Having a good guide to discern between the best tapas and typical dishes in Madrid is crucial in a city with so many influences and gastronomic offerings. The fact that Madrid is the capital has its good and bad things for the local culture. Sometimes, especially for those who are not from here, it is difficult to distinguish what the traditions are. What is typical here? Beyond the cooked or tripe, of course.
The people of Madrid have taken on as their own some dishes that were not born here, but that have been in these streets and bars for so long that the city is no longer understood without them. So much so that many of them have established themselves as the best tapas in Madrid.
1. Sardines in Santurce
A good Sunday at the flea market has to end up in Santurce. This bar opened in the 70’s and has become a must in the area. Grilled sardines with plenty of salt are their star dish, but padrón peppers and squid are close behind. It is the traditional version of fast food and the queue at the door is not usually a problem: it goes fast and it is worth it.
Plaza del General Vara del Rey, 14 (La Latina)
💶 Ration of sardines: 4,40€
2. Chicken at Mingo’s house
At Casa Mingo you eat chicken and drink cider. This is one of the oldest cider houses in Madrid (1888), with its own elaboration. In case you miss Asturias. In addition, the restaurant keeps the aesthetics of many of the restaurants of the early twentieth century.
Paseo de la Florida, 34 (Manzanares)
💶 The chicken: 11.60€
3. Goya’s torreznos
As they themselves say, Goya’s are the best torreznos in Madrid. It was in 1956 when Los Torreznos Bar opened its doors at the Salamanca Neighborhood and devoted itself to its flagship. This family business with roots in Avila, which now has two other establishments in the heart of the city, highlights the flavor of this traditional dish, which has maintained its recipe for more than 50 years. With a casual atmosphere, this is the ideal place for a good tapas accompanied by beers, whose art they also master.
88 Goya Street (Salamanca neighborhood); 149 López de Hoyos Street (Prosperidad); 69 Alonso Cano Street (Ríos Rosas).
💶 The unit: 2,70€
4. The Snails of Casa Amadeo
Snails are eaten in many places -in France, for example, they are extremely popular and are called escargots- and in Madrid, too, and also those of Casa Amadeo can be considered one of the best tapas in Madrid, and if Madrilenians make a pilgrimage to Casa Amadeo it is because you have to try them. Since 1942 this traditional food tavern has been an obligatory stop at the Rastro, and that is something that the tourists who now crowd the place have learned well.
Plaza del Cascorro, 18 (La Latina)
💶 The ration: 13€ 13
5. El Mirador de San Isidro’s chicken
The hens are a mystery, first of all because there are certain doubts about the animal from which they originate. At first they were made of chicken, but nowadays they are made of lamb. The second reason for the mystery lies in the consensus surrounding their consumption: there are those who love them and those who hate them, there is no gray area. But if you are one of those who value one of the most typical dishes of Madrid, El Mirador de San Isidro is still one of those who still continue to make them, because, unfortunately, are becoming fewer and fewer.
171 Toledo Street (Pirámides).
💶 1,50€ per unit
6. Docamar bravas
Bravas, contrary to what one might think, is not a traditional dish. Or rather, in the case of being a traditional dish, it has been so for a very short time. That is why there is no single script, no canonical, definitive and exclusive recipe. The patatas bravas began to be made about 50 years ago and in its preparation, as the saying goes, each master has his own book. And Docamar’s booklet could well be studied in a theoretical book that would include the best tapas in Madrid.
Calle de Alcalá, 337 (Quintana)
💶 The ration: 4,50€
7. La Bola Stew
If there is a reference dish in Madrid’s gastronomy, that is the cocido (stew) the best that can be tasted in the city is undoubtedly that of La Bola Taberna. With a 150-year tradition, its production process is the key to its success. The ingredients of the stew are introduced raw into traditional clay pots and prepared over charcoal embers over low heat for more than four hours.
Calle de la Bola, 5 (Sol)
💶 Cooked: 23 per person.
8. Casa Lucio’s starry eggs
It could be said that Casa Lucio’s are the most famous huevos rotos not only in Madrid, but also in Spain. In fact, the success of this dish crosses borders, tasted by legends of the small and big screen such as Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith or Eva Longoria. The restaurant opened in 1974 and its success has not stopped since then. Its emblematic dish can also be enjoyed at La Taberna de los Huevos de Lucio, run by the tavern keeper’s sons. With a more relaxed atmosphere, its menu offers other varieties such as chistorra sausage, ham or ratatouille.
