Must-see restaurants in Madrid

  • DiverXO is a high-end, avant-garde tasting menus served on outré dishware in a sleek, modern dining room.

    DiverXo

    Madrid

    Madrid's only three-Michelin-starred restaurant, DiverXo in northern Madrid is one of Spain's most unusual culinary experiences. Chef David Muñoz is…

  • Mercado de San Miguel is a covered market in Madrid, Spain located in the downtown area next to the Plaza Mayor. It is the most famous market in Madrid with tapas.

    Mercado de San Miguel

    Madrid

    This is one of Madrid’s oldest and most beautiful markets, within early-20th-century glass walls and an inviting space strewn with tables. You can order…

  • Sobrino de Botín is a Spanish restaurant in Madrid, The artist Francisco de Goya worked in Café Botín as a waiter while waiting to get accepted into the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The restaurant is mentioned in an Ernest Hemingway novel and the book Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós.

    Restaurante Sobrino de Botín

    Madrid

    It’s not every day that you can eat in the oldest restaurant in the world (as recognised by the Guinness Book of Records – established in 1725). The…

  • Casa Lucio in Madrid has rustic Spanish cuisine, including egg dishes & bull's tail stew, in a quaint spot opened in 1974.

    Casa Lucio

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    Casa Lucio is a Madrid classic and has been wowing madrileños since 1974 with its light touch, quality ingredients and home-style local cooking such as…

  • Tapas served in the restaurant Estado Puro (Paco Roncero), Madrid, Spain

    Estado Puro

    Madrid

    A slick but casual tapas bar, Estado Puro serves up fantastic tapas, that push the boundaries of traditional recipes. It's known for many things, among…

  • MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 2021: Lhardy restaurant with European haute cuisine in an emblematic stately venue with sweets, gastronomic products and a food shop on May 26, 2021 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Cristina Arias/Cover/Getty Images)
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    Lhardy

    Madrid

    This Madrid landmark (since 1839) is an elegant treasure trove of takeaway gourmet tapas downstairs and six dining areas upstairs that are the upmarket…

  • Valencian paellas & rice dishes, plus regional wines, in a stylish, long-standing locale at La Barraca

    La Barraca

    Chueca

    The place to come for a real paella, not the tourist version too often found in Madrid, La Barraca has been serving down-home Valencian cooking in the…

  • Casa Julio in Madrid
Flickr Creative Commons: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jafsegal/3774829055

    Casa Julio

    Malasaña & Conde Duque

    A citywide poll for the best croquetas (croquettes) in Madrid would see half of those polled voting for Casa Julio and the remainder not doing so only…

  • Madrid's La Buena Vida

    La Buena Vida

    Chueca

    A cross between a Parisian bistro and old-school upmarket Madrid restaurant, this prestigious Chueca place is popular with a well-heeled, knowledgeable…

  • Paco Roncero Restaurant has a sophisticated tasting menus & wine pairings in a grand, 19th-century building with a sunny terrace.

    Paco Roncero Restaurante

    Madrid

    Perched atop the lavish Casino de Madrid building, this temple of haute cuisine is the proud bearer of two Michelin stars and presided over by celebrity…

  • Madrid's La Tasquita de Enfrente has elegantly plated tasting menus celebrate seasonal ingredients from across Spain in this tiny venue.

    La Tasquita de Enfrente

    Malasaña & Conde Duque

    It’s difficult to overstate how popular this place is among people in the know in Madrid’s food scene. The seasonal menu prepared by chef Juanjo López…

  • The communal dining hall at Gourmet Experience.

    Gourmet Experience

    Madrid

    Ride the elevator up to the 9th floor of the El Corte Inglés department store for one of downtown Madrid's best eating experiences. The food is excellent,…

  • Joana La Loca in Madrid is known for pintxo snacks on sticks & a renowned Spanish omelet at a chic modern tapas bar with stylish tiling.

    Juana La Loca

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    Juana La Loca does a range of creative tapas with tempting options lined up along the bar, and more on the menu that they prepare to order. But we love it…

  • Casa Dani in Madrid is a popular, long-running counter in a covered market serving tortillas de patatas & other tapas.

    Casa Dani

    Salamanca

    Deep in Salamanca's Mercado de la Paz, Casa Dani is a wildly popular spot for lunch and it gets going earlier than most: most weekdays, there's a queue at…

  • Sala de Despiece in Madrid is an upscale tapas in a buzzy bar styled like a market butcher shop, with bench & counter seating.

