It is an increasingly frequent custom that the press release informing about the opening of a new restaurant includes two authorships: the one related to the chef and the one related to the interior design. At a time when gastronomy seems to be governed by a dogma -food not only has to be good, but it also has to look good-, the extension of appearance goes from the plate to the rest of the place. The most beautiful restaurants in Madrid are already on lists all over the world, and, in fact, there are 15 in Madrid among the best restaurants in the world Restaurant and Bar Design Awards of 2022.
Thus, architects and designers work on restaurants that after decades will be studied as a projection of a contemporary feeling, as a fashionable place among the people of the time or as future nostalgia dumps. Madrid, with thousands of restaurants (at least 50 of them must be tried before you die), has a vast gastronomic offer that is remarkable to say the least. But as the experience is not only to live it but also to tell it through images, there are restaurants that fall in love for their beauty and that justify the visit only as a space of visual or functional delight.
1. Maddock
Maddock is a reference in the field of atmospheres or enveloping environments. From the moment you step inside the restaurant, the decoration surrounds you and is not a mere visual complement to the experience, but is part of it: from the furniture, lighting, neon lights or floors, everything adds up so that once you cross the door eating there is something you enjoy with all your senses.
💶 Menu price: 38,90€ per person
Paseo del General MartĂnez Campos, 26 (Almagro).
2. Caluana
Caluana is simply a restaurant inside a church. This thing is reminiscent of a painting by El Bosco: with a symbolic division of spaces. Downstairs is the Olive Grove -cocktail area-, upstairs is the Greenhouse -the non-terrace- and in the center is the Chapel -the most unusual area compared to almost any other restaurant in the world. Caluana is not only the constancy of being under sixteenth-century vaults doing something that is not usually done under sixteenth-century vaults, but also tasting a menu that is defined as italocastiza.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de la Bolsa, 12 (downtown).
3. Habanera
Like living in the carefree tropicality of Havana but without leaving Justicia. In the space formerly occupied by the RĂofrĂo cafeteria and with a glass window that invites you to observe the Plaza de ColĂłn, today stands Habanera. One of those restaurants that are talked about ad nauseam, partly for its gastronomy (with the quality seal of Grupo Larrumba), partly for its decoration (which bears the aesthetic imprint of the same group).
Plants, lots of natural plants; vibrant colors with floral and geometric prints; flirty tables that dot a large space with high ceilings. And among this tropical atmosphere, a menu that offers Cuban dishes such as the croqueta de ropa vieja, or takes us back to our childhood (in that cake with Maria cookie, chocolate and Lacasitos).
💶 Menu price:24,90€ per person.
Calle de GĂ©nova, 28 (Justice)
4. Bakan
The Mexican restaurant that triumphs in Miami could not arrive in Madrid with a discreet interior design boast. This work has been carried out by the interior design studio Cousi. The decorative will has had and achieved the purpose of evoke Mexico in each cubic centimeter. From the hundreds of cacti scattered throughout the venue to the Huichol art-inspired agave recreations hanging from the ceiling.
💶 €€€€€
Plaza de la Independencia, 5 (Salamanca neighborhood).
5. Perrachica
In Tripadvisor reviews, Perrachica is the Spanish restaurant where the word “bonito” is repeated the most, according to the study published by the travel website Holidayguru in 2023. This large restaurant, as usual within the Larrumba group, combines decorative styles between the industrial and the French bistro, with a resultant effect. Its menu also mixes gastronomies with enough success to be a sure hit when it comes to gather a large group of people under the same menu.
💶 Menu price: from 24,99€
Calle Eloy Gonzalo, 10 (ChamberĂ)
6. Numa Pompilius
Going to Numa Pompilio for the first time is like tasting a mochi, just by looking at it from the outside you think it looks good, but you don’t know what awaits you inside. When you cross the courtyard of this italian restaurant you arrive in the most romantic and ancient Rome. Its menu is based on Italian tradition, but draws from the entire Mediterráneo basin. Two proofs of this are the gnocchi with partridge and the oxtail ravioli.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de Velázquez, 18 (Salamanca)
7. A’ Barra
The concept of the bar is almost that of Spanish-style itamaes: the chefs make, finish or finish off each dish in front of the diner. It’s not that you eat in the open kitchen, it’s that the kitchen per se constitutes the views. The chefs explain each dish, answer questions and help you understand what you are eating. The decoration is a fundamental factor in the A’Barra experience: from the surprising component that hides the impossible shapes of the wood that shapes the inside of the bar to the LEDs that change their intensity depending on the moment of the meal in which we are located.
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Calle del Pinar, 15 (Gregorio Marañón).
