La Champaneria is a unique place. There isn't a sign on the door, and it is not in any guidebook, so it is the sort of place you find out about through word of mouth. When you walk in, the left hand side has stacks of emerald green bottles and on the ceiling are hanging slabs of meat. This Tapas bar is standing room only but the prices are very cheap. They sell regular cava and cava roset. Cava roset is a bit sweeter than the regular kind, a bit like a bubbley liquid form of a sweet raspberry jam. There are many different types of Tapa sandwhiches, but my favorite is camembert cheese with ham. It is served on a fist sized brown toasted roll, so it is a bit of a struggle to take a bite without letting the cheese run down your face. The cava is almost poured over the edge of the glass, so carrying your glass from the bar to to the wooden ledge about 5 feet away is treacherous. Many times I have seen a guy grab his glass once he was served and to his dismay he was sloshed in the face with half his drink.
Once you have finished your cava and bocadillo, their cheese cake is a taste treat. Unlike the cheesecake in the United States, the main ingredient is not cream cheese. Rather than being heavy and creamy, it is light and spoungey, with a slightly browned and crispy top.
Before 2:00p.m the bar is mostly filled with tourists but after 2:00 people working in the area will come bustling in and you have to shout over the crowd to get your order in. Even though the bar is crowded the bartenders always know what you ordered, right before you ask for the check. There aren't really places like this in the U.S In the states, you either get food to-go and have to pay before you eat, or sit down at a table and pay after you have eaten your relaxed meal. This is sort of a combination of a quick bit to eat but with a restaurant like atmosphere.
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