Miss Maruja occupies a corner space in the Ciudad Vieja with the confident eclecticism of a room that knows what it wants to be. The pink velvet sofa runs along the wall beneath a large botanical mural; red Tolix chairs and warm wooden tables occupy the centre; Edison filament bulbs hang on long black cables from the ceiling. The palm trees outside are visible through the wide street window. The coffee is good; the atmosphere is better — a Galician neighbourhood café that has arrived at its character through accumulation rather than planning. The name is a reference to the Galician tradition of calling women by their colloquial names — Maruja for María — which carries a particular affection in this context.
Ciudad Vieja, La Coruña, Spain