There are as many versions of cheesecake in Madrid as there are in Spain ways of drinking coffee. Although the first cheesecakes date back to Ancient Greece, the cheesecake has reached our days as if it had just been invented in New York. Traditional recipes abound and continue to survive. In Spain there are some as popular as the Basque cheesecake that, according to New York Times was the flavor that defined 2021.
From here and there and from nowhere, the cheesecake likes it creamy, with a cookie base or with jams, and has conquered the menus of all kinds of restaurants.
1. Cheesecake Avenue
Specialization is the key and Cheesecake Avenue knows it well. At the moment, in their showcase there are 9 kinds of cheesecakes and in their workshop they have more than 30 recipes to be unveiled (little by little) to the new followers of this phenomenon. They prepare them, for example, with dulce de leche, carrot or Nutella and also offer small bites or shots to taste them on a small scale, almond cookies or chocolate or caramel bars.
Portion of cake plus drink: 8,50€
📍 Calle de Antonio Acuña, 10 (Goya)
2. Alex Cordobes
You can only understand Álex Cordobés when you try his cakes. By “the”, sorry, we mean the success, the fact that the store is always full, that they sell 500 cakes a day and that you go to buy a cake and there are no more because they are sold out. The representation of the cheesecake ideal. An addictive bite. The best gift you can give to a candy lover.
Cheesecake: 32€
📍 Calle de Velázquez, 60 (Salamanca district)
3. Aroma & Bread
Aroma & Bread is a small cafeteria on Apodaca Street where they serve one of those homemade cakes you fall in love with. It is made daily following the family recipe of Ainhoa’s father, one of the owners, who was a pastry chef. While his partner, a friend since college, takes on the role of barista. An infallible duo that smells of quality coffee and grandmother’s pastries.
📍 Calle de Apodaca, 10 (Malasaña)
4. El Cañadío
We could say that El Cañadío’s cake is a signature cake. And literally: its creator, Paco Quirós, has managed to create one of the creamiest and most beautiful cakes (yes, so beautiful that it’s embarrassing to eat it) that you can taste. It is more like a quesada than a cheesecake, but with jam and with a thin sheet of caramel.
Portion of cake: 9,50€
📍 Calle del Conde de Peñalver, 86 (Lista)
5. Havana Blues
Havana Blues is a cuban restaurant of the Zone of Arganzuela that triumphs for its traditional Cuban recipes. The staff is charming and the food is not only amazing, but also well priced. And if you’re able to make it to dessert, we’d say you must try them all, but especially their cheesecake with guava or mango topping.
📍 Paseo Santa María de la Cabeza, 56 (Palos de la frontera)
6. Bistronómika
In the letter of Bistronómika, in the salamanca neighborhood the sea rules. Seafood stews, grilled fish and even a salmorejo with tuna cubes. But if there’s one must-try at this place, it’s definitely blue cheese tart with wild strawberry ice cream. Blue cheese? Yes. A delicious tart with a slight hint of this strong cheese that adapts perfectly to the sweetest flavors.
📍 Calle de Ibiza, 44 (Ibiza)
7. Fismuler
If you like contrasts, Fismuler is your destination. Their cheesecake is prepared with several types of strong cheeses, so it is best served with a good red wine instead of jam (in fact, they serve it without). This cake has become so famous that you can order it to your home address at the pastry shop Mallorca. And yes, it is the same recipe.
📍 Sagasta Street, 29 (Almagro)
8. MO of Motion
The MO de Movimiento project is characterized by its special attention to local and artisanal products, with a careful selection of ecological and quality raw materials, something that shows in the final result. And the cheese treat was not going to be less, elaborated with galmesan cheese, cream cheese and tsuru .
Portion of cake: 7€
📍 Calle de Espronceda, 34 (Almagro)
9. The Fish Man
El Hombre Pez will captivate you not only for its innovative menu proposal in which they fuse the best of Cantabrian and Indian food, but it will also win you over for the desserts. Their cheesecake will enter you first through the eyes, and will certainly leave you with a very good taste in your mouth.
Portion of cake: 9 €
📍 Calle de Velazquez, 102 (Lista)
10. Motherfriend
A cookie base with butter, cream, egg, cream cheese, sugar and salt and a very soft mousse-likeinterior. That is the secret of the success of Madreamiga’s cheesecake, a dessert that is made every day in their bakery, with quality and organic ingredients. This artisan bakery begoña San Pedro, whose head is Begoña San Pedro, offers this iconic dessert in two sizes: individual and another one to enjoy with family or friends, and you can order it at home.
Cheesecake cube: 3,90€
📍 Calle de Teruel, 26 (Cuatro Caminos)
11. Arce Sisters
In Hermanas Arce the cake is well toasted because it is the traditional Basque baked cake, also known as La Viña cake after the bar in San Sebastian where it became popular. Like everything else in this restaurant, the cake is made in their kitchen from scratch. No need for toppings or accompaniments, with one slice you will be more than satiated.
Portion of cake: 5,5 €
📍 Calle Marqués de Monasterio, 6 (Salesas district)
12. Luna & Wanda
At Luna & Wanda they claim to have some of the best cheesecakes in Madrid. This is their unique product and they have perfected it, their cakes are sufficiently toasted on the outside, have a creamy heart and a cookie base that is neither too thin nor too thick. You can have it in three sizes and three colors: the blonde, more classic; the mestiza, with dulce de leche, and the brunette, with chocolate.
The original for 25€.
📍 Calle de Espronceda, 3 (Ríos Rosas)
13. Tatel
The best cheesecake of 2022 was Tatel’s according to the Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs of Madrid. Chef Pedro Moreno directs the kitchen of this restaurant of the MABEL Capital group, behind which there are such well-known names as Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pau Gasol.
This highly praised cake is baked in the oven (specifically at 170ºC and for 30 minutes). The jury highlighted the crunchy sablé (with a touch of honeycomb honey) that serves as a base and the honeycomb-shaped cat’s tongue comb that crowns it.
Portion of cake: 12€
📍 Paseo de la Castellana, 36 (Salamanca district)
14. High Bar
Chef Daniel Roca’s project landed in October 2021 in the Salamanca neighborhood, now taking the same name as his flagship in Barcelona, Barra Alta, although it was previously called Lagasca 19. It has a Mediterranean menu with international touches in which there is no lack of nods to the cuisine of his grandmother. The cheesecake is made with 4 different cheeses, chosen at their ripeness, and is not served in portions, but whole, although in a small size, perfect for sharing.
Cheesecake: 9,5€
📍 Calle Lagasca, 19 (Salamanca district)
The sweetest version of cheese has been installed in restaurants and recipe books as a basic that has no seasons or clear rules. It is easy to experiment and succeed with cheesecakes in Madrid, almost as easy as simplifying the recipe to the maximum and still succeed.