Who said classic had to be outdated? At Olé Lola the sophistication of a chic chillout bar is firmly wedded to time-honored Spanish fare and symbolism.
Portraits inspired by traditional Spanish iconography line the walls but sport a decidedly modern turn: bullfighters with tattoos, picaresque female mourners in black lace mantillas, and other inhabitants of this John Galliano-in-Spain aesthetic stare down at you like family portraits gone deliciously wrong.
An extensive cocktails list is served alongside tapas as traditional as scrambled eggs with mushrooms or as contemporary as prawns marinated with ginger and raspberry liqueur. And since we are in Madrid, one of the desserts features madroño fruit (as in the bear and the madroño shrub from Madrid’s city seal).
The place is dimly lit, bathed in shadows, and I think a good place to bring a date, though most people seem to bring their friends for a relaxed cocktail. I would say Olé Lola’s statement of intentions – ‘Tasca & Chill’ – altogether hits the mark. Olé!
Calle San Mateo, 28
Metro: Tribunal
Madrid, Spain
