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A homey interior with checkered table cloths and lots of photos clogging the walls. Casa Salvador

The 38 Essential Madrid Restaurants

From Madrileño stew at a 183-year-old restaurant featured in a C. Tangana music video to foraged cocktails at mad scientist’s sustainable booze lab, here’s where to eat in Madrid

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A cultural hub with world-class museums, historic architecture, and gorgeous churches, Madrid simply has it all, including some of the most exciting and varied food in the country. It’s easy to find excellent homestyle staples and, of course, the city’s namesake stew, cocido Madrileño.

But the capital thrives beyond traditional Spanish fare, treating diners to three-Michelin-star avant-garde tasting menus, hip Asian fusion, artisanal cheese shops, and haute Mexican cuisine. When it comes to drinking, you can happily wash any meal down with a caña (a small glass of draught beer) or vermouth, and there are plenty of cocktail bars and sherry in town too. Ironically the one thing Madrid lacks is the thing many tourists mistakenly come looking for: paella, which is best enjoyed over in Comunidad Valenciana.

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This is the type of restaurant that makes everyone wish they were a regular, coming in for dinner every week and leaving in the wee hours. It offers the epitome of elevated comfort food: so-called “faux” ravioli stuffed with txangurro (king crab), marinated oysters, bone marrow with a side of sirloin, and wine — lots of wine. And if you spot owner Sacha Hormaechea greeting guests, make sure to shake his hand. He’s quite the character.

Two servers stand at a bar in a darkened room beside a bright lamp. The walls are lined with wine bottles but are difficult to make out.
Interior of Sacha
Beatriz Janer

DiverXO

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Think of Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryAlice in Wonderland, dreams and nightmares — this is the imaginative spirit chef David Muñoz brings to his three-Michelin-star restaurant located inside the Eurobuilding hotel. At DiverXO, Muñoz breaks the boundaries of avant-garde cooking, using intense flavors in two tasting menus that aim to surprise diners with dishes that imitate works of art both in their aesthetics and their taste.

Squares of crispy pork arranged artistically on a stark white plate beside various cream and white accents in different shapes and textures.
Crunchy pork
David Muñoz/Instagram

San Mamés

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Expect homemade food and traditional recipes at this quaint restaurant, run by the same family since the 1950s. While it may be a bit far from the city center’s main restaurant circuit, it’s too close to ignore (and a 15-minute train ride from Puerta del Sol). Here, guests can try some of Madrid’s staple dishes, such as callos a la madrileña — some dare to say they are the best in town — anchovies brought straight from the Cantabrian Sea and drenched in pil pil, as well as a can’t-miss mix of potatoes, fried bacon, and eggs called patatas revolconas.

A homey restaurant interior with checkered tablecloths, many photos cluttering the walls, and soft light coming in through two windows.
Interior of San Mamés
San Mamés/Official

When it comes to Japanese food and refined service, Kappo is, to many, the place. Owned by chef Mario Payán, known for his time at the Michelin-starred Kabuki, the restaurant is located just a stone’s throw from the Sorolla Museum. Book a seat at the counter and watch as every dish in the omakase-style meal is prepared, then served straight from Payán’s hands.

Sala de Despiece

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Proprietor Javier Bonet took an old butcher shop and transformed it into this meat-focused restaurant. There are no tables, just several long counters where orders are taken on tablets and dishes are served on paper-lined metal trays. Open since 2013, Bonet’s innovative, product-focused culinary concept is still a buzzing dinner destination that now has two replicas: one on Calle Ponzano and another on Virgen de los Peligros, near Puerta del Sol.

An energetic interior with a bright white bar, light blue and yellow accents on the ceiling, royal blue floor, and stools at the counter.
Interior of Sala de Despiece
Sala de Despiece/Facebook

Markets are evolving in Madrid. In order to attract new, younger clientele — and coax them from supermarkets — markets are now installing gastropubs next to traditional fruit, meat, and dairy stalls. Mercado de Vallehermoso has gotten in on the trend by giving a home to Tripea, the culinary project of chef Roberto Martínez Foronda (an alum of Nakeima). His stall consists of a small open kitchen and a communal table where the chef challenges taste buds through Spanish, Asian, and Latin flavors. In a la carte selections and a perfectly executed tasting menu, Foronda entertains with shared plates filled with excitement, novelty, and hard-hitting flavors.

