eggs cooked in olive oil to a specific degree of doneness that leaves the interior slightly runny rather than fully set, served at room temperature and cut to order. It has been voted among the best tortillas in Madrid multiple times and draws a devoted clientele who arrive specifically for it. The draft vermouth is served from old wooden barrels mounted behind the bar — typically a house-selected red vermouth poured over ice with a slice of orange and a green olive, following the Spanish vermut tradition that has seen a major revival across Madrid and Barcelona over the past decade. The bar also serves a small selection of traditional tapas including salmorejo (the cold Andalusian tomato soup), croquetas, and various preserved products. The atmosphere is warm, slightly crowded, and unpretentious — locals stand at the bar or squeeze onto the few available tables in the old-fashioned way. La Ardosa opens early in the morning and serves through to the early hours of the following day, maintaining genuinely long operating hours even by the standards of Madrid's bar culture.