A Portal to Madrid in the Heart of Las Palmas
Some places have the power to instantly transport you, and that’s exactly what the star of this week’s food feature has achieved. Nestled in the heart of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the new Bar Ultramarinos Machete does just that: stepping through its door is like crossing a portal directly into a classic, lifelong Madrid tavern. The polished low metal bar invites you to lean in conspiratorially, the aligned barrels set the rhythm for tapas-hopping, and the vermouths—served straight from small five-liter casks right in front of the customer—add that ritualistic touch that accompanies a proper afternoon aperitif.
The Vision Behind the Atmosphere
Nothing at Machete seems accidental, and for that, we can thank its owner and creative force, Kike Espino. He opens his first venue on Mendizábal street (and I say first because pleasant surprises are on the horizon) after achieving great success on La Pelota street with Triciclo, Manuela Jimena, and Morro Colorao. From the warm lighting that bathes the antique tiles to the narrow distance between tables that encourages conversation among strangers, everything is designed to recreate the atmosphere of a tavern with memory. It’s a nod to the classic bar, reinterpreted with rogue precision and a notable respect for the codes of the Spanish bar.
A Culinary Bridge Between Two Shores
The culinary proposal plays with two shores that understand each other without needing translation: Madrid and the Canary Islands. The counter parades dishes “from here and there,” starting with an almost endless collection of gildas. You’ll find everything from the most traditional version—with piparra pepper, olive, and anchovy—to their own formulas that incorporate local ingredients like the ‘canariona’ olive, or a nod to Galicia with the ‘gallega’. This wink to the universal Basque pintxo becomes an emblem of identity here.
Standout Dishes and Canarian Soul
The menu at Machete is extensive, very extensive, but far from being a handicap, it’s a lure for the diner, who already wants to return to keep tasting more before they’ve even left. In the kitchen, the recipe book moves between mainland nostalgia and island pulse.
Who doesn’t remember “huevos escondidos” (hidden eggs)? It’s a dish that both adults and children devoured in the bars that populated Las Canteras years ago, like Los Marineros or Casa Pepe Juan. Well, here Kike delivers his version of hidden eggs with tuna, crab, prawns, cocktail sauce, and a cloud of cheese that emotionally transported me back to childhood.
Mischievous, fun, and very original are the “carbocroquetas,” a rogue version of an Italian dish—spaghetti carbonara in a finger-food form. I recommend letting them cool a little when they arrive, then picking one up, closing your eyes, and taking a bite. “It’s like eating spaghetti carbonara in croquette form,” commented a diner at the table.
We continued with what here is called “tortilla abierta” (open omelette) and in Madrid “tortilla vaga” (lazy omelette), cooked on one side and juicier on the other, with your choice from three available recipes. We tried the exquisite one with red mullet and white prawn, but I’ve been told the escalivada version is in the same league—that will be my next choice.
We finished this section with a dish as tasty as it is emotional for us: Canarian “papa escachada” (crushed potatoes) with two types of mojo sauce.
Hearty Mains and a Memorable Dessert
For our main courses on this first visit, we opted for “tollos en salsa,” a recipe from Kike’s father. The dogfish is dried and cleaned beforehand and then slow-cooked to result in one of those dishes we no longer have, that we had forgotten, and that here makes a grand comeback. Kike’s father can be very proud, and I thank him from here for instilling in his son a lifelong recipe that is masterfully executed by Ulises, the head chef.
To close, we had a goat meat with its own character, which makes it clear that local roots are not forgotten. Cooked for a long time, with a sauce from the animal’s bones almost transformed into a false demi-glace, and resting on a bed of fries that are a spectacle in themselves, I can say without fear of mistake that it is one of the most personal and well-rounded versions I have tasted in years in Gran Canaria.
For dessert, keep a close eye on the passion fruit natilla with María biscuit—addictive for its creaminess, intense fruit flavor, and crunchy contrast with the cookie.
More Than a Bar: An Act of Resistance
The spirit of Machete is more than just a new bar; this little corner of Vegueta seems to recover a way of being in a bar that was missed: that mix of friendly bustle, recognizable gastronomy, and respect for detail. There is no pretense or artifice, only well-measured authenticity. Thus, the place shapes up to be one of the most charismatic openings of the year in the Gran Canarian capital, a space where tradition is drunk in short sips and eaten in large bites.
In times when cloned venues and soulless menus seem to be the norm, betting on the traditional—on the neighborhood bar, on the authentic, on what tells a story—has incalculable value. Machete doesn’t just offer dishes; it offers identity. It doesn’t just sell vermouth; it serves liquid memory that connects the customer with a way of experiencing gastronomy that is pure personality. And in a city where it’s increasingly difficult to find bars with their own character, celebrating a proposal like this is, more than an exercise in nostalgia, an act of resistance and of faith in the future.
Long life to Ultramarinos Machete. I’m already looking for a date to continue trying, savoring, and enjoying at a bar that already feels essential. If we add to that the fact that it’s open seven days a week from noon until night, without closing the kitchen, then everything is said.