A round plate with a row of wild salmon tiradito in the center surrounded by yellow mango leche de tigre
Dish at the Tripea stall in Mercado de Vallehermoso
Paula Móvil

StreetXo

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Chef David Muñoz, who also runs three-Michelin-starred DiverXO (also on this list), owns this restaurant inside the El Corte Inglés department store (it now has a location in London’s Mayfair, too). Lines at StreetXO, his more casual venue, can be an hour or two long (get there early), but it’s well worth the wait. The menu is a journey across Asia and Latin America, and the flavors are wild and bold. The place is loud, the chefs cook everything right in front of your eyes, and the chili crab and famed “club sandwich” (actually a steamed pork bun topped with a fried quail egg) are some of the best bites in the city.

A red plate with two overflowing steamed pork buns topped with a garnish of greens and fried quail eggs.
Club sandwich
Dabiz Muñoz/Instagram

Casa Dani

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Tortilla española may seem overrated to some, but for locals, it’s quite the comfort food. It is offered everywhere in the city, but only a few bars and restaurants serve the potato omelet fresh and cooked to perfection. For that, head to Casa Dani, a family-owned bar and restaurant that makes more than 200 a day. Also known as tortilla de patatas, the version here is beloved for its well-done exterior and gooey interior. At lunchtime, the place gets packed, so go around 11 a.m. to enjoy a slice with a café con leche without having to fight for a seat at the counter. While there, also give the callos a la Madrileña (Madrid-style veal tripe) a try.

Update: March 7, 2023: Casa Dani is closed indefinitely.

A dark textured counter beneath two small white plates, one containing a triangular pie-like slice of tortilla de patatas, the other with a small foaming cup of café con leche.
Tortilla de patatas at Casa Dani
Paula Móvil/Instagram

Misión Café

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Baristas Nolo Botana and Pablo Caballero have become two of the most recognized faces in specialty coffee in Spain. First they opened Hola Coffee, a small shop in the Lavapiés neighborhood where they serve coffee-based drinks made with beans they toast themselves (and distribute around the city). At Misión Café near Plaza de España, coffee-based drinks are still the main focus here (think cold-brew sangria in the summer), but pay equal attention to the incredible homemade pastries, like praline-stuffed brioche or croissant-muffins, aka cruffins. Outstanding breakfast items are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include options such as sourdough toast with chickpeas; overnight oats with berry-soaked coconut milk, apricot, pecans, and caramelized banana; and a portobello and shiitake mushroom sandwich with herbed tofu cream, Chinese cabbage, and spicy apricot chutney.

Sourdough toast layered with chickpeas and an egg beside a carafe and a tray for coffee tasting
Sourdough toast with chickpeas at Misión Café
Misión Café

1862 Dry Bar

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Barman Alberto Martínez challenged a neighborhood to leave its cañas and wine glasses behind in favor of cocktails. At 1862, anyone who enjoys a good mixed drink will meet their match in a powerful cocktail menu that focuses on classics.

A large lowball glass holds an Old Fashioned cocktail and a single large ice cube on a shiny silver tray.
Old Fashioned at 1862 Dry Bar
1862 Dry Bar/Facebook

Bodega de la Ardosa

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La Ardosa is a tavern known for its perfectly served pilsens (pilsners), Spanish vermouth on tap, salmorejo (a cold tomato soup topped with hard-boiled egg and ham), ham croquettes, and tortilla de patatas. A worthy classic on every Madrileño’s bar-hopping route, as well as an oasis in the trendy Malasaña, La Ardosa is always crowded — a good spot to experience Madrid’s bar scene at its best.

The front signage above open doors at Bodega de la Ardosa, with a few people standing around tables visible within.
Bodega de la Ardosa exterior

El Cisne Azul

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When wild mushroom season hits in the fall, this is the place to be. El Cisne Azul specializes in all the varieties that grow around Spain, cooked in simple ways that enhance their essences without disguising their true flavors. Look for dishes like cantharellus (chanterelles) with fried eggs, squash blossoms with wine salt and truffle oil, boletus mushrooms with torta del casar cheese, and king trumpet mushrooms with garlic. The owners also have a second restaurant down the street, but the original location still wins out for its loyal customers and old-school staff.

A plate covered in mushrooms, topped with a fried egg.
Eggs and mushrooms
Paula Móvil/Instagram

La Tasquería

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Veal tripe, trotters, and snout. Fried pig’s face. An omelet with brains and cod tripe. Offal has always had a place in Spanish cookbooks, but up until recently these dishes were considered outdated. Chef Javi Estévez takes advantage of this void in the culinary scene at La Tasquería, a tribute to yesteryear’s flavors with today’s techniques.

