Good Ukrainian Gastro-Bar in Madrid
Cafe Racer Club 70 is something of an oddball on the stretch of Calle Bravo Murillo near Cuatro Caminos, a neighborhood more closely associated with Dominican bars and Halal butchers than Eastern European gastro-pubs. However, this recently-opened Ukrainian bar has quickly become one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood for an after work drink.
First, Cafe Racer Club 70 is worth visiting just for the beer. They have a very wide selection of Russian, Ukrainian, German, and Lithuanian beers covering styles like wheat beers, porters, and blondes of varying intensities, all in half-liter bottles for only 4 euros. I'd recommend the Ukrainian wheat beer...it's sweet, fruity, and light, perfect for tossing back on the restaurant's sunny terrace. As you'd expect from a Ukrainian bar, they also stock a wide variety of authentic vodka and you can order a chilled vodka and tonic for only 6 euros or try a plate of caviar blinis with an ice-cold vodka shot for only 7 euros.
I have to admit that I mainly frequent Cafe Racer Club 70 for the beers, though they do have an interesting menu. The menu is a mix of Spanish and Ukrainian, covering everything from Spanish omelette to borscht, blinis, caviar, and Ukrainian-style meat skewers. After working up an appetite with a Russian black beer, I ordered the varied blini platter which came with six soft and sweet pancakes topped with monkfish in cream sauce, Spanish pisto, red caviar, beef and mushrooms, and other savory morsels. It wasn't haute cuisine by any means, but it was tasty, filling, and generally quite satisfying. Think neighborhood bistro fare with an Eastern European twist and you've got the right idea.
Overall one of my favorite hangouts in the Cuatro Caminos area. Stop by if you're in the area!
