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Spain is an essential foodie pilgrimage, and no city holds a candle to Madrid when it comes to variety of national and international cuisines. Its cutting-edge restaurants helmed by celebrated chefs make the city one of Europe's most renowned dining capitals.When it comes to dining, younger madrileños gravitate toward trendy nei
Spain is an essential foodie pilgrimage, and no city holds a candle to Madrid when it comes to variety of national and international cuisines. Its cutting-edge restaurants helmed by celebrated chefs make the city one of Europe's most renowned dining capitals.When it com
Spain is an essential foodie pilgrimage, and no city holds a candle to Madrid when it comes to variety of national and i
Spain is an essential foodie pilgrimage, and no city holds a candle to Madrid when it comes to variety of national and international cuisines. Its cutting-edge restaurants helmed by celebrated chefs make the city one of Europe's most renowned dining capitals.
When it comes to dining, younger madrileños gravitate toward trendy neighborhoods like bearded-and-bunned Malasaña, gay-friendly Chueca, rootsy La Latina, and multicultural Lavapiés for their boisterous and affordable restaurants and bars. Dressier travelers, and those visiting with kids, will feel more at home in the quieter, more buttoned-up restaurants of Salamanca, Chamartín, and Retiro. Of course, these are broad-brush generalizations, and there are plenty of exceptions.
The house wine in old-timey Madrid restaurants is often a sturdy, uncomplicated Valdepeñas from La Mancha. A plummy Rioja or a gutsy Ribera del Duero—the latter from northern Castile—are the usual choices for reds by the glass in chicer establishments, while popular whites include fruity Verdejo varietals from Rueda and slatey albariños from Galicia After dinner, try the anise-flavored liqueur (anís), produced outside the nearby village of Chinchón, or a fruitier patxaran, a digestif made with sloe berries.
Tinajas, huge clay vessels once filled to the brim with bulk wine (but now defunct), sit behind the bar at this raucous no-frills bodega specializing in Spanish cheese and charcuterie. Ask the waiters what they've been drinking and eating lately, and order precisely that. The washed-rind cheeses from Extremadura (Torta del Casar or similar) are always a safe—and pleasantly putrescent—bet.
Many tapas bars serve pincho de bacalao (battered cod, an old-school standby), but the fan favorite is Revuelta's rendition, which is crisp, featherlight, and not too salty. Elbow your way to the 1930s-era bar and ask for a pincho de bacalao and a glass of Valdepeñas, a Manchegan red that comes chilled in tiny stemless glasses—just like the olden days.
This tony gastro bar serves newfangled tapas that are well worth their higher-than-usual price tag. Spring for the tempura soft-shell crab bao with chive mayonnaise, garlicky artichoke flatbread, or any other tapa del día, but whatever you do, order the famous tortilla de patata, irresistible with its molten core and handfuls of caramelized onions. The dulce de leche "volcano," cooled off by a scoop of banana ice cream, may be Madrid's most craveable dessert.
At this sun-drenched two-table coffee shop, grab a café con leche before perusing the shelves, which are stocked with Spanish conservas (preserved foods), natural wines, and other culinary gems that make great gifts or picnic fare.
Carrera de San Francisco 12, Madrid, Spain
Known For
Small-production Colombian coffee
Natural wine for sale (and by the glass, if you ask)
This cozy tiled bar will teleport you to the coastal Andalusian city of the same name with briny olives, bone-dry Manzanilla sherries, and shatteringly crisp tortillitas de camarón (shrimp fritters).
Botín, established in 1725, is the world's oldest restaurant (according to Guinness World Records) and was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway—the final scene of The Sun Also Rises is set in this very place. The cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig), stuffed with aromatics, doused with wine, and crisped in the original wood-burning oven, is a must. There are four floors of tile and wood-beam dining rooms and, if you're seated upstairs, you'll pass the centuries-old ovens. Musical groups called tunas (mostly made up of students dressed in medieval costume) rove between tables. It's rumored Goya washed dishes here before starting out as a painter.
This old-timey restaurant, with dark wood-paneled walls lined with bottles of wine, serves classic Spanish food like huevos estrellados, grilled meats, and fish (sea bass, haddock, grouper, and more) in various preparations. Check out the pictures of famous celebrities who've eaten at this typically noisy landmark; they line the staircase that leads to the main dining area.
Don't let the crowds dissuade you from entering this Cava Baja stalwart—tables and barstools open up fast. The nonnegotiable dish to try here is huevos estrellados, "bashed" fried eggs tucked between olive-oil-fried potatoes and topped with optional add-ons like jamón, chistorra sausage, and pisto (Spanish ratatouille). The perfect pairing? A glass of tart, citrusy rosé Cava by one of Catalonia's top producers, Raventós i Blanc.
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