A tin holding rabbit kidney lies open next to the tin’s top and a serving skewer. The tin sits on a mini wooden palette branded with La Tasqueria’s name.
Rabbit kidney
La Tasquería/Facebook

Casa Salvador

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Casa Salvador is an outstanding casa de comidas (eatery) that evokes an era in Spain’s history when bullfighters were considered rock stars. Here, the walls pay tribute to matadores fans such as Sophia Loren and Ernest Hemingway alongside their idols, like bullfighter Manolete. The broadly appealing menu features dishes like traditional oxtail stew and fried hake. Proof that this place isn’t too stuffy? Anthony Bourdain loved it.

A homey interior with checkered table cloths and lots of photos clogging the walls.
Interior of Casa Salvador
Casa Salvador

Angelita Madrid

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Upstairs at Angelita you’ll find a restaurant from David Villalón serving amazing natural wines and a seasonal menu that includes the city’s best tomato salad. But the real action is downstairs with his brother, barman Mario Villalón, who rules a mad scientist’s cocktail laboratory. With a sustainable bent, some drink science, and minimalist creativity, Villalón crafts perfectly balanced drinks with experimental ingredients, like yeast he foraged in the woods or produce sourced from his parent’s vegetable garden. Everything is prepared beforehand, so bartenders don’t need any equipment — no shaker, no jigger, nothing — to produce flavorful concoctions such as the Rúcula, which mixes fresh arugula with godello wine and smoky, earthy mezcal.

A bright red cocktail garnished with a thin sheet of what looks like ice.
A cocktail from Angelita.
Angelita Madrid

Del Diego Cocktail Bar

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Whatever cocktail culture Madrid has, it owes in large part to Del Diego Cocktail Bar. Owner Fernando del Diego died in 2016, but his legacy lives through his two sons. Together, they continue to welcome locals and tourists, celebrities and restaurateurs, with a classic cocktail menu that impresses all.

A cocktail in a martini glass sits in the middle of several small plates of crunchy snacks and a coaster branded with the logo of Del Diego Cocktail Bar.
A drink and snacks at Del Diego Cocktail Bar
Scaredykat/Flickr

Chocolatería San Ginés

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Decorated with photos of visiting celebrities and located right around the corner from Puerta del Sol, Chocolatería San Ginés is the first stop for anyone coming to the city looking for decadent churros con chocolate. Both the churros and porras (a thicker version of the churro) are made with flour, water, and salt, and can be sprinkled with some sugar before being dipped in chocolate. This place is open 24/7 and is a popular post-club breakfast spot come 6 a.m.

A churro drips chocolate into a cup right after being dipped.
A churro and chocolate at Chocolatería San Ginés
Chocolatería San Ginés/Facebook

La Mallorquina

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Madrid is not exactly known for its sweets, but a visit to this legendary pastry shop will leave you wondering why. Open since 1894 and located in Puerta del Sol, La Mallorquina is a staple for locals and tourists. You’ll have a tough time deciding what to choose from the extensive variety of pastries, but the safest and most delicious bet is the napolitana de chocolate (similar to pain au chocolat), the strawberry cake, or the cream-filled milhojas (mille-feuille). Order your treats to go or enjoy them at the bar with a café con leche.

La Venencia

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Sherry is the pride of Spain, and this historic gem of a bar is where it should be enjoyed. One of Hemingway’s favorite haunts, it allows neither photos nor tips. (Urban legend has it that the photo ban was put into place during the Franco era because spies captured their enemies on film here, and the tipping ban honors the bar’s Republican views.) Bartenders only serve sherry — don’t bother asking for soda, water, beer, or wine, because they don’t have any — accompanied by tapas such as salted tuna, Campo Real olives, cheese, and anchovies. Fino, manzanilla, palo cortado, amontillado, and oloroso all pair perfectly with the retro decor, the black cat wandering around the tables, and the servers, who keep track of what you drink by jotting it down with chalk on the bar counter.

A glass of sherry sits next to a small plate of olives on a wood bar with someone leaning nearby.
Wine and sherry
Scaredykat/Flickr

Chuka Ramen Bar

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Chuka is hands down the city’s most successful ramen bar. The baos come stuffed with pastrami, king crab, or pig’s ear, and the three different ramen on the menu change throughout the year. Order the brothless hiyashi chuka, but don’t stop there: Try a superb skate with black butter, broccolini, and lime; fried cauliflower with fish sauce, butter, and crispy chili; and the wild Iberian boar fried in panko. Book in advance — walk-ins are welcome but usually never get lucky.

