Classic Bars and Restaurants of Madrid

The best way to experience the culture of Madrid is by eating and drinking. After all, that is the main social activity of madrileños, who relish an opportunity to enjoy a meal out with friends and family. The bars and restaurants on this list are true staples of the city, and a visit to any or all of them offers a perfect window into the way of life of the Spanish capital.

Casa Dani

Located inside the Mercado de la Paz in the swanky neighborhood of Salamanca, Casa Dani is well known for having the city’s best tortilla, the iconic Spanish omelet with potato and caramelized onion. Casa Dani’s tortilla is simply heavenly—the photo below does it more justice than any words will.

The restaurant has three separate locations in and around the market—a lively bar inside, a spacious terrace just outside the entrance on Calle de Lagasca, and a more spacious seating area around the corner. Take your pick and enjoy a wonderful late breakfast or afternoon snack; I recommend going early on in your trip, as you’ll likely want to return.

Restaurante Casa Benigna

Tucked away on a nondescript street in a quiet area of northeastern Madrid, Casa Benigna is the definition of a hidden gem. The restaurant is so hidden, in fact, that you might walk right past it—just look out for the solid wood door with a heavy iron knocker. Step inside, though, and you’ll be warmly greeted by a homey atmosphere alongside the city’s best paella, the world-famous rice dish originally from Valencia on Spain’s eastern coast.

The hospitality here is second-to-none, and your table will receive a visit from the gregarious chef or his son—you can even ask for a tour of the kitchen if you’d like. The chef has a meticulous eye for detail, even designing his own steel pan for preparing the dish to best develop the socarrat, the Valencian word for the crispy rice scraped from the bottom of the pan that represents the paella’s ultimate prize. All of the rices are prepared to perfection—I recommend the arroz de pollo con verduras (a Valencian classic with chicken and vegetables), arroz negro (prepared with squid ink), and arroz a banda (with shrimp and squid). I also recommend reserving in advance to be sure you get to experience one of the city’s most memorable meals.

Mesón Txistu

This high-end Basque asador (steakhouse), located not far from Real Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the city’s north, is a legendary restaurant, highly popular among Spain’s celebrities and elite.

The restaurant is particularly linked with Real Madrid, who have hosted many team celebrations here—an infamous episode known as el motín de Txistu (the mutiny at Txistu) occurred here when a dinner to celebrate the team’s conquest of the 2003 league title devolved into arguments between the team captains and the club’s directors. Usually, though, its patrons gather under happier circumstances, as you can see by the familiar faces in the photos on the wall, with David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Rafael Nadal, Julio Iglesias, and King Felipe just a few of an illustrious list of visitors.

The standout dish is, of course, the steak, with the txuletón (rib eye) being the preferred cut—it is cooked rare over high heat in the kitchen, and then brought to you alongside a hot plate for you to finish it to your liking. The hospitality here is excellent as well, and it makes for another of the most memorable meals in the city.

El Doble

Located on Calle de Ponzano in the upscale district of Chamberí, El Doble is a cervecería par excellence, the perfect place to enjoy a beer in good company. The spot is a local favorite and is packed to the gills on the weekends, making the atmosphere even more enjoyable. Their tapas are on display in a glass case along the bar—they are well known for their seafood, like boquerones en vinagre (Cantabrian anchovies marinated in vinegar) or navajas (razor clams)—which are best paired with a beer or a vermouth. If you’re lucky, you’ll be served by Jesús, the charismatic owner whose face appears in photographs with different patrons all over the wall.

By the way, be sure you order your beer as a doble (400 ml), double the size of the smaller caña. Ponzano is one of the best streets in Madrid to tapear, the Spanish word for a bar crawl with different tapas at each stop, and El Doble is the best place to start off your night.

Gandarío

A student favorite, this restaurant is a staple of the university neighborhood of Moncloa for its cheap, delicious eats and lively atmosphere. Come with a group and order one of their famous tablas, a heaping pile of French fries topped with your choice of meats and housemade sauces for dipping. The place is usually packed, but it’s definitely worth the wait—the photo below should convince you.

Casa Paco

This is a classic neighborhood tapas bar, located on a lovely corner of the traditional neighborhood of Argüelles. This is a great place to try a variety of different Spanish comfort foods, like tortilla (Spanish omelet with potato and caramelized onion), croquetas (creamy croquettes with different fillings), calamares a la romana (fried calamari rings with a squeeze of lemon), and cachopo (a breaded veal cutlet filled with Spanish ham and melted cheese, originally from Asturias). This is a local favorite and a real neighborhood spot.

Docamar

This restaurant in the city’s east is considered by many to have Madrid’s best patatas bravas, the iconic tapa of fried potatoes with spicy sauce on top.

Grab a table outside on their sunny terraza and order a dish of them, maybe with some other snacks like croquetas or calamares and an obligatory caña (small beer) for an extremely pleasant afternoon.

La Venencia

While many of Madrid’s historic bars are great places to drink vermouth, this spot in Barrio de las Letras is solely dedicated to sherry, the fortified wine produced from grapes grown in and around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in southwestern Spain. This bar is a relic, and it doesn’t seem like much has changed much from a century ago, when it was a favorite watering hole of Ernest Hemingway during his time as a war correspondent covering the Spanish Civil War. Their dusty bottles and no-frills atmosphere are all hallmarks of days past—no photos are permitted inside, and the bartender will scrawl your order in chalk on the wooden bar itself. 

The menu is simple: five types of jerez (sherry), along with some embutidos (cured meats) and cheese to snack on. Manzanilla and fino are the lightest in terms of both color and taste, while amontillado and oloroso are darker and stronger, with palo cortado a mix of the latter two. I recommend trying one lighter and one darker; you should also order a plate of mojama (salt-cured tuna) for a classic combination from the region around Jerez.

Casa González

Another relic of 1930s Barrio de las Letras, Casa González is a specialty wine and cheese shop selling some of the finest products around.

In the back of the shop, they have tables where you can order from an extensive list of Spanish wines, cheeses, and cured meats. The waiters are very knowledgeable and will help you find the perfect pairings according to your taste; whatever you like, you can buy from the shop in the front to take home with you.

Taberna del Alabardero

Located across the street from the Teatro Real, this restaurant is a popular spot among opera-goers for food and drink before or after a performance.

The Basque-style taberna became famous as a meeting place for politicians, journalists, and artists during the 1970s, when Spain was transitioning from dictatorship to democracy, and it remains an emblematic establishment today. Their charming interior consists of a bar in the front for drinks and tapas or tables in the back for a full-service experience.

La Bola

Just around the corner, this taberna opened its doors in 1870 and is well known as one of the best places to try Madrid’s iconic dish, cocido madrileño. The slow-cooked chickpea stew originated among Sephardic Jewish communities living in Iberia, prior to their expulsion from Spain at the end of the 15th century. Eager to avoid the social stigma attached to being a converso (a Jew who converted to Catholicism), the communities began adding pork to many of their dishes, which explains the pork belly, chorizo (pork sausage), and morcilla (blood sausage) that make up the meat of this hearty stew.

Although the many ingredients of the stew are all cooked together, convention dictates that the dish be served in three separate vuelcos (courses). The first round consists of the aromatic broth with thin noodles (fideos), followed by the chickpeas and vegetables, and finally the meats, all poured from a clay pitcher. It isn’t the most exciting dish in the world, but it is a true Madrid experience, down to the stuffiness of the waiters. I recommend a meal here for authenticity’s sake.

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