8. Bloom
It is well known that Salvador Bachiller’s restaurants are, in all their possible forms and themes, a feast for the eyes. And its latest gastrobar to open, Bloom, could not be less: an authentic plant explosion of pink color to which are added stained glass windows, a gazebo and a very careful decoration that turn every corner into a perfect framing for Instagram. As a novelty, starting in March, they will begin to program the following programs dinners with entertainment the first day of the event will start on March 4 with a live jazz dinner show and from March 18 onwards there will be shows with dancers on Fridays and Saturdays
💶 €€€€€
Calle Alberto Aguilera, 54 (ArgĂĽelles)
9. Art & Sushi
As it seems to announce from its own name, in Art & Sushi both the gastronomic offer -a menu that fuses Japanese and Mediterráneo food- and the environment in which it is tasted have the same weight. And certainly the interior design in this restaurant is an art. Perhaps one of the best proof of this is the way in which it attracts all eyes from the street itself: the large landscape window that floods the interior of the premises with light serves, at the same time, as a shop window, in front of which passers-by, if they do not stop to look at it, at least slow down. And that’s saying something in a city like Madrid.
💶 €€€€€
Carranza Street, 9 (Almagro)
10. Terracotta
The decor of the restaurant emulates terracotta and is reminiscent of an anthill: the sinuous shapes and the brownish-reddish colors contribute to create a peaceful feeling of comfort. The restaurant emulates this material and takes its name from it, inspired by baked earth, the material from which empires were built. The idea, quickly thought out, works as a metaphor. If it can be used to build empires: how can it not be used to build a restaurant?
💶 €€€€€
Calle de Velázquez, 80 (Salamanca district).
11. Lazzaroni
Some define Lazzaroni’s interior as a painting. And the definition couldn’t be more accurate: a first glance at the premises of this cozy Italian restaurant might well invite you to think it’s in 2D. They boast of producing fresh products in the traditional Italian way: with a typical Neapolitan oven, a checkerboard floor and a decoration that would justify the visit per se if it were not for the fact that the food is also a different matter.
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Veneros Street, 8 (Majadahonda).
12.Manolita Chen
The second most famous Manolita in Madrid (the first one is the one who sold lottery in Preciados) has an absolutely authentic Chinese restaurant. One of the best Chinese restaurants in Madrid also has a sensational decoration. The name pays tribute to the history of Eva Chen, owner, because her family is responsible for the origins of the Manolita Chen Chinese Theater. Thus, this tribute that pays homage to an entire lineage seems like a fetish place for those looking for a cozy, eclectic restaurant with a modern aesthetic.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de CastellĂł, 18 (Salamanca neighborhood).
13. Bel Mondo
Bel Mondo is one of those restaurants that you have to try once in your life. Its signature dish is the Carbomamma, a Tribute to authentic carbonara served on a wheel of pecorino cheese. It has a large space, divided into two floors and has a capacity for 300 diners.
Each of its rooms has a special decoration. Vinyl, pink walls, patterned rugs, neon and antique lamps are just some of the elements that contribute to create a unique atmosphere. Its inner courtyard, which sometimes functions as a terrace simulates a real Roman trattoria. Situated in a garden full of flowers, it is one of the best options to disconnect from the city. It was the first restaurant of the Big Mamma group in Spain, but its brother Villa Capri located at 118 Hortaleza Street, has nothing to envy.
💶 €€€€€
Calle Velázquez, 39 (Salamanca district).
14. Bugao
Having a little piece of Ceuta in Madrid was Hugo Ruiz’s goal when he decided to open his restaurant, a mission that the young chef accomplished with flying colors. As its slogan states, “Cuisine between seas”, the protagonists of its menu are the fish from the Strait of Gibraltar, with the sea acting as a common thread in all its dishes. As for the premises, the decoration by Ceuta architect Silvia Picar adds the finishing touch to Bugao’s ambience. Its design follows the Andalusian style, combining inspiration from the Mediterráneo peoples with the Arab world. With two spaces, Gourmet and Gastrobar, the establishment is the perfect combination of sophistication and informal cuisine.
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Calle de MarĂa de Molina, 4 (Salamanca neighborhood).
15. Oroya
One of the restaurants with terrace hottest of the last year is Oroya. It is located in The Madrid Edition hotel, and has been chosen as the fourth best in Europe, according to the Big 7 Travel ranking. This is undoubtedly one of the most romantic locations in Madrid in the heights. The Peruvian restaurant and pisco bar is located on the fourth floor of the hotel, and this ranking highlights that “the terrace has a cozy fireplace, a vine-covered pergola and an elegant teak bar, with spectacular views of the city”.
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đź“Ť Plaza de Celenque, 2 (center).
16. Smoked Room
Smoked Room won two michelin stars in their first six months of life. In addition, the latest project of Malaga-born chef Dani GarcĂa has been chosen as one of the best in the world most beautiful restaurants in the world. This is undoubtedly one of the restaurants if you want to make a splash. Exclusivity permeates everything, from the decoration, to the menu and the small space -only 14 people can be accommodated.
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đź“ŤHotelHyatt Hesperia – Paseo de la Castellana, 57 (RĂo Rosas)
This article has been written in six hands between Alberto del Castillo, Selene GarcĂa Torreiro, Isabel Nieto y Elena French.