Madrid Travel Guide

Restaurants in Madrid, Spain

Restaurants
Expensive

La Broche Sergi Arola
La Broche's master chef, Sergi Arola, has garnered two Michelin stars for his original interpretations of traditional Catalan and Spanish recipes. The menu changes monthly but signature dishes include turbot con patas de puerco, where pan-fried turbot is sprinkled with coriander and served with a jelly of pig's feet wrapped in onion, and solomillo de buey (ox steak stuffed with goat's cheese, anchovies, cherries and pine-nut purée).

Miguel Angel 29-31
Tel: 91 399 3437.
Website: www.labroche.com
Price: $$$$

La Terraza del Casino
Paco Roncero is the creative brain behind this Michelin starred eatery. Booking early is essential with one of Spain's best chefs at the helm. Experimentation in the style of Catalan Ferran Adria is the order of the day. Expect foams, unusual combinations of flavor, constant surprises and an experience unlike a 'normal' restaurant.

Calle Alzala 15
Tel: 91 532 1275.
Website: www.casinodemadrid.es
Price: $$$$

Moderate

El Amparo
El Amparo's deserved reputation as one of Madrid's top gourmet restaurants owes a good deal to its traditional Basque recipes with nouvelle cuisine treatment. Another plus for the restaurant is its setting - a former coach-house in Madrid's smart Salamanca district. The décor is the work of leading Spanish designer Pascua Ortega, who also worked on the refurbishment of the Teatro Real (see Culture).

Callejón de Puigcerdá 8
Tel: 91 431 6456.
Price: $$$

El Cenador del Prado
A showcase of the best of Spanish regional cuisine. Salted cod in breadcrumbs with garlic and grape garnishing, medallions of venison with cheese ravioli and quince, beef carpaccio with pig's trotters in a mushroom sauce - all the dishes here are prepared with virgin olive oil and dressed with fresh herbs. The prices are reasonable, the ambience is cool and refined, the service impeccable. The trellised garden room is another plus.

Calle del Prado 4
Tel: 91 429 1561.
Website: www.elcenadordelprado.com
Price: $$

Jockey
Patronised by the rich, famous and discerning, Jockey has earned itself the reputation as one of Madrid's top-flight restaurants since opening in 1945. The restaurant is quite small and intimate, with dark wooden paneling and framed prints of jockeys and their mounts. Sea bass, wild fowl and game (when in season) are all to be found on an ambitious and often exciting menu. The wine cellar is also excellent.

Amador de los Ríos 6
Tel: 91 319 2435.
Website: www.restaurantejockey.net
Price: $$$

La Nicolasa
This is one of the few restaurants that can correctly claim to serve traditional Basque dishes. The establishment is elegantly decorated, with glass chandeliers and robust oak tables. There are several oil paintings hanging on the walls, and the general décor resembles that of a grand countryside house. The Basque cuisine consists mainly of fish, and the most traditional dish served is sea bass with orange. Another favorite is baked hake. All of the cakes and pastries are made on site.

Velazquez 150
Tel: 91 563 1735.
Price: $$-$$$

Botín
Said to be the oldest restaurant in the city, Botín first opened its doors below the Plaza Mayor in 1725, and has been keeping business people happy ever since. The wonderful old dining rooms retain the original painted tiles, oak beams and wood-burning oven. Traditional Castilian dishes are the specialty here - the roast suckling pig and the tender Aranda lamb are delicious. Reservations are strongly advised, as it is very popular.

Calle Cuchilleros 17
Tel: 91 366 4217.
Website: www.casabotin.com
Price: $$

Las Cuevas de Luís Candelas
While many of the eating places around Plaza Mayor are tourist orientated and overpriced, Las Cuevas offers better value in a brick-vaulted cellar with tiled bar, wall paintings, wrought iron fittings and an open fire for the suckling pig specialty. Named after a 19th-century highwayman said to have hidden in one of the cuevas (cellars), this bar-restaurant offers a typical range of tapas, as well as substantial main courses. Specialties include merluza (hake) and shrimps in garlic or cheese.

Arco de Cuchilleros 1
Tel: 91 366 5428.
Website: www.lascuevasdeluiscandelas.com
Price: $$

Robata
Japanese cooking is still not quite as much in vogue in Madrid as in some European capitals, but is catching up due to demand from the business community. Grilled meats and fish are to the fore on an extensive menu offering combinations of tempura, sashimi, sushi and sukiyaki, as well as soups. Diners can sit at a table or around the central sushi bar.

Calle de la Reina 31
Tel: 91 521 8528.
Price: $$

Viuda de Vacas
The name 'The Widow Vacas' alludes to the Cánovas Vacas family from Segovia, who founded the restaurant more than a century ago. This homely taberna (tavern) preserves its faded wall tiles, marble-top tables and a spiral staircase. The menu, inspired by the Castillian countryside, is only available in Spanish - recommended are berenjenas (aubergines stuffed with breadcrumbs in a cream sauce), jamon al horno (roast pork) and gallina en pepitoria (chicken in egg and almond sauce).

