Cava Baja

Cava Baja is one of the main streets of the La Latina neighborhood and it is currently known for its various tapas places, bars and amazing restaurants. It is very busy on Sundays after El Rastro with locals and tourists.

The origin of Cava Alta and Cava Baja comes from the old moats located outside the wall to avoid surprise attacks. These old caves made it possible to go in and out even if the doors were closed. The legend tells the Arabs escaped from there when Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid.

Cava Baja goes from Plaza de Puerta Cerrada to Plaza del Humilladero. Most of the boarding houses, taverns and hostels which hosted the stall-keepers coming from Castile and selling their products at the Cebada or San Miguel markets settled there.

We left Puerta Cerra and on the way to two emblematic squares, Plaza de los Carros and Plaza de la Paja, we enter a street that is without a doubt a fundamental part of the history of Madrid: the Cava Baja.

You cannot leave this great city without going to this street first, where more than 500 years ago you could see "knights with their horses", "young people of the black market", "whores" "go-getters and light-fingered"... They would go and get the water from the nearest fountains and streams, or see what else they could possibly get on the trip there and back.

Make sure to be careful of the "light-fingered" while on this street in modern times. It has the most typical taverns and restaurants of the city; renovated taverns where you can have old and excellent soups and very famous restaurants like Casa Lucio, honored with the presence of some member of the Royal family once in a while.