The validity of the menu of the day in Madrid today is firm. First course, second course, bread, drink and dessert or coffee. Few restaurants give more while paying less, and there is surely none outside of this list that more closely matches that maxim.
On the outside, a blackboard and on it a manual typography that indicates that there is a menu of the day. Inside: a mid-century heritage created first to introduce foreigners to the goodness of Spanish gastronomy and then to make eating out more accessible. This was regulated -restaurants were obliged to offer it- and ended up becoming a tradition.
Table Of Contents
- Decadent
- Sweden House
- La Espumosa
- Vegan menu of the day at Viva Burger
- Orellana House
- Míguez Brothers
- CIRKuK
- Petit Comité Azca
- Tirso's 5
- The Chief
- Queen's Market
- Ponzano
- La Charca Tavern
- La Tasca de Ventura
- La Grotte: the cheapest menu of the day in Madrid
- The menu of Chirón with Michelin Star
- Dani House
Decadent
Never has the name of a bar reflected the mood with which the diner does not leave. Frugal and satisfying in quantity, Decadente is evidence that if you eat out you don’t need an Almax after your meal. You can find a pink tomato salad with tuna belly and a tuna tataki, for example, between starters and main courses. It also includes beverage, bread and dessert.
💶 Monday to Friday for 14,90 €
10, Manuel Fernández y González Street (Cortes)
Sweden House
Casa Suecia’s executive menu is perfect for a break that allows you to have a nice lunchtime meal. For starters you can choose between a salmorejo cordobés, a seasonal salad with tender sprouts and chef’s dressing, a pucherín (traditional stew), a Mia Mamma risotto with Grana Padano, an egg picadillo with macerated piquillo peppers or a grilled grilled vegetables.
For main courses, the menu offers several options: fried fish from Malaga, “de Utrero” cheeks glazed with potato cream, lasagna made “in house”, pork secret on charcoal, baked fish with potatoes “a lo pobre”, cachopín Carbayón with manchego and Iberian pork or chicken wings with Yakiwiku sauce.
Finally, for dessert there are three options: Casa Suecia artisan dessert, seasonal fruit and ice cream.
📍 Marqués de Casa Riera Street, 4 (downtown)
La Espumosa
The menu of the day at La Espumosa has a special attraction: it is outdoors. On a beautiful terrace in the middle of the chamberí neighborhood this restaurant has a succulent and versatile proposal. Every week the dishes change, so if you want you can repeat daily without getting tired of eating the same dishes.
💶 Monday to Friday for 14,90 €
📍 Calle Santa Engracia, 60 (Trafalgar)
Vegan menu of the day at Viva Burger
Among the best daily menus in Madrid, a vegan option could not be missing. Viva Burguer is the hamburger restaurant where not even the most carnivores will miss the meat. This restaurant is already a classic of La Latina and its menu of the day changes daily. Of course, you have to go hungry, the size of both their burgers and fries is generous, and keep in mind that dessert is included.
💶 Vegan menu from Monday to Friday for 13,95 €
cost.ª de San Andrés, 16 (La Latina)
Orellana House
In this little Paris which is the salesas neighborhood is the Casa Orellana restaurant. Their castizo menu is only served during lunchtime and weekdays, as usual. The former includes meats and fish such as sea bass in Josper sauce, and the latter are more like side dishes: rice, potatoes or roasted peppers are among the options. In addition to bread, drink and dessert, you can order a gazpacho for 2€ more.
💶 Traditional menu from Monday to Friday for 15€
📍 Calle de Orellana, 6 (Salesas)
Míguez Brothers
Few locutions say more about a place than “lo de toda la vida”. what does that mean in reference to Hermanos Míguez? Basically, it lives from what it offers: not from its decoration, not from being in a central neighborhood, but from its cocido, its torrijas, its judiones, its oxtail and whatever dishes make up a complete, traditional and, of course, lifelong menu of the day.
💶 12 € on weekdays and 16 € on weekends.
📍 Calle de Herminio Puertas, 10 (Alto de Extremadura)
CIRKuK
CIRKuK’s daily menu has been recognized as the best in Madrid in 2023 by Mahou 0,0 Tostada. Dishes change daily, depending on what the market offers that day and are usually quite elaborate. It is served from Monday to Friday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and consists of three courses (to choose from six), beverage (water, beer, house wine or soft drink) and dessert or coffee.
💶 Menu of the day: 13€
📍 Avda. Brussels 44 (Guindalera)
Petit Comité Azca
Petit Comité’s daily menu is an honest and healthy amalgam of fresh and avant-garde products, where you can choose a first and a second, among four options respectively. A little bit Parisian style, but with more affordable prices. If you are lucky, the carnivorous proposals (entrecote, chicken or beef) are sublime, as well as the gazpacho that marries fantastically with cheeses, foie gras and desserts from France.
