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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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Roast duck carved tableside, truffled pâté en croûte, flambéed Grand Marnier soufflé—Saddle does old-school opulence exceptionally well. Multi-course meals unfold in the anachronistically corporate-chic dining room (think LED backlighting and mid-century modern accents), and feature rare seasonal delicacies including de lágrima (tear-shaped) baby peas and buttery new potatoes flown in from the Canary Islands. Cheese, butter, and cocktail carts rove from table to table and encyclopedic wine stewards go above and beyond, regaling you with curious anecdotes about each individual bottle.
Calle de Amador de los Ríos 6, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Madrid's most reliably superb fine-dining restaurant
- Impeccable service
- Technically impressive cooking without smoke and mirrors
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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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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Venezuelan comfort foods draw crowds to this bar-restaurant with cheery waitstaff and a soundtrack of Latin jazz. Start with a variety platter of appetizers including tequeños (gooey cheese sticks), cachapas (cheese-stuffed corn cakes), and tostones (green plantain fritters); then dive into a caveman-worthy portion of pabellón criollo (spiced shredded beef, black beans, and rice), the house specialty.
Calle de Luchana 7, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Venezuelan comfort food
- €12 lunch prix fixe
- Fresh-squeezed juices
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Welcome to mussel mecca—this Ponzano restaurant spotlights the oft-overlooked mollusk in dishes like curried moules frites; fried bechamel-stuffed tigres; and zippy ceviches and escabeches.
Calle de Ponzano 8, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Seafood lover's paradise
- Good value
- Essential stop on a Ponzano tapas crawl
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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These carb geeks cut no corners—breads here are leavened with sourdough and made with organic stone-ground flours, and the beans for their complex coffees are roasted in-house. Drop into the postage-stamp dinette for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up, and savor airy all-butter croissants and any range of sweet and savory pastries and breads. Seating is limited and there's no Wi-Fi.
Calle de Fernando el Católico 17, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Sourdough breads and pastries
- House-roasted coffee beans
- Across from Mercado de Vallehermoso
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Crack open a can of pristine Spanish seafood—elvers, scallops, cockles, and more—at this veteran bar on Ponzano and you'll never think about tinned food the same way again.
Calle de Ponzano 8, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Old-timey steel bar
- Affordable high-quality conservas
- Flinty Galician white wines
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Kappo delivers a classic, ultra-refined omakase experience free of fusion fripperies—a reminder that when the quality of fish is this good, there's no need for showy garnishes and tableside pyrotechnics. On a given night, chef Mario Payán might grace your chopsticks with grouper, yellowtail, horse mackerel, or scallop anointed with a drop of ponzu or a scraggle of pickled daikon. Spanish line-caught tuna often figures heavily on the set menu, which includes a starter, 15 pieces of sushi, and dessert. If you're feeling social, sit at the u-shape bar, where you can watch the sushi masters work their magic; for a quiet meal, request a table.
Calle de Bretón de los Herreros 54, Madrid, 28003, Spain
Known For
- Multihour omakase experience
- Impeccably fresh fish
- Exclusive atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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Basque chef César Martín has a devoted local following for his hyperseasonal menus that show a sincere dedication to food sustainability. Lakasa may have moved into a bigger, more modern space, but Martín's specialties haven't wavered; be sure to indulge in the Idiazabal fritters, crisp orbs redolent of smoky sheep's cheese.
Pl. del Descubridor Diego de Ordás 1, Madrid, 28003, Spain
Known For
- Experimental Basque cuisine
- Quiet dining
- Pristine seafood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat. and Sun.
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At this lively restaurant you'll find crowds of Spaniards gobbling up one of the city's finest, most upscale renditions of tortilla española (Spanish omelet) with unconventional add-ins like octopus, potato chips, and truffles. The menu also includes plenty of equally succulent non-egg choices (the rice dishes stand out).
Calle de Rafael Calvo 20, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Fancy tortillas
- Date-night ambience
- Carefully selected wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Hand-rolled New York–style bagels, made fresh daily, hit the spot when continental breakfast fatigue sets in.
Calle de Bretón de los Herreros 35, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Madrid's only decent bagel
- Rib-sticking breakfast sandwiches
- Challah and other Jewish baked goods
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The Madrid outpost of a legendary Vitoria-Gasteiz pintxo bar, Perretxico is known for its cocido doughnut—cocido being Spain's famous boiled dinner of chickpeas, various meats, and sausages. These are blended into a paste, stuffed inside a doughnut, and served alongside a demitasse of umami-packed bone broth for dunking, a wink to the classic doughnut-coffee combo. Save room for the devilishly rich cheesecake served with apple compote.
Calle de Rafael Calvo 29, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Cocido doughnut
- Inventive Basque pinxtos
- Chamberí hot spot
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The opening of this ultra-trendy butcher-shop-themed restaurant spurred the revival of Calle de Ponzano as Madrid's most exciting tapas street. Feast on eye-catching, impeccably prepared dishes like carpaccio-truffle roll-ups and grilled octopus slathered in chimichurri. Should this location be packed to the gills, make a beeline for sister restaurant SDD2 (Calle de la Virgen de los Peligros 8), which opened mid-pandemic and remains relatively unknown.
Calle de Ponzano 11, Madrid, 28010, Spain
Known For
- Local celebrity chef
- Playful industrial decor
- See-and-be-seen crowd
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What's that fire-truck-red stew on every table in this tiny neighborhood tavern? Callos a la madrileña, Madrid-style tripe flavored with industrial quantities of garlic and smoky Extremaduran paprika. Other San Mamés standbys include fried bacalao (salt cod), truffled eggs and potatoes, and steak tartare. Book ahead or show up early (by 9 pm) to snag a table.
Calle de Bravo Murillo 88, Madrid, 28003, Spain
Known For
- Abuela-approved tripe stew
- Cozy traditional digs
- Neighborhood crowd
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Mon.
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Chef Roberto Martínez Foronda turns food critics' heads with his Spanish-fusion restaurant hidden inside the Mercado de Vallehermoso, Chamberí's traditional market. The ever-changing tasting menu—a steal at €45—takes cues from chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) and nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) culinary canons and incorporates fresh ingredients from the market.
Calle de Vallehermoso 36, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Experimental tasting menus
- Spanish-fusion cuisine
- Foodie buzz
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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