A bowl of ramen seen from above with noodles, egg, greens, slices of pork, and sheets of nori all sticking out of the bowl.
Ramen at Chuka Ramen Bar
Chuka Ramen Bar/Official

Salmon Guru

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Celebrity bartender Diego Cabrera’s cocktail bar Salmon Guru is a favorite among the city’s restaurateurs, bartenders, and cocktail lovers. A perfect stop before or after a meal at nearby Chuka Ramen or La Venencia, the menu focuses on both classic and avant-garde cocktails served by a young and courteous staff.

A bar with a few bar seats, rows of illuminated bottles, and another seating area visible by a window.
Interior at Salmon Guru
Salmon Guru/Facebook

Casa Revuelta

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Bar hopping in the city center can be overwhelming, but here’s a tip: Go to the places that seem like they’ve been there forever and avoid eating reheated paella at a chain. Among the small streets surrounding Plaza Mayor, look for a small and over-crowded bar called Casa Revuelta. Make yourself some room at the bar and order tajada de bacalao (fried cod) and a glass of vermouth on tap.

The stone exterior and patio awning of Casa Revuelta, with customers spilling out of the open doorways into the street.
Out front of Casa Revuelta
Casa Revuelta/Facebook

It’s not easy to find food from the Canary Islands in Madrid, but the Spanish islands are well represented at Gofio in the Literary Quarter. At the small but outstanding restaurant, the tasting menu focuses solely on the flavors of the archipelago without relying on stereotypes. Cooks play creatively with the ingredients and seasonal produce of the islands, and they bring the same energy to the wine list and dessert. Gofio is a mind-blowing experience that proves Spain has much more to offer than just paella and sangria.

From afar, chef Safe Cruz is seen salting a dish in the kitchen of Gofio
Chef Safe Cruz at Gofio
Courtesy of Gofio

Corral de la Morería Restaurant

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Flamenco, dinner, and a show may sound like a cliché, but you won’t regret paying a visit to arguably the most famous tablao in the world. Guests not only get to witness the true soul of flamenco, with an awe-inspiring show that rotates every week, but they also get to sample chef David García’s Michelin-starred tasting menu honoring Basque roots — in an exclusive setting of just four tables. As for the evening’s beverage, let David Ayuso, the restaurant’s sommelier and sherry expert, guide the way.

La Sanabresa

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A neighborhood favorite, La Sanabresa is a must-visit. Its three servers (one is the owner) attend to the entire dining room — and even though they don’t say or smile much, they’ll remember guests when they come back. Go for the atmosphere, but the menu offers more than 30 different homey dishes with prices beyond cheap.

A full table of dishes, including a fried cutlet, french fries, chunks of bread and red wine glasses.
Dishes at La Sanabresa
Paula Móvil

Santurce

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Santurce is best known for serving grilled sardines and padrón peppers from Galicia. The place is nothing fancy — just a great neighborhood tavern where the dynamic is as simple as finding your spot at the bar, ordering caña after caña, and devouring fish as if you were stranded on a desert island. The prices are unbeatable.

Two beers on either side of a plate of sardines in front of a loud, textured wall.
Grilled sardines and beer
Paula Móvil/Instagram

Cruz Blanca Vallecas

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There are plenty of restaurants in the city center that do traditional Spanish stews, but none match Cruz Blanca Vallecas. The restaurant — independent from the chain that shares its name — has won every single award possible for its outstanding cocido Madrileño (Madrid-style chickpea and meat stew), callos (veal tripe), and fabada (Asturian bean stew) that chef–owner Antonio Cosmen has been cooking with care for the past decade. Just a heads up: Book your table months in advance.

A large tray with different cuts of meat and chickpeas in the center of several other half-eaten dishes, including vegetables, breads, and soups.
Cocido Madrileño
Cruz Blanca Vallecas/Facebook

Formaje

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Clara Diez has made artisan dairy producers the main characters at Formaje, her cheese shop located in the Chamberí neighborhood. She’s helped put many brands on the city’s culinary radar, getting them served in some of the best restaurants and bars in town, while spreading education about aspects of the cheese trade that had been long forgotten. A visit to the shop might include creamy Olavidia goat cheese, named best cheese in the world at the World Cheese Awards 2021; queixo do pais, a Galician staple; Hornkase, a raw cow’s milk from Germany that’s one of Diez’s favorites; and Savel, a blue cheese from Galicia inspired by Stilton.

