Though the US has exported its ‘delightful’ fast-food concept across the word (Spain unfortunately has not managed to escape this onslaught), quite a few companies have sprouted up around Spain which prove that fast food needless be crap food. Fresc Co is one such example. The company, established in 1992, now has five restaurants across Madrid. Though the food is not exactly your typical Spanish fare, it is fast, good and reasonably cheap.
Fresc Co offers diners a self-service option where they can select from a range of fresh salads, pastas, pizzas, homemade soups, bread and fresh fruit desserts (you can actually see the pizzas being made on the premises) and eat as much as they want. The day that I went there cod was on the menu. Included in the meal you will also have a drink (beer, water, wine or a fizzy drink) and coffee. And all of this for 7.4 € lunchtime and 9.4 € in the evenings. Though I far prefer traditional Spanish food, I must admit that this place did make for a nice change.
You can find Fresc Co in:
C/ Sagasta, 30 – Metro Alonso Martínez
C/ Las Fuentes, 12 – Metro Ópera
C/ Narváez, 9 – Metro Goya
C/ Caballero de Gracia, 8 – Metro Gran Vía
C/ Silva 8 – Metro Santo Domingo or Callao
Thank you for this writeup. I’m an American in Madrid on business, and this (C/ Narváez, 9 – Metro Goya) was a perfect fit for a relaxing dinner by myself – I didn’t feel out of place going in alone.
You can start by grabbing salad and/or cold pastas, select your drink, and pay at the cashier. The pizza, hot pastas, desserts, and coffee are in the rear of the restaurant (not visible from the front), and it is an “all you can eat” setup.
The staff was very friendly, were amused with my broken Spanish (as I asked where the pizza was at), and even spoke English. It’s an up beat and cozy atmosphere, with pop music playing in the background, and a lot of folks going up for seconds on the soft serve ice cream.