Tapas restaurants in Madrid
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La Casa del Abuelo
In Huertas, La Casa del Abuelo is famous for gambasa la plancha (grilled prawns) or gambas al ajillo (prawns sizzling in garlic on little ceramic plates) and a chato (small glass) of the heavy, sweet El Abuelo red wine; they cook over 200kg of prawns here on a good day.
reviewed
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Txakolina
It calls its abundant Basque pintxos (tapas) ‘high cuisine in miniature’ – the first part is true, but these are some of the biggest pintxos you’ll find and some are a meal in themselves. It does wonderful things with seafood and potatoes too.
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Bocaito
Bocaito, at Chueca, is a purveyor of Andalucian jamón (ham) and seafood and a favourite haunt of film-maker Pedro Almodóvar.
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Baco y Beto
Chueca is a stellar tapas barrio (district). A brilliant choice is Baco y Beto.
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Estado Puro
A slick but casual tapas bar, Estado Puro serves up fantastic tapas, many of which have their origins in Catalonia’s world-famous El Bulli restaurant, such as the tortilla española siglo XXI (21st-century Spanish omelette, served in a glass). The kitchen here is overseen by Paco Roncero, the head chef at La Terraza del Casino and who learned his trade with master-chef Ferran Adrìa. Most of the tapas involve spectacular variations on traditional Spanish themes. There’s a funky indoor area and outdoor tables (often reserved and with higher prices).
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4 de Tapas
Tapas is not just about Andalucian-themed, tiled bars and shouting waiters. 4 de Tapas has a lounge-bar atmosphere and young and friendly waiters, quite apart from terrific tapas. The specialities are tostas (around €3 to €4) and cazuelas (from €7). For the former, brie with raspberry jam just has to be ordered, while the cazuelas range from Roquefort croquettes to the more traditional scrambled eggs with ham. The kitchen closes around midnight, an hour later on weekends.
reviewed
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Taberna del Alabardero
This fine old Madrid taberna is famous for its montaditos de jamón or bonito (small rolls of cured ham or tuna) in the bar, while out the back the more classic cuisine includes fine croquetas (croquettes), morcilla (blood sausage) and rabo de toro (bull’s tail, usually in a stew). Prices aren’t cheap, but Madrid’s notoriously fussy diners generally accept that it’s worth it.
reviewed
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La Trucha
‘The Trout’ is one of Madrid’s great tapas bars and the faux-Andalucian décor leaves little doubt as to where its allegiances lie. The counter is loaded with enticing tapas choices and the bar staff will have their own idea about what’s good to try – listen to them because they know their tapas.
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Taberna de Antonio Sánchez
Behind one of the best-preserved old taberna façades in Madrid hides this gem of a traditional tapas bar famous for its Madrid specialities – tortilla de san isidro, callos (tripe), morcilla (blood sausage), huevos estrellados (fried eggs) and a host of other excellent local favourites.
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El Lateral
Our pick of the tapas bars surrounding Plaza de Santa Ana, El Lateral does terrific pinchos (tapas), the perfect accompaniment to the fine wines on offer. At around €3.50 per pincho, you could easily pass an evening here savouring every bite. Service is restaurant-standard, rather than your average tapas-bar brusqueness.
reviewed
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Restaurante la Giralda
For nearly every kind of fried or fresh Mediterranean seafood you can imagine (and many you can’t), Restaurante La Giralda feels like being in Sevilla. The quality is high so it’s hugely popular but the downstairs area is surprisingly large.
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La Taberna de San Bernardo
The raciones (large tapas servings; around €6 to €8) here include plenty of Spanish favourites with a few surprising twists thrown in - the berenjenas con mile de caña (deep-fried aubergine with honey) is brilliant.
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Txirimiri
This pintxo bar is a great little discovery just down from the main La Latina tapas circuit. Wonderful wines, gorgeous pinchos (the tortilla de patatas is superb) and fine risottos add up to a pretty special combination.
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Corazon Loco
In a barrio replete with tapas options, it takes something pretty special to catch our eye. Corazon Loco (Crazy Heart) is a splendid little tapas bar blending subtle tastes with a regularly changing menu and cheap wines.
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Casa Revuelta
Many madrileños (residents of Madrid) wouldn’t eat bacalao anywhere except Casa Revuelta, clinched by the fact that the owner painstakingly extracts every fish bone in the morning.
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Casa Do Compañeiro
Tucked away in the streets just up from Plaza del Dos de Mayo, this old Madrid taberna (tavern) has a wonderful tiled-and-wood façade, basic wooden stools, marble-top tables and terrific tapas from Galicia.
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Sagaretxe
This is one of Madrid’s better Basque pintxo bars of long standing, with tempting choices lined up along the bar; the surtido de pintxos (your own selection of 8/12 tapas) costs €14/20.
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Almendro 13
Almendro 13 is famous for quality rather than frilly elaborations, with cured meats, cheeses, tortillas and huevos rotos (literally, ‘broken eggs’) the house specialties.
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Casa Labra
Casa Labra has been around since 1860 and was a favourite of the poet Federico García Lorca. Its famous for bacalao (cod).
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Bodega de la Ardosa
This is extremely popular for its salmorejo,croquetas,patatasbravas and tortilla de patatas.
reviewed
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Los Gatos
A good choice down the bottom of the Huertas hill is Los Gatos with eclectic decor and terrific canapés.
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Las Bravas
For patatas bravas (fried potatoes lathered in a spicy tomato sauce), Las Bravas is the place.
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Juanalaloca
Juanalaloca does a magnificent tortilla de patatas (potato and onion omelette).
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Biotza
In Salamanca, Biotza offers creative Basque pintxos in stylish surrounds.
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Viva La Vida
This branch of Viva La Vida has takeaway organic food, with only a handful of stools for eating in.
reviewed
