Tapas restaurants in Madrid
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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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La Casa del Abuelo
The ‘House of the Grandfather’ is an ageless, popular place, which recently passed its centenary. The traditional order here is a chato (small glass) of the heavy, sweet El Abuelo red wine (made in Toledo province) and the heavenly gambas a la plancha (grilled prawns) or gambas al ajillo (prawns sizzling in garlic on little ceramic plates). They cook more than 200kg of prawns here on a good day.
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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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Baco y Beto
Friends of ours in Madrid begged us not to include this place in the guide and we must admit that we were tempted to keep this secret all to ourselves. Some of the tastiest tapas in Madrid are what you find here, either ordered as a tapa, such as quail’s eggs with salmorejo, or raciones (larger tapas servings), such as aubergine with parmesan. Their croquetas are wonderful and they’re not averse to bringing international influences into their dishes. The clientele is predominantly gay, but they, like our friends, can’t have it all to themselves.
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Casa Lucas
Receiving plaudits from food critics and ordinary punters alike, Casa Lucas takes a sideways glance at traditional Spanish tapas and heads off in new directions (the foie gras with port and caramelised fruits, for example). There are a range of hot and cold tapas and larger raciones (large tapas servings). The menu changes regularly as they come up with new ideas, and they pay particular attention to their wine list.
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Estado Puro
Most places to eat along or around the Paseo del Prado are either tourist traps or upmarket temples to fine dining, but this place bucks the trend. A slick but casual tapas bar attached to the NH Paseo del Prado hotel, 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, who learned his trade with master chef Ferran Adrià. Most of the tapas involve spectacular riffs on traditional Spanish themes. The outdoor tables are often…
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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.
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Mercado de San Miguel
One of Madrid’s oldest and most beautiful markets, the Mercado de San Miguel has undergone a stunning major renovation and bills itself as a ‘culinary cultural centre’. Within the early-20th-century glass walls, the market has become an inviting space strewn with tables. You can order tapas and sometimes more substantial plates at most of the counter bars, and everything here (from caviar to chocolate) is as tempting as the market is alive.
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El Lateral
Our pick of the bars surrounding Plaza de Santa Ana, El Lateral does terrific pinchos (tapas), the perfect accompaniment to the fine wines on offer. Tapas are creative without being over the top (wild mushroom croquettes or sirloin with mustard sauce). Service is restaurant-standard, rather than your average tapas-bar brusqueness.
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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 (Basque tapas) bar is a great little discovery just down from the main La Latina tapas circuit. Wonderful wines, gorgeous pinchos (tapas; 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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Txacolina
Txacolina calls its pintxos ‘high cuisine in miniature’ – the first part is true, but these are some of the biggest pintxos (€3 to €5) you’ll find and some are a meal in themselves. If ordering tapas makes you nervous because you don’t speak Spanish or you’re not quite sure how it works, it couldn’t be easier here – they’re lined up on the bar, Basque style, in all their glory and you can simply point. Whatever you order, wash it down with a txacoli, a sharp Basque white.
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Casa Revuelta
Casa Revuelta puts out some of Madrid’s finest tapas of bacalao (cod) bar none. While aficionados of Casa Labra may disagree, the fact that the octogenarian owner, Señor Revuelta, painstakingly extracts every fish bone in the morning and serves as a waiter in the afternoon wins the argument for us. Early on a Sunday afternoon, as the Rastro crowd gathers here, it’s filled to the rafters, although locals who’ve been coming here for decades always manage to find room. It’s also famous for its callos (tripe), torreznos (bacon bits) and albóndigas (meatballs).
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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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Almendro 13
Almendro 13 is a charming, wildly popular taberna (tavern) where you come for traditional Spanish tapas with an emphasis on quality rather than frilly elaborations. Cured meats, cheeses, omelettes and many variations on these themes dominate the menu; it serves both raciones and half-sized plates – a full racion of the famously good huevos rotos (literally, ‘broken eggs’) served with jamón (ham) and thin potato slices is a meal in itself. The only problem is that the wait for a table (low, with wooden stools) requires the patience of a saint, so order a fine wine or manzanilla (dry sherry) and soak up the buzz.
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Bocaito
Film-maker Pedro Almodóvar once described this traditional bar and restaurant as ‘the best antidepressant’. Forget about the sit-down restaurant (which is nonetheless well-regarded) and jam into the bar, shoulder-to-shoulder with the casual crowd, order a few Andalucian raciones off the menu, slosh them down with some gritty red or a caña (small glass of beer) and enjoy the theatre in which these busy barmen excel. Specialities include the mussels with bechamel, canapés and fried fish.
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Casa Labra
Casa Labra has been going strong since 1860, an era that the decor strongly evokes. Locals love their bacalao and ordering it here – either as deep-fried tapas (una tajada de bacalao goes for €1.25) or as una croqueta de bacalao (€0.80 per croquette) – is a Madrid rite of initiation. As the lunchtime queues attest, they go through more than 700kg of cod every week. This is also a bar with history – it was where the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE; Spanish Socialist Party) was formed on 2 May 1879. It was a favourite of Lorca, the poet, as well as appearing in Pío Baroja’s novel La Busca. It’s the sort of place that fathers bring their sons, just as…
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Bodega de la Ardosa
Going strong since 1892, the charming, wood-panelled bar of Bodega de la Ardosa could equally be recommended as a favourite Malasaña drinking hole. Then again, to come here and not try the salmorejo (cold tomato soup made with bread, oil, garlic and vinegar), croquetas, patatas bravas (potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce) or tortilla de patatas (potato and onion omellete) would be a crime. On weekend nights there’s scarcely room to move.
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Los Gatos
Tapas you can point to without deciphering the menu and eclectic old-world decor (from bullfighting memorabilia to a fresco of skeletons at the bar) make this a popular choice down the bottom end of Huertas. The most popular orders are the canapés (tapas on toast), which, we have to say, are rather delicious.
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Las Bravas
Las Bravas has long been the place for a caña (small glass of beer) and the best patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce; €3.50) in town. In fact, their version of the bravas sauce is so famous that they patented it. Other good orders include calamares (calamari) and oreja a la plancha (grilled pig’s ear). The antics of the bar staff are enough to merit a stop, and the distorting mirrors are a minor Madrid landmark. Elbow your way to the bar and be snappy about your orders.
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Juana La Loca
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 above all for its tortilla de patatas (potato and onion omelette; €4), which is distinguished from others of its kind by the caramelised onions – simply wonderful.
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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.
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La Colonial de Goya
A mere 63 varieties of canapé should be sufficient for most, but they also serve a range of carpaccios, croquettes and main dishes at this engaging little tapas bar. The atmosphere is casual, the all-white decor of wood and exposed brick walls is classy, and some of the dishes (such as the sirloin, brie and quail's eggs) are Spanish nouvelle cuisine at its best.
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