💶 From Monday to Friday for 13 €
📍 Avenida del presidente Carmona, 1 (Cuatro Caminos)
Tirso’s 5
The Tirso de Molina square has a surprising diversity of stores from yesterday and the day before yesterday. One of the latest to arrive is El 5 de Tirso, a sophisticated two-level tavern-restaurant that combines modern architecture and a menu of the day that is surprisingly varied. From Monday to Friday, from 1pm to 4pm, the menu consists of 10 starters to choose from, 10 main courses, drink, bread and dessert. And if you still can’t make up your mind, there’s always a dish of the day waiting for the undecided. If the intensive day accompanies, the terrace invites to coffee (or gin and tonic). And that would be it.
💶 Monday to Friday for 16,50€
📍 Plaza de Tirso de Molina, 5 (La Latina)
The Chief
El Jefe Travelling Food offers 3 starters to choose from and 7 rotating main courses, without losing sight of its traveling, international nature, with quality products. Of course, with drink and dessert or coffee. In autumn and winter, moreover, the menu is enhanced with daily spoon dishes. And every Thursday, in a nod to the native Ávila of its founders, the star of the slate is the patatas revolconas.
from Monday to Friday for 15 €
📍 Calle Alonso Cano, 103 (Cuatro Caminos)
Queen’s Market
Since its opening in the Gran Vía this sort of gastronomic market has legions of regulars thanks to a menu full of seasonal products, a true Madrid atmosphere and its location. Every school lunchtime, the tables of the ‘market’ are filled with executives, travelers and discerning students to taste a menu (with bread, drink and dessert) consisting of three starters (choose one), two main courses (meat or fish) and up to three sweet options to close a meal that leaves its mark. Must-try: salmorejo (gazpacho), the mellow rice and the low-temperature braised chicken.
💶 Monday to Friday for 16,50€
📍 Gran Vía, 12 (center)
Ponzano
Ponzano is a street mainly known for its nightlife, but during the day it is also one of the obligatory stops on this tour. At number 12 the restaurant of the same name offers a menu of traditional food with three choices of first and second course, bread, drink, dessert and coffee or tea. The dishes, which range from its famous stew, white asparagus or salmorejo to veal cheeks or grilled rooster, can be consulted in se web.
from Monday to Friday for 18 €
📍 Ponzano Street, 12 (Rio Rosas)
La Charca Tavern
In this place the tradition of the traditional tavern and modernity go hand in hand to create a unique and quality gastronomic space with an important role of the Asturian gastronomy. And for proof, a button: in 2020 it received the award for Best Cachopo in Spain. The daily menu offers a choice of 5 starters and 3 main courses accompanied by bread, drink and dessert or coffee. You can rest assured that whatever you choose, you’ll get it right.
💶 From Monday to Friday for 17,50€
📍 Calle Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, 7 (Argüelles)
La Tasca de Ventura
In the center of Madrid, very close to Plaza de España, you can try a menu of the day based on market products. La Tasca de Ventura offers a selection of dishes made with seasonal products: vegetable creams, salads, fresh meats and fish or its fake risotto are some of the dishes that can be found on the menu. It includes first course, main course and dessert or coffee or, if you prefer, you can order a single course with dessert or coffee. The gastronomic offer of the day can be consulted on the following website here.
💶 From Monday to Friday for 13,90€ and on weekends for 19,90€
📍 Calle de Ventura Rodríguez, 9 (Argüelles)
La Grotte: the cheapest menu of the day in Madrid
La Grotte offers the cheapest menu of the day in Madrid which costs 7€, but when ordering it to take r has a literally unbeatable price: 3,5€. As it could not be otherwise, first course, main course, dessert, bread and water. It usually gives a choice between a spoon dish: lentils, Castilian soup or vegetable soup. And for the main course a meat or hamburger.
It is very close to the Carlos III University, so it is easy to find students among the locals, as it is cheaper to eat here than in the university dining hall.
7€ on the premises and 3,5€ to take away.
📍 Calle Daoiz, 34 (Getafe)
The menu of Chirón with Michelin Star
Chirón, led by the Muñoz Bargueño brothers (Iván is the chef and Raúl is the sommelier), holds the michelin star since 2013 and revalidates it year after year. In addition, it is the restaurant with this recognition in which you can eat cheaper in Madrid. The executive menu served from Tuesday to Friday includes snacks, oil from Madrid, artisan bread, appetizer, starter, fish, meat, dessert and two glasses of wine. For 10€ more you also have a scallop and aioli socarrat rice.
💶 Executive Menu: 34€
📍 Calle Alarcón, 27 (Valdemoro)
Dani House
Casa Dani’s omelets are even Netflix-worthy-the restaurant is featured in an episode of Food for Phil-butevery day they have a different menú del día with at least seven first courses and eleven seconds to choose from. If you want to preview what they have that day you will find it on their website and Facebook account. A spoiler: typical dishes of national and homemade gastronomy.
💶 Weekdays: 14 €
📍 Mercado de la Paz (Calle Ayala, 28) and Calle Lagasca, 49 (Salamanca neighborhood).
The history of the daily menu doesn’t matter as much as this list of the best menus of the day in Madrid. The menu of the day is one of those things that sometimes people say that if they did not exist they would have to be created, although in recent years (mainly due to teleworking) its existence has been endangered.