Restaurants in Spain
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Cafè Zurich
It doesn’t have the atmosphere of the cafe of the same name that once occupied this prime spot, but not even the hardest of hearts can deny the location is impeccable. Pull up an outdoor pew for the human circus that is Plaça de Catalunya, or huddle over a paper on the mezzanine on a winter’s day. In summer it stays open as late as 1am.
reviewed
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El Grillo Azul
Vegetarian visitors to Salamanca have a treat that's rare in Castilian towns – a real-life vegetarian restaurant. It's a buzzy place with attractive blue-and-white decor and a creative menu that includes a plato degustación (€11.50): a veritable veggie feast for two with taster portions of dishes like grilled seitan or tofu, vegetable soufflé, wild mushrooms and inventive salads.
reviewed
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C
Elisabets
This unassuming restaurant is popular for no-nonsense local fare. The walls are lined with old radio sets and the menú del día (€10.75) varies daily. If you prefer a la carta, try the ragú de jabalí (wild boar stew) and finish with mel i mató. Those with a late hunger on Friday nights can probably get a meal here as late as 1am.
reviewed
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D
Escribà
Antoni Escribà carries forward a family tradition (since 1906) of melting barcelonins’ hearts with remarkable pastries and criminal chocolate creations. Try the Easter bunyols de xocolata (little round pastry balls filled with chocolate cream). Escribà has another branch in a Modernista setting at La Rambla de Sant Josep 83.
reviewed
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Bar Celta
Bar Celta specialises in pulpo (octopus) and other seaside delights from Galicia. The waiters waste no time in serving up bottles of crisp white Ribeiro wine to wash down the raciones (large servings of tapas).
reviewed
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La Trattoria
The Alameda is lined with restaurants and cafes. First-class food and efficient service make La Trattoria one of the best and busiest Italian eateries in town.
reviewed
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Café Fútbol
No Raúl or Fábregas, but plenty of art nouveau decor and fresh churros.
reviewed
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La Isla del Tesoro
La Isla del Tesoro is loaded with quirky charm – the dining area is like someone’s fantasy of a secret garden come to life. The cooking here is assured and wide-ranging in its influences; the jungle burger is typical in a menu that’s full of surprises. The weekday, lunchtime menú del día (€10) is more varied than most in Madrid. Our only complaint? The otherwise friendly waiters are often too keen to free up your table for the next punters on weekends.
reviewed
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Es Bigotes
Offering bullit de peix (whatever fish was caught that morning simmered with herbs, mixed vegetables and potatoes in a huge vat), followed by arròs caldós (saffron rice cooked in the broth of the bullit de peix), this simple shack is known far and wide. Finish off with café de caleta (coffee prepared with lemon zest, cinnamon and flamed brandy). No phone, no reservations; in July and August, you need to turn up in person at least the day before to book a spot. During other months, arrival by 1pm should get you a table. To arrive by car, take the last turning left before Cala Mastella.
reviewed
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Speakeasy
This clandestine restaurant lurks behind the Dry Martini (p). You will be shown a door through the open kitchen area to the ‘storeroom’, lined with hundreds of bottles of backlit, quality tipples. Dark decorative tones, a few works of art, low lighting, light jazz music and smooth service complete the setting. What’s on the menu depends on the markets and the cook’s whim. A tempting option is the creamy burrata di Puglia con yemas de espárragos blancos y jamón Joselito (a huge hunk of mozzarella from southern Italy with white asparagus hearts and strips of high-quality cured ham).
reviewed
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Casa Amalia
This restaurant is popular for its hearty Catalan cooking using fresh produce, mainly sourced from the busy market next door. The orange and white decorated joint has split level dining that makes the most of its space. On Thursdays during winter it offers the Catalan mountain classic, escudella. Otherwise, you might try light variations on local cuisine, such as the bacallà al allioli de poma (cod in an apple-based aioli sauce). The four-course menú del día is exceptional lunchtime value at €12.
reviewed
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Los Coloniales
It might not look like much from the outside but trust us; this is something very special. It’s hard to pick a favourite dish as everything is outstanding, but we’d never turn down a plate of chorizo a la Asturiana, a divine spicy sausage in an onion sauce served on a bed of lightly fried potato. To follow up try the aubergines in honey. There is another, inferior and more touristy branch, Taberna Los Coloniales, on Calle Jimios near the cathedral.
reviewed
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Casa Mingo
Built in 1916 to feed workers building the Príncipe Pío train station, Casa Mingo is a large Asturian cider house known by just about every madrileño. It’s kept simple here, focusing primarily on the signature dish of pollo asado (roast chicken) accompanied by a bottle of cider. There are also a few Asturian specialities, such as chorizo a la sidra (chorizo in cider) and queso de cabrales (aged blue cheese).