    Sala de Despiece

    Madrid

    Wildly (and deservedly) popular, Sala de Despiece has a menu that lists everything – every ingredient, method of cooking, size, price and origin – in a…

  • Bazaar

    Chueca

    Bazaar’s popularity among the well-heeled Chueca set shows no sign of abating. Its pristine white interior design, with theatre-style lighting and wall…

  • La Carmencita

    Chueca

    Around since 1854, La Carmencita is the bar where legendary poet Pablo Neruda was once a regular. The folk of La Carmencita have taken 75 of their…

  • Casa Alberto

    Madrid

    One of the most atmospheric old tabernas (taverns) of Madrid, Casa Alberto has been around since 1827 and occupies a building where Cervantes is said to…

  • Viridiana

    Madrid

    Chef Abraham García is a much-celebrated Madrid figure and his larger-than-life personality is reflected in Viridiana’s menu. Many influences are brought…

  • Mama Campo

    Madrid

    Mama Campo breaks the mould of sameness that unites the bars surrounding Plaza de Olavide. Positioning itself as an ecofriendly take on the Spanish…

  • Casa Revuelta

    Madrid

    Casa Revuelta puts out some of Madrid’s finest tapas of bacalao (cod) bar none – unlike elsewhere, tajadas de bacalao don't have bones in them and slide…

  • Casa Jorge

    Madrid

    Arguably Madrid's best Catalan restaurant, classy Casa Jorge serves up exquisite specialties from Spain's northwest, including caracoles (snails),…

  • Bodega de la Ardosa

    Madrid

    Tucked away on the cusp of Calle de Ponzano, Madrid's (and Chamberí's) most happening bar and tapas street, this fine relic and local institution serves…

  • El Rincón de Jerez

    Madrid

    Out in the eastern reaches of Salamanca, the Andalucian bar El Rincón de Jerez is utterly unlike anywhere else in Madrid. At 11pm from Tuesday to Sunday,…

  • Pez Tortilla

    Malasaña & Conde Duque

    Every time we come here, this place is full to bursting, which is not surprising given its philosophy of great tortilla (15 kinds!), splendid croquetas …

  • Astrolabius

    Salamanca

    This terrific family-run place in Salamanca's north has a simple philosophy – take grandmother's recipes and filter them through the imagination of the…

  • Albur

    Malasaña & Conde Duque

    One of Malasaña's best deals, this place has a wildly popular tapas bar and a classy but casual restaurant out the back. The restaurant waiters never seem…

  • Frida

    Chueca

    What a lovely little spot this is. Set on a tiny square, its wooden tables flooded with natural light through the big windows, Frida is ideal for a casual…

  • Txirimiri

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    This pintxos (Basque tapas) bar is a great little discovery just down from the main La Latina tapas circuit. Wonderful wines, gorgeous pinchos (the…

  • Street XO

    Salamanca

    After the success of his Michelin-starred DiverXO, Dabiz Muñoz has opened a more accessible but equally creative street-food version. There's always a…

  • Santceloni

    Madrid

    The two-Michelin-starred Santceloni is one of Madrid’s best restaurants, with luxurious decor, faultless service, fabulous wines and nouvelle cuisine from…

  • The normal crowds swamp Casa Labra on a weekend morning.

    Casa Labra

    Madrid

    Casa Labra has been going strong since 1860, an era that the decor strongly evokes. Locals love their bacalao (cod) and ordering it here – either as deep…

  • Ham in Restaurant Bocaito, Malasana.

    Bocaito

    Chueca

    Film-maker Pedro Almodóvar once described this traditional bar and restaurant as ‘the best antidepressant’. Forget about the sit-down restaurant (though…

  • Casa Toni's exterior in the Huertas neighborhood.

    Casa Toni

    Madrid

    Locals flock to Casa Toni, one of Madrid's best old-school Spanish bars, for simple, honest cuisine fresh off the griddle. Specialities include cuttlefish…

  • Tuk Tuk Asian Street Food's facade

    Tuk Tuk Asian Street Food

    Chueca

    A hard hitter in Madrid’s street-food revolution, Tuk Tuk cooks up authentic comfort food from Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and more. Also served:…

  • El Pato Mudo's facade in the center of Madrid.

    El Pato Mudo

    Madrid

    El Pato Mudo isn’t the most famous paella restaurant in Madrid, but it’s known to locals for its variety of outstanding rice dishes at reasonable prices…

  • The bright red entrance to Levadura Madre Malasaña.

    Levadura Madre Malasaña

    Malasaña & Conde Duque

    A welcome break from ubiquitous chain bakeries, Levadura Madre Malasaña sells real-deal sourdough loaves, quiches, pastries and empanadas. The products…

  • Age-old traditions at Bodega de la Ardosa in Malasaña.

    Bodega de la Ardosa

    Malasaña & Conde Duque

    Going strong since 1892, the wood-panelled bar of Bodega de la Ardosa is brimful with charm. To come here and not try the salmorejo (cold tomato soup made…

  • Platea

    Salamanca

    The ornate Carlos III cinema opposite the Plaza de Colón has been artfully transformed into a dynamic culinary scene with more than a hint of burlesque…

  • Yakitoro by Chicote

    Chueca

    Based around the idea of a Japanese tavern, driven by a spirit of innovation and a desire to combine the best in Spanish and Japanese flavours, Yakitoro…