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Textbook-perfect paella in...Latina? Madrid is a notoriously disappointing city when it comes to the rice dishes popular on the Mediterranean coast, but Aynaelda slam-dunks with its sizzling paellas flavored with heady aromatics and concentrated stock. Be sure to scrape up the socarrat, that swoon-worthy layer of crisp rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Avoid Sunday lunch as there's usually a waitlist.
Calle de los Yébenes 38, Madrid, 28047, Spain
Known For
- Rice dishes up to Valencian standards
- Bright airy dining room
- Excellent croquettes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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A 19th-century bodega (wine vendor), with barrel tables and dusty gewgaws hanging from the walls, Bodega de la Ardosa is a welcome anachronism in modern Malasaña and a tourist magnet for good reason. The bar's claim to fame—and the dish Madrileños make special trips for—is its award-winning tortilla española, or Spanish omelet, always warm with a runny center. The fried ortiguillas (sea anemones) dunked in lemony aioli are the menu's sleeper hit.
Calle de Colón 13, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- 100-plus years of history
- Tortilla española
- Draft vermú and unfiltered sherry "en rama"
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If you can't make it to the windmill-dotted planes of Don Quixote's La Mancha, you can at least get a taste of that region's flavorful, rib-sticking cuisine at this beloved neighborhood bar within walking distance from the Matadero. Beyond the Manchegan classics—atascaburras (potato-bacalao mash), machacón (mashed fresh tomato-pepper salad), and asadillo (cumin-scented roasted red peppers)—there's a long ever-changing list of Spanish craft beers.
Calle de Jaime el Conquistador 25, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Cheerful waitstaff
- Madrid's best Manchegan restaurant
- Pleasant patio
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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Casa Dani is a legendary bar in Mercado de la Paz whose tortilla de patata (potato omelet) is easily the best in town, and perhaps the country (if first place in the National Spanish Omelet Championship of 2019 is any indication). Each hefty wedge is packed with caramelized onions and served hot and slightly runny. Adventurous eaters should opt for the con callos version, topped with spicy tripe. The €13 prix fixe, which hinges on market ingredients, is a great lunch deal if you're not in a rush (prepare for long lines to be seated).
Calle de Ayala 28 (also Calle de Lagasca 49), Madrid, 28001, Spain
Known For
- Possibly world's best tortilla española
- Value prix-fixe lunch
- Long lines that are worth the wait
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
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This gourmet shop (est. 1931) doubles as a cozy bar where you can sample most of the stuff on the shelves, including canned asparagus, charcuterie, anchovies, and a varied well-priced selection of Spanish cheeses and wines. It also serves good inexpensive breakfasts.
Calle del León 12, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Known For
- Regional wines and cheeses
- Delectable sobrassada-honey toast
- Quaint setting
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Approximate a vacation to northern Spain by dining at this true-blue Asturian restaurant (or at the more casual sidrería in the bar area), where that region's unsung comfort-food dishes—such as fabada (pork-and-bean stew), Cabrales cheese, and cachopo (cheese-stuffed beef cutlets)—take center stage. The obligatory tipple is sidra, bone-dry Asturian cider that's aerated using a battery-powered gadget designed for this task.
Calle de la Farmacia 2, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- Authentic fabada
- Cider bottles with fun DIY aerators
- Local crowd
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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Many tapas bars serve pincho de bacalao (battered cod, an old-school standby), but the fan favorite is Revuelta's rendition, which is crisp, featherlight, and not too salty. Elbow your way to the 1930s-era bar and ask for a pincho de bacalao and a glass of Valdepeñas, a Manchegan red that comes chilled in tiny stemless glasses—just like the olden days.
Calle de Latoneros 3, Madrid, 28005, Spain
Known For
- Battered salt cod canapés
- Midmorning vermú (vermouth) rush
- Time-warp decor
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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Whether you approve of bullfighting or not, the culinary excellence of Casa Salvador—a checkered-tablecloth, taurine-themed restaurant that opened in 1941—isn't up for debate. Sit down to generous servings of featherlight fried hake, hearty oxtail stew, and other stodgy (in the best way) Spanish classics, all served by hale old-school waiters clad in white jackets.
Calle de Barbieri 12, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- Time-warpy decor
- Walls packed with bullfighting paraphernalia
- Cloud-light fried hake and stewed oxtail
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Mon.
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All the Galician greatest hits are on the menu at this Latina stalwart with an old tile floor and wooden benches. Paprika-dusted octopus, smoky lacón (cooked ham), and weighty slabs of empanada gallega (tuna pie) go down a bit too easily when accompanied by gallons of the house Albariño.
Calle de Saavedra Fajardo 16, Madrid, 28011, Spain
Known For
- Galician peasant food
- Devoted local crowd
- Hefty free tapa with every drink
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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This low-ceiling dining room filled with plush armchairs, starched white tablecloths, and colorful bouquets is a welcoming spot to feast on refined Asturian dishes like sea urchin gratin, morels stuffed with truffled foie gras, pheasant with braised green beans, and suckling lamb confit. Weather permitting, you can request a patio table to watch Madrid's one percent parade down Calle de Jorge Juan. For power lunches and special-occasion meals, El Paraguas delivers every time.
Calle de Jorge Juan 16, Madrid, 28001, Spain
Known For
- Haute Asturian cuisine
- Romantic dining room and terrace
- Fantastic seafood
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La Catapa's tapas are classic but never old hat, inventive but never pretentious. The burst-in-your-mouth croquetas (croquettes) and garlicky razor clams may lure the crowds, but the hidden gems are in the vegetable section: it's hard to decide between the artichoke menestra with crisped jamón (dry-cured ham), ultra-creamy salmorejo (gazpacho's richer, more garlicky sibling), and umami-packed seared mushrooms. Be sure to ask about daily specials.