reviewed
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Sula
If you want to catch Salamanca’s happening vibe, head for Sula, a gourmet food store, super-stylish tapas bar and clean-lined restaurant where Quique Dacosta (voted Spain’s best chef in 2005) serves up a range of Mediterranean dishes that you won’t find anywhere else. Design touches added by Amaya Arzuaga help to make this one of Madrid’s coolest spaces. Rumour has it that David Beckham had one of his farewell parties here.
reviewed
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Vinería San Telmo
If the thought of the Andalusian-Basque dishes on offer here – such as foie gras with quails eggs and lychees or exquisitely cooked bricks of tuna or maybe the rascacielos de tomate, berenjena, queso de cabra y salmón (which roughly translates into a pyramid of tomato, aubergine, goats cheese and salmon) – don’t make you drool with expectation then you’re probably dead. In our opinion this is the best place to eat in Barrio de Santa Cruz.
reviewed
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Parco
The Italian love affair with Barcelona manifests itself here with this branch of the stylish Milan sushi-restaurant-cum-cocktail-bar. With a little fusion music in the background, start the evening with a round of bulbous cocktails before ordering plates of sushi and sashimi. Lighting is low, while red and black dominate the décor. Those unlucky enough to miss out on a lounge may find themselves uncomfortably perched on backless chairs.
reviewed
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Cerveseria Catalana
The ‘Catalan Brewery’ is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Come in for your morning coffee and croissant, or wait until lunch to enjoy choosing from the abundance of tapas and montaditos (canapés). You can sit at the bar, on the pavement terrace or in the restaurant at the back. The variety of hot tapas, salads and other snacks draws a well-dressed crowd of locals and outsiders. It has expanded the premises to deal with demand.
reviewed
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Cervecería 100 Montaditos
This bar with outlets all across the city serves up no fewer than 100 different varieties of mini-bocadillos (filled rolls, without butter) that span the full range of Spanish staples, such as chorizo, jamón, tortilla, a variety of cheeses and seafood. Each one costs a princely €1 to €2 and four will satisfy most stomachs. You fill out your order, take it up to the counter and your name is called in no time.
reviewed
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Restaurante Momo
Momo is a Chueca beacon of reasonably priced home-cooking for a casual but stylish crowd. It’s got an artsy vibe and is ideal for those who want a hearty meal without too much elaboration. The menú del día (fixed-price three-course meal) is one of Madrid’s bargains and the famous chocolate moco (snot) is the tastiest of dessert dishes despite its worrying name.
reviewed
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La Conveniente
This cavernous bodega has high stone walls, wooden pillars and beams, and more wine bottles than you may ever have seen in one place. Squeeze into the tramlike enclosure at the front or line up for a seat out back (or just snack at the bar). The food offerings are fairly straightforward – tablas (platters) of cheese, embutidos (sausages), ham, pâtés – and servings are generous.
reviewed
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Arzak
With three shining Michelin stars, acclaimed chef Juan Mari Arzak takes some beating when it comes to nueva cocina vasca and his restaurant is, not surprisingly, considered one of the best places to eat in Spain. Arzak is now assisted by his daughter Elena and they never cease to innovate. Reservations, well in advance, are obligatory. The restaurant is about 1.5km east of San Sebastián.
reviewed
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La Negra Tomasa
Bar, restaurant and magnet for all things Cuban, La Negra Tomasa is a boisterous meeting place for the Havana set with waitresses dressed in traditional Cuban outfits (definitely pre-Castro), decent food such as cojimar (shrimps in a tomato sauce with rice and slices of banana fritter) and typical drinks of the Caribbean. There’s often live Cuban music in the evening.
reviewed
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Nagoya
Madrid has its fair share of Japanese restaurants, but you won’t find any better than this one. The service is friendly and fast, and the food is outstanding – from the tempura and sushi to the kami yaki soba (duck with noodles and teriyaki sauce). Ask for your maki with sesamo por fuera (sesame on the outside) and you’ll be in heaven.
reviewed
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Martín Berasategui Restaurant
With three Michelin stars and dozens of other awards, this superlative restaurant, about 9km southwest of San Sebastián, is considered by foodies to be one of the best restaurants in the world. The chef, Martín Berasategui, doesn't approach cooking in the same way as the rest of us. He approaches it as a science and the results are tastes you never knew existed. Reserve well ahead.
reviewed
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Maceiras
Galician tapas (think octopus, green peppers etc) never tasted so good as in this agreeably rustic bar down the bottom of the Huertas hill, especially when washed down with a crisp white Ribeiro. The simple wooden tables, loyal customers and handy location make for a fine atmosphere. There’s another branch around the corner at Calle de Jesús 7, which keeps the same hours.
reviewed