A cheese shop with shelves filled with wheels and a textured stucco counter where slices of wheels are displayed.
Inside Formaje.
Pablo Zamora

Comparte Bistró

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Comparte Bistro has been delighting Madrileños, the media, and visiting gourmands since opening in late 2021. Chef Mario Sánchez serves flavors from his hometown, the southern city of Cádiz, but items are also drenched in French tradition. There are beignets stuffed with choco (cuttlefish) and coquelet pithiviers (chicken pie) with pepitoria, all accompanied by French sommelier Charlotte Finkel’s spectacular wine selection. 

From above, a pastry in dark sauce with piped creamy topping.
Pithiviers de coquelet en pepitoria.
Comparte Bistró

Barracuda Mx

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After earning a Michelin star at Punto MX, chef Roberto Ruiz decided to close the restaurant during the pandemic and leave behind tasting menus. His new, more casual concept, Barracuda, remains one of the best representations of haute Mexican cuisine in Spain, focused on the fresh flavors that compose the 5,000 miles of Mexican Pacific coastline. Ruiz relies on Mexican recipes but utilizes local produce to achieve perfect aguachiles, ceviches, and sea bass a la talla, as well as more ambitious dishes like wagyu memelas or bone marrow accompanied by red tuna tostadas. If that weren’t enough, there’s a tequila and mezcal cart that parades around the tables.

From above, hands hold a plate of full cooked fish, green on one side and red on the other, topped with sliced vegetables. On the wood table below are tortillas, lime wedges, salt, and additional sauce.
Sea bass with guajillo and green poblano marinades.
Barracuda Mx

This is, without a doubt, the place in Madrid to explore natural wines. The project comes from the mind of Fede Graciano, owner of Acid Café and Acid Bakery. The cellar encompasses bottles from all over Spain, although international labels are more than welcome. Servers are keen to inform guests about each bottle’s producer, region of origin, grapes, and even details about the specific production methods. The wines pair with a daily selection of small dishes, which draw from Nordic, Italian, and Japanese inspiration: daikon with vegan dashi, soy sauce, and vinegar; pasta with garlic and broad beans; or a hot, savory carrot custard decorated with flowers and carrot leaves.

A sleek, minimalist restaurant exterior, with gray walls, wooden bar with stools on one side and a DJ setup on the other, speakers on shelves behind alongside records and wine bottles.
Inside Gota.
Gota

Hermanos Vinagre

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Madrid is well known for aperitivo hour, the moment in the afternoon when friends and family gather at a bar to enjoy vermouth and bites of pickled snacks. Hermanos Vinagre gives the tradition a charming update starting with the bar itself, replacing the usual, old-school decor with exquisite design from Cristina Carullo. Cañas and vermouths hit the steel bar alongside gildas, cockles with chile sauce, escabeche ahumado (mussels with smoked brine), or ox chorizo. The modern take has proven successful with locals; the owners opened a second location in the Chueca neighborhood.

Lhardy Restaurante

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Younger generations have come to know Lhardy as the location for C. Tangana’s music video for “Comerte Entera,” but the restaurant has been serving traditional Spanish food with French influences since 1839. It’s at the heart of the city, both metaphorically and geographically, located right next to Puerta del Sol. The restaurant has recently come under the ownership of Pescaderías Coruñesas, one of the best fish and seafood providers in Spain, but things inside the restaurant remain as they have been for more than a century: The famed Madrileñian stew is as sophisticated as ever, the consomme still comes in a silver samovar, croquettes are still filled with puchero (chickpea, vegetable, and meat stew), and the oxtail is still accompanied by Robuchon smashed potatoes and a souffle that makes Instagram green with envy.

A formal dining room with dark wood walls, crystal chandelier, white tablecloths, and classical art.
Inside Lhardy.
Lhardy Restaurante

An outpost of a restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fayer serves Spanish diners outstanding Argentinian food mixed with culinary traditions from Israel, with open fire and the grill playing important supporting roles. The decor is minimalist and the menu is packed with modern versions of classic dishes, such as a house-made Jerusalem bagel with labneh, za’atar, and extra virgin olive oil, or mezzes like beet hummus, kibbeh with pine nuts, or crunchy falafel. Beyond traditional items, there’s smoked fish with labneh, red sea bream tiradito Eilat style, and the must-try steer pastrón (pastrami) cured for 10 days with spices and slow roasted for 24 hours.

