In the top of the gastronomies that have conquered other countries, Italian is among the first places. And Italian restaurants in Madrid are a good example of this.
We share with our neighbors cultural background, geographical location and passion for olive oil, but their cuisine has been able to adapt so much so that the pizza can take pineapple, or to add cream to the carbonara without any complex. And yes, there are also purists of this gastronomy, but taking the food from abroad to your land is a way of adopting it as your own.
1. Noi
A more