Calle de Menorca 14, Madrid, 28009, Spain
Known For
- Elevated tapas
- Decadent cream-filled pastry "cigars"
- A Retiro institution
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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In the heart of the tourist fray but blissfully under the radar, this teensy lunch-only restaurant with an old tin bar serves all the Asturian favorites, from fabada (bean stew) to cachopo (ham-and-cheese-stuffed cutlets) to creamy rice pudding. Asturian cider is the requisite beverage.
Calle de Tabernillas 13, Madrid, 28005, Spain
Known For
- Northern Spanish comfort food
- Easy-on-the-wallet prices
- Kitsch decor
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat. No dinner
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This laid-back Andalusian barroom, one of three locations (the others are in Retiro and Chamberí), embodies the joyful spirit of that sunny region. Let the cheerful waitstaff guide you through the extensive menu, which includes fried seafood, unconventional croquetas (flecked with garlicky shrimp, for instance), and heftier shareables like creamy oxtail rice and seared Barbate tuna loin. The ensaladilla rusa (tuna-and-potato salad) is one of Madrid's best. In summer, outdoor seating is in high demand.
Calle de las Conchas 9, Madrid, 28013, Spain
Known For
- Carefree Andalusian vibe
- A shoal's worth of seafood dishes
- Free marinated carrots with every drink
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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This beloved old Galician bar changed hands in 2021—it's now run by three twentysomething Madrid natives who couldn't bear to see their favorite neighborhood hangout disappear—but the menu of eight infallible dishes has miraculously stayed the same (save for the addition of battered cod, a secret family recipe of one of the new business partners). Come for the jamón-flecked croquetas, blistered Padrón peppers, and griddled football-size zapatilla sandwiches; stay for the dressed-down conviviality and the cuncos (ceramic bowls) overflowing with slatey Albariño. In 2022, a second outpost, Malos, opened in Malasaña at Calle de Velarde 13.
Calle del Ave María 44, Madrid, 28012, Spain
Known For
- Old-school Galician bar food
- Oversize ham croquetas
- Battered cod grandfathered in from Casa Revuelta
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Duck into this cozy hole-in-the-wall and be treated like family—Ana, the owner, recites the nightly menu to each table and flits around with a smile until the last guest saunters out. Barrera's famous patatas revolconas (paprika-spiced mashed potatoes topped with crispy pork belly), are always on offer; they might be followed by roast suckling lamb, wine-braised meatballs, or seared dayboat fish depending on the night. Inquire about prices when ordering to avoid sticker shock.
Calle de Alonso Cano 25, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Homey romantic atmosphere
- Terrific patatas revolconas and ensaladilla rusa
- Unhurried all-night dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Mon.
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Settle into an unhurried feast at Sacha, a cozy bistro with soul-satisfying food and hand-selected wines, and you might never want to leave—especially if you strike up a conversation with chef Sacha himself, who's quite the storyteller. The cuisine is regional Spanish—think butifarra sausages with sautéed mushrooms or razor clams with black garlic emulsion—with just enough imagination to make you wonder why the restaurant isn't better known.
Calle de Juan Hurtado de Mendoza 11, Madrid, 28036, Spain
Known For
- Spanish bistro fare
- Impeccable steak tartare
- Hard-to-find wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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Plan on a siesta after dining at this phenomenal down-home restaurant that hasn't changed a lick since opening a half-century ago. Whether you're in the boisterous downstairs bar or cozy upstairs dining room with cloth napkins and popcorn walls, you'll be blown away by Sylkar's lovingly prepared specialties including creamy ham croquettes, braised squid in ink sauce, battered hake, and the best tortilla española in Madrid for those in the runnier-the-better camp. If the torrijas (custardy Spanish "French" toast) aren't sold out by the time you order dessert, don't miss them. The 9:30 am opening time makes Sylkar a fine spot for breakfast as well.
Calle de Espronceda 17, Madrid, 28003, Spain
Known For
- Legendary tortilla española
- Irreverent banter with the waitstaff
- Free tapa with every drink
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Sat.
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Scarfing down a hot calamari-filled baguette (bocadillo de calamares) while strolling through the Plaza Mayor is a Madrid tradition, and this bar's rendition is a cut above the rest.
Calle de Botoneras 6, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Plaza-side dining
- To-go hoagies
- Mix of tourists and locals
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Your reward for overlooking the soulless IKEA furnishings of this family-run dinette is honest home-cooked food served at exceptionally reasonable prices for the neighborhood. Try Cordoban-style flamenquines (ham-and-cheese-stuffed pork), salmon tartare, or (on Sunday) a crave-worthy paella Valenciana.
Reservations are a must for Sunday lunch; call ahead or visit the website to book a table and preorder your paella.
Calle del Noviciado 2, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Budget weekday prix fixes
- Sunday paella
- Local crowd
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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Salt cod croquettes, fresh tomato salad, roast suckling pig—these are some of the comfort-food classics you'll find on the menu at this neighborhood haunt whose diner decor (steel bar, beige awnings, paper place mats) hasn't changed in decades. If you can snag a patio table in the summer, you've hit pay dirt.
Camino Viejo de Leganés 82, Madrid, 28025, Spain
Known For
- Affordable suckling pig
- Generous breakfasts
- Hyperlocal crowd
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