A roasted, skinned eggplant on an ornate plate, topped with herbs and surrounded by a mixture of slices nuts and vegetables.
Eggplant at Fayer.
Fayer

Kuoco 360

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Kuoco offered casual street food when it first showed up in the middle of the Chueca neighborhood, but it eventually showed its true colors with a playful, globetrotting menu that moves fluidly through the flavors of Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Chef Rafael Bergamo leads a young team who keep the experience informal, but every single dish is worth a star. Indulge in French oysters dressed in Nikkei dressing, Pekin duck croquette, long finned tuna aguachile with coconut cream and tomatillo, or the outstanding pigeon with mole.

A closeup on a croquette, served on a bed of stones in a wooden bowl, and topped with pipings of green sauce.
Pekin croquette.
Kuoco 360

Chef Dani García has mastered the art of culinary omnipresence, showing up in several restaurants seemingly all at the same time. He’s behind Dani Brasserie at the Four Seasons Hotel, and Lobito de Mar and Bibo in the Salamanca neighborhood. But make time to visit his smoke-focused steakhouse, Leña. For García, fire becomes the perfect dressing for each dish; it characterizes avocado from Málaga cooked on the grill, delicate smoked burrata, roasted chicken croquettes, and plates of grilled blood sausage and sobrasada. Score one of the 14 seats in the Smoked Room to try the fire omakase menu, which includes García’s famous nitro tomato — a tomato filled with smoked eel prepared using nitrogen and gelatin — served here with a wonderful smoked eel mousse.

A dark restaurant exterior with gold lights illuminating dry wheat-like plants set between large mirrors, midcentury pendant lights, and a table set with white tablecloth and places for dinner.
A table at Leña.
Leña

Asturianos

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This tavern and family restaurant has been a favorite among chefs and media since 1965. Doña Julia Bombín maintains her loyal clientele with recipes focused on the flavors and produce of Asturias, including what many claim is the best fabada (bean) stew in town (though the marinated sardines with tomato soup will steal your heart). Her sons, owners Alberto and Belarmino Fernández Bombín, know their wines too, so feel free to explore their amazing selection of Spain’s best labels.

Bowl of stew with beans, sausage, and meat breaking the surface of deep red broth.
Fabada.
Asturianos

El Brote

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Located in La Latina, El Brote is a quaint restaurant that devotes its entire attention to the world of wild setas (mushrooms). Two of the owners, Eduardo Antón and Álvaro de la Torre, were once professional mushroom pickers, so they know their produce by heart and can coax out fungal flavors. Throughout the year, varieties such as shiitakes, chanterelles, trumpets of death, black truffles, and milk-caps emerge from the kitchen in simple yet surprising dishes: in a carpaccio, accompanied by a knuckle terrine, paired with flavorful hake and Jerusalem artichoke, or even incorporated into chocolate ganache.

A wide shallow dish of fried eggs topped with shaved black truffles and other vegetables.
Shroomy eggs from el Brote.
El Brote

Sacha

This is the type of restaurant that makes everyone wish they were a regular, coming in for dinner every week and leaving in the wee hours. It offers the epitome of elevated comfort food: so-called “faux” ravioli stuffed with txangurro (king crab), marinated oysters, bone marrow with a side of sirloin, and wine — lots of wine. And if you spot owner Sacha Hormaechea greeting guests, make sure to shake his hand. He’s quite the character.

Two servers stand at a bar in a darkened room beside a bright lamp. The walls are lined with wine bottles but are difficult to make out.
Interior of Sacha
Beatriz Janer

DiverXO

Think of Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryAlice in Wonderland, dreams and nightmares — this is the imaginative spirit chef David Muñoz brings to his three-Michelin-star restaurant located inside the Eurobuilding hotel. At DiverXO, Muñoz breaks the boundaries of avant-garde cooking, using intense flavors in two tasting menus that aim to surprise diners with dishes that imitate works of art both in their aesthetics and their taste.

Squares of crispy pork arranged artistically on a stark white plate beside various cream and white accents in different shapes and textures.
Crunchy pork
David Muñoz/Instagram

San Mamés

Expect homemade food and traditional recipes at this quaint restaurant, run by the same family since the 1950s. While it may be a bit far from the city center’s main restaurant circuit, it’s too close to ignore (and a 15-minute train ride from Puerta del Sol). Here, guests can try some of Madrid’s staple dishes, such as callos a la madrileña — some dare to say they are the best in town — anchovies brought straight from the Cantabrian Sea and drenched in pil pil, as well as a can’t-miss mix of potatoes, fried bacon, and eggs called patatas revolconas.