Calle de la Cava Baja, 35 (La Latina)
💶 12,50€ per portion
9. The “yayos” of Casa Camacho
Casa Camacho is the living history of Madrid’s tapas and vermouth. It is located in Malasaña since the 20s of the last century, and retains visible reminiscences of that past as can be seen in its decoration or in the taps of the typical bars of Madrid. It is not possible to talk about it without referring to its “yayos”: a homemade homemade wine, vermouth and gin, which can be accompanied by any of its tapas and portions.
📍 Calle de San Andrés, 4 (Malasaña)
💶 A yayo: 3,5€
10. Casa Pepe’s wings
Known colloquially as ‘Pepe El Guarro’, in Casa Pepe if there is something famous, that something is its wings, which meet the fundamental requirement of being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. At their tables, many students parade in search of a good beer and, of course, of the generous dishes that accompany their drinks.
📍 Calle Celanova, 19 (El Pilar)
💶 Ration: 6,5€
11. Tortilla Fish Croquettes
Although it is the omelette that gives it its name, its regulars know that the croquettes of Pez tortilla are far from being left behind. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, it doesn’t matter which flavor you try: from the classic ham or grandma’s stew to orange chicken or sweet ones such as milk and cookies or Oreo. They are always trying new combinations, but one thing is constant: they always look great.
📍 Various locations.
💶 One kibble: 2€
12. The ear of La Casa de los Minutejos
There are dishes that are not for everyone, and the ear has the reputation of being one of them. For that niche of people who do like it, we’ve already talked about the best places in Madrid where to eat oreja for them and for those who want to give this dish a chance, a good place to start is undoubtedly La Casa de Los Minutejos. Here they serve it in a very special way, in sandwiches with hot sauce, and have become a true classic among the typical dishes to try in Madrid.
📍 Calle Antonio de Leyva, 17 (Comillas)
💶 Minutes: 1,20€
13. El Tigre’s random dish
In the famous dichotomy of choosing between quality or quantity, those who frequent El Tigre with certain regularity belong to a clear group. The person is not known to have ordered a ration expressly. El Tigre has a bit of a gambling game: with a drink you get a dish made up of an unexpected mix that includes everything from croquettes to chicken wings to lacón montaditos. Everything is washed down with an indecipherable sauce that is similar to mojo picón . While it is true that their tapas may not be among the best tapas in Madrid, but no bar can beat them for fame. They have two locations that are always full.
calle de las Infantas, 23 y calle de Hortaleza, 23 (Chueca)
💶 The cover is free of charge.
14. Melo’s slipper
Las zapatillas del Melo’s is one of the covers that most reasonably make the list. Day after day, you can see the queues of parishioners making their way to an iconic Lavapiés-that closed and then was rescued by a group of young people from the neighborhood– which is famous all over Madrid. Their croquettes are worth mentioning, but their zapatilla is another world: grilled country bread, lacón, tetilla cheese, lacón, tetilla cheese, lacón, tetilla cheese, lacón, tetilla cheese, lacón, tetilla cheese and grilled country bread. A simple sandwich? Much more than that.
📍 Calle del Ave María, 44 (Lavapiés)
💶 12€ per shoe, but you can order a half for 6,50€
15. Sylkar potato omelette
Without onion and with a flavor that fits as many theories as people who have tried it. Some people say it is made in chicken broth. All talk aside, the omelette position can be occupied by as many other options because the competition is fierce. That said, if a tortilla expert like Guillermo V. Rodríguez includes it in the first place in his ranking of the best potato omelets in Madrid.
Espronceda Street, 17 (Ríos Rosas)
💶 Tortilla skewer: 2,60€
16. Codfish croquettes from Casa Labra
Although Casa Labra’s restaurant-like dining room is now closed, you can still enjoy its tapas of battered cod and croquettes in the rest of the restaurant, which has been unchanged since 1860. Its curved facade at the back of the Puerta del Sol also has its place in the country’s history. Here on May 2, 1879 Pablo Iglesias founded the Spanish Socialist Workers Party.
12 Tetuán Street (downtown).
💶 Cod croquette: 1,9€
17. The shrimps of Grandfather’s House
To think of eating prawns in Madrid is to think of La Casa del Abuelo, where they are served with garlic, with gabardine or cooked, although they were not always its star dish. When they opened in 1906, they became known for their doughnuts and sweet wine. It was in the 1940s, in the middle of the post-war period, when they began to cook them, due to the scarcity of other foodstuffs.
Various locations.
💶 Garlic shrimp: 17€
With this list you have laid the foundations to start enjoying Madrid, as far as local gastronomy is concerned. First you have to go to the essential, if you discover the primary flavor of its best tapas, you discover its streets, its neighborhoods and its people.
This article has been written eight hands between Alberto del Castillo, Selene García Torreiro, Isabel Nieto y Elena French.