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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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Carabanchel's best-known bar, Los Minutejos, is synonymous with distressingly inhalable griddled sandwiches of crispy pig ear doused in fiery brava sauce. Tamer tapas are available for the squeamish. To drink? An ice-cold Mahou, of course.
Calle de Antonio de Leyva 17, Madrid, 28019, Spain
Known For
- Crustless "minutejo" sandwiches
- Ample space to spread out
- No-nonsense service
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Tinajas, huge clay vessels once filled to the brim with bulk wine (but now defunct), sit behind the bar at this raucous no-frills bodega specializing in Spanish cheese and charcuterie. Ask the waiters what they've been drinking and eating lately, and order precisely that. The washed-rind cheeses from Extremadura (Torta del Casar or similar) are always a safe—and pleasantly putrescent—bet.
Calle de Calatrava 21, Madrid, 28005, Spain
Known For
- Unforgettable old-world atmosphere
- Wide selection of wines and charcuterie
- Frazzled yet friendly staff
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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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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Whether you pull up a stool at at the marble bar or sit down for a soup-to-nuts feast in the azulejo-lined dining room, you're in for some of Madrid's finest traditional tapas with a twist here. Madrileños come from far and wide to share heaped plates of ensaladilla rusa, a house specialty, as well as textbook-perfect croquetas and hefty steaks served with sherry gravy and house-cut fries. Vermouth (on tap) is the nonnegotiable aperitif, and there are always several Spanish wines to try by the glass.
Calle de San Vicente Ferrer 44, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- Hidden gem in Malasaña
- Dependably exceptional old-school tapas
- Over-and-above service
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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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Crackly fried pig ear, fat wedges of tortilla de patata (potato omelet), and garlicky rabbit al ajillo are a few of the many old-school standbys that have kept this cubbyhole bar in business since 1934.
Calle de José Castán Tobeñas 1, Madrid, 28020, Spain
Known For
- Phenomenally affordable
- Classic tapas and breakfasts
- Off-the-radar gem that's worth the hike
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Always crisp and never greasy—that's the mark of a well-made churro, and Madrid Chocolat's piping-hot baskets of fried dough always hit the spot.
Calle de Santa María 30, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Known For
- City's best churros
- Comfortable dining area
- Terrific grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches
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Expertly pulled espressos, natural wines, and unexpectedly outstanding food—think velvety scrambled eggs, flavorful quiches, and homemade cakes and pastries—have made this café on Plaza del Biombo an instant hit with locals and expats, many of whom treat the roomy communal table like a coworking space (just be considerate and order more than a coffee if you plan on staying awhile).
Calle de Calderón de la Barca 8, Madrid, 28013, Spain
Known For
- €15 weekday prix fixe
- Genial bilingual staff
- Industrial-chic decor plus sunny patio seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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This cheery yellow-tiled café serving Middle Eastern-inflected sandwiches and pastries is packed from breakfast to lunch, when neighborhood-dwellers show up for falafel, shakshuka, and spinach pie. At 8:30 pm, Golda morphs into "Golfa," its boozier late-night alter ego serving tapas and natural wine.
Calle de Orellana 19, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Laptop-friendly
- Expertly pulled espresso drinks
- Homemade salads and sweet and savory pastries
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This tony gastro bar serves newfangled tapas that are well worth their higher-than-usual price tag. Spring for the tempura soft-shell crab bao with chive mayonnaise, garlicky artichoke flatbread, or any other tapa del día, but whatever you do, order the famous tortilla de patata, irresistible with its molten core and handfuls of caramelized onions. The dulce de leche "volcano," cooled off by a scoop of banana ice cream, may be Madrid's most craveable dessert.
Pl. de Puerta de Moros 4, Madrid, 28005, Spain
Known For
- Nueva cocina tapas done right
- Earth-shatteringly good tortilla de patata
- Cheek-by-jowl crowds
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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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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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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Madrileños pour in from far and wide for Esther's famous patatas bravas, fried potato wedges cloaked in vinegary paprika-laced chili sauce. A menu brimming with snails, fried lamb intestines, pork rinds, and Castilian blood sausage confirms that you're in el Madrid profundo. Breakfast is also served.
Calle Fornillos 58, Madrid, 28026, Spain
Known For
- Killer patatas bravas
- Throwback interiors
- Madrid-style offal dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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From the owners of Hola Coffee, Madrid's preeminent third-wave coffee shop, comes this über-trendy roomier outpost two blocks from Gran Vía. Beyond the single-origin espressos and other classics made from roasted-in-house beans, there are warming chai lattes, shrubs, and (seasonal) cold brew. Misión quietly makes some of the best pastries in town—try the house-made croissants or zippy lemon–poppy seed cake—in the abutting Misión Bakehouse. There are plenty of plant-based options on the breakfast and lunch menu as well. Tables are for coffee-sipping and dining only, so if you brought your laptop, sit at the high-top communal table or on the wooden "bleachers."
Calle de los Reyes 5, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Complex brews made with roasted-in-Madrid beans
- Killer pastries
- Cool-kid hangout
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Of all the marvelous bakeries in Madrid, Panem (take-out only) is the most technically skilled, churning out impeccable croissants, baguettes, and a wide range of Spanish and French pastries including Kouign-ammans, roscones (Three Kings cakes), and torrijas (Spanish "French" toast).
Calle de Fernán González 42, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Ultra-flaky French pastries
- Sourdough breads made from specialty flours
- Three blocks from El Retiro
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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At this sun-drenched two-table coffee shop, grab a café con leche before perusing the shelves, which are stocked with Spanish conservas (preserved foods), natural wines, and other culinary gems that make great gifts or picnic fare.
Carrera de San Francisco 12, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Small-production Colombian coffee
- Natural wine for sale (and by the glass, if you ask)
- Local trendster hangout
