Spanish Tapas and a Trove of Vintage Levi's—Lucia and Helena Cuesta's Guide to Madrid


Welcome to Locals Only. In this series, we’re tapping notable locals in the style space to share a tight list of their top recommendations of what to see, eat, and shop in their home city. They’ll share off-the-radar recs that you won’t find in your average guidebook, resulting in digestible mini guides revealing where the city’s most fashionable residents are actually hanging out.

If French style is synonymous with an effortlessly cool aura and British style represents a certain nerdy quirkiness, then Spanish style is the more eccentric, free-spirited of the three. It’s a shame that the wider fashion world doesn’t dwell on it as much as we do the former because the style set in Spain offers a wealth of inspiration, as long as you know where to look. Take a stroll around a trendy neighborhood in Madrid or Barcelona and you’ll find a savvy mix of indie labels like Paloma Wool, Siedrés, and Gimaguas with luxury labels like Miu Miu, Chanel, and Spain’s own Loewe. There’s no one who better represents this quirky-cool mix quite like sisters Lucia and Helena Cuesta.

For the stylists and Them Bones jewelry designers, Madrid is and always been home. Born and raised in the Spanish capital, Their Instagram feeds may give a glimpse into the sisters’ well-dressed lives in Madrid, but we wanted to dig deeper and catalogue their favorite spots that make the city a place they keep coming back to. “I travel a lot, and every time I come back I realize how in love I am with my city,” Helena muses. “It’s fully of culture and history.” Lucia agrees—the two just can’t imagine living anywhere else. Here, the Cuesta girls have shared their 14 essential spots, from where to find the best traditional Spanish cuisine to their no-skip vintage boutique.

Cnzg9AvHHN8qPjMRnbBS49 2560 80

What to Pack

xwexgEk26AFCv7ZQKCGt29 2560 80

Fresh seafood, local produce, and an intimate, low-lit atmosphere make Farah the ideal date-night Mediterranean dinner spot in La Latina. The cozy, minimalist-decorated space is the perfect backdrop to the fresh Mediterranean small plates like the wild sea bass and seared prawns on the menu.

de2qRZ45AUofitxzVtdR29 2560 80

“Friperie Vintage is one of my favorite vintage stores in the city,” Lucia tells us. “The owner has an amazing taste in vintage fashion, and you will find great treasures there.” She says that most of her best pairs of Levi’s jeans are from here, and that they also have a great selection of leather jackets.

j7Himykk5AJTWExDbGMRz8 2560 80

A chic night our for dinner and cocktails calls for a table at La Estrella. The hot spot opened last year by a team of Madrid’s notable creatives behind some of the capital’s coolest places for a night out, like Club Malasaña which is also on this list. The move is to gather a group of friends for a late dinner at La Estrella to dine on oysters and sip martinis before keeping the night going.

6kYPDPifmDJVfWFgiR2Gz8 2560 80

Like many other European capitals, Madrid is filled with iconic art. Spend a day wandering through the galleries at the El Prado Museum where you’ll find some of the country’s most notable paintings and sculptures. The Cuesta’s insider tip? Head there in the last hour before closing when it’s free beginning at 6 p.m.