Calle Cava Alta 23
Tel: 91 366 5847.
Price: $$

Champagnería Gala
Gala is one of Madrid's trendier eating places and diners should book ahead to be sure of a table on the canopied garden patio. The Spanish sparkling wines are the ideal accompaniment to the paellas, risottos and fideuàs (Catalan noodle dishes) that are Gala's stock-in-trade. There are more than a dozen of these wines to choose from. No credit cards.

Calle Moratín 22
Tel: 91 429 2562 or 420 1950.
Price: $$

Al-Mounia
Ethnic restaurants are not Madrid's strong point, but Al-Mounia is an exception. Situated just off Paseo de Recoletas, the North African (Maghreb) specialties in this restaurant include couscous and tajines. The starters are tempting, if pricey - money is better spent on the sticky, finger-licking pastries.

Calle Recoletos 5
Tel: 91 435 0828.
Website: www.almounia.es
Price: $$

Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes
In its heyday during the 1920s, the Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes was the haunt of Madrid's leading intellectuals. Designed by Antonio Palacios, the spacious salon, decorated with classical pillars, chandeliers and an enormous painted ceiling, is known as the goldfish bowl, because of its outlook onto Calle Alcalá. The menu is wide ranging and includes everything from cakes, baguettes and ice cream to roast beef and smoked salmon.

Calle Marqués de Casa Riera 2
Tel: 91 360 5400.
Price: $$

Café Saigón
Café Saigon is popular among the city's young sophisticates. The cuisine is best described as East Asian, with Vietnamese dishes featuring. There are shades of the 'Paris of the East' too in the lattice woodcarving, hessian drapes, sepia photographs and colonial bric-a-brac in the upstairs dining area. As there is no English-language menu, the safe option is the reasonably-priced menú degustación.

Paseo de la Castellana 66, corner of Calle de María de Molina
Tel: 91 563 1566.
Website: www.elcafesaigon.com
Price: $$

Casa Lucio
One of the city's most famous eateries, it is not unusual to find a famous person eating here despite the lack of glamorous décor. Situated in La Latina, one of the oldest areas of Madrid, Casa Lucio was established in the mid 1950s and has established itself as the place to eat fried eggs and chips. The dishes served are traditional and include cocido madrileño (chick pea stew) and callos (stewed cow stomach in spicy sauce).

Cava Baja 35
Tel: 91 365 3252.
Website: www.casalucio.es
Price: $$

La Dame Noire
'The Black Lady' has a great location in the heart of Chueca, one of Madrid's most colorful neighborhoods and now the gay quarter. A good deal of its appeal lies in the outlandish décor, a rococo travesty with trompe l'oeil ceiling, red drapes, gilded mirrors, classical statues and leopard-skin chair covers. The cooking is French-inspired, if a touch eccentric - salted cod in cider may not be to everyone's taste.

Calle Pérez Galdós 3
Tel: 91 531 0476.
Price: $$

Terra Mundi
Galician home cooking is on offer in this delightful restaurant near Plaza Santa Ana. The restaurant has an informal ambience with rustic country-kitchen décor, with pine wood furniture and check tablecloths. The tapas bar is popular with local office workers, while meals are served in the adjoining dining rooms. The menu is inspired by traditional Gallegan recipes; fish and seafood dishes (including octopus) are to the fore.

Lope de Vega 32
Tel: 91 429 5280.
Website: www.terramundi.net
Price: $$

Cheap

Divina La Cocina
A great location on the fringes of trendy Chueca is one reason why this restaurant is such a hit. Together, they have created their own special brand of Spanish fusion - for example, salted cod in a soya and ginger sauce, seaweed salad with shrimps and eggs of sea urchin or prime beef steak with foie gras in port. Designer Carlos Mayoral's powder blue and terracotta tones add a dash of refinement and sophistication.

Calle Colmenares 13
Tel: 91 531 3765.
Website: www.divinalacocina.com
Price: $-$$

Casa Mingo
If you share a twin love of cider and chicken then there is only one place in Madrid for you - Caso Mingo. The roast chicken here is legendary and it is best washed down with a bottle of the Asturian cider that completes a budget stomach filling experience. Very old school and usually very busy, especially at weekends, so expect a (worthwhile) wait.

Paseo de la Florida
Tel: 91 477 918.
Price: $

La Galette
One of the best things about this well-established vegetarian restaurant is that carnivores are catered for too. From the extensive list of imaginatively prepared vegetable, rice and pasta dishes, one might single out the delicious tartar de chicle (cauliflower cheese with a dusting of fresh herbs), followed by apple croquettes. Diners sit elbow-to-elbow in the two small rooms, decked out in an appealing country-kitchen style.

Calle Conde de Aranda 11
Tel: 91 576 0641.
Price: $

Taberna el Almendro
A tiny tavern with custard-yellow walls and big barrels that serve as tables. A bell on the kitchen window sounds when the food is ready. The wild boar blood pudding, the savoury toasted bagels, (roscas) or the famous egg dishes, in particular, los huevos rotos (fried eggs over potatoes) are the mainstays. There is a good selection of white wines and sherries to accompany the tapas.

Calle El Almendro 13
Tel: 91 365 4252.
Price: $

The Wok
There is no better place in the capital for no nonsense Asian food on a budget. Steaming bowls of noodles delight the regulars and any tourists lucky enough to stumble upon this top value eatery. Not very Madrid, where long lunches are de rigueur, and it definitely offers no frills, but most diners here are not looking for any, just to fill up on healthy affordable food.

Calle San Marcos 31-33
Tel: 91 531 6979.
Price: $

Vips
This branch of the well-known newsagent and restaurant chain has a great location, close to the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. Open seven days a week until the early hours of the morning, it is nearly always full, on account of the reasonable prices and the varied menu - everything from ham and eggs to pizzas and bowls of tacos. The atmosphere is busy and bustling and the décor modern and functional.

Plaza de las Cortes 7
Tel: 91 429 4234.
Price: $

Nightlife

Madrileños tend to make not one plan for the evening but three or four. While the busiest nights are Friday and Saturday (with Thursday a close runner-up), the locals go out every night and miraculously manage to work or study during the day. Perhaps the secret lies in the tradition of consuming tapas - snacks of olives, anchovies, chorizo (sausage), gambas (deep-fried shrimp) and local specialties like orejas (pig's ears), callos (tripe), mollejas (sweetbreads), snails in hot sauce and bull's testicles. After a long night on the town, it is customary to breakfast on thick hot chocolate and sweet fried churros (strips of fried dough).

Nightlife centers on three major districts - Chueca (Madrid's gay village, which specializes in trendy restaurants), Calle Huertas (traditional Spanish music, jazz clubs and bars) and Malasaña (mainly bars and clubs frequented by a young crowd). All bars and clubs are licensed but hours are flexible. It can be hard to tell bars and clubs apart, since bars often have a dancefloor and not all clubs charge for entry.

Many venues close during the month of August. There are several listings magazines. The weekly Guía del Ocio (www.guiadelocio.com/english), available from kiosks, has information on concerts, theater, film and other entertainment options. It also provides restaurant listings.

Bars: Madrid's bars range from dark, wood-panelled taverns to the fabulous Viva Madrid, Calle Manuel Fernández y Gonzáles 7, with its painted tiles of Madrid scenes from the early 1900s. The Garamond, Calle de Claudio Coello 10, has a castle-like interior and suits a smart older crowd. Chicote, Grand Vía 12, is Madrid's most famous cocktail bar and has preserved its 1930s interior - it is easy to imagine American novelist Ernest Hemingway relaxing here during the Civil War. Del Diego, Calle Reina 12, is another popular cocktail haunt. Los Gabrieles, Calle Echegaray 17, a former brothel run by gypsies, with a tiled interior depicting Velázquez's The Drunkards, is now a respectable bar for a young chic clientele. Tapas bars cluster around Plaza de Santa Ana near Sol, Plaza de Santa Bárbara in Malasaña and Cava Baja and Calle de Cuchilleros, behind Plaza Mayor. One of the best is Taberna los Austrias, Calle Nuncio 17, situated near metro La Latina. As dawn breaks, revelers head for Chocolatería San Ginés, Pasadizo de San Ginés 11, in search of hot chocolate and churros (strips of fried dough).

Clubs: Most tourists head for the clubs around Sol and Gran Vía, although true hedonists might want to try out some of the locals' haunts instead. A typical night might begin around 2300 with the exotic elite at Serrano 41 (www.serrano41.es), before moving on to Fortuny, Calle Fortuny 23, the laid-back Café del Foro, Calle San Andres 38, or super-trendy Mármara (http://marmara.gruposasfer.com), Calle Padre Damián. There are no admission charges here, although chic dress is recommended. The energetic dance to techno at Pachá (www.pacha-madrid.com), Calle Barceló 11. Gabana 1800, Calle de Velázquez 6, is another popular venue for stylish 20- and 30-somethings - if the bouncer allows admission.

Live Music: Madrid offers an eclectic choice of flamenco, salsa, jazz, rock, world music and cantautores (Spanish singer-songwriters). The Café de la Palma, Calle la Palma 62 (www.cafelapalma.com), is the venue of the moment for cantautores, as well as flamenco and Cuban music acts. For more Latino sounds, fans should head for La Negra Tomasa (www.lanegratomasa.es), Calle Cádiz 9, for live music nightly from 2100. Moby Dick, Avenida de Brasil 5 (www.mobydickclub.com) in the Castellana district, plays live pop and rock on weekdays and hosts DJs (reggae and rap) at weekends. The clientele is a charming mixture of foreigners and locals. At Café Populart, Calle Huertas 22 (www.populart.es) punters can experience everything from live jazz to swing, salsa, blues, gospel, African and reggae. The Irish Rover pub (www.theirishrover.com), Avenida de Brasil 7, imports Irish, folk and country music. International acts play regularly at the Café Central (www.cafecentralmadrid.com), Plaza del Angel 10, Madrid's top jazz venue. Pop stars and famous bands perform at La Riviera, Paseo Bajo de la Virgen del Puerto.