The Taberna Los Gabrieles moved to Calle Echegaray,17, near Plaza Santa Ana in Madrid, in 1907, it transformed the surrounding area, as José Blas Vega explains in his book El flamenco en Madrid: ‘ la calle Echegaray y sus aledaños se convirtieron en un colonia andaluza, con bares, colmaos, cafés cantantes, mujeres de rompe y rasga, azulejería, ventanas de hierro forjado, vinos de Jerez, manzanilla de Samlúcar, jamones de Huelva y Granada, aceitunas de sevilla, pan de Alcalá, polvorones de Écija y Estepa, soldaditos de Pavía y camareros de allí con sus chaquetillas blancas relucientes, y alegría, mucha alegría,…’*

What a wonderful picture José Blas Vega gives us in his description, but alas, he said all of that has now disappeared, and even Los Gabrieles is closed at the moment; hopefully just for renovation. 

It was at Los Gabrieles that some of flamenco’s most outstanding performers could be seen, such as flamenco singer Don Antonio Chacón. 

The walls are covered by ceramic tiles by the artists Alfonso Romero and Enrique Guijo.

*José Blas Vega‘s book El flamenco en Madrid was published by Almuzara, Cordoba, 2006. 

© 2010 Thérèse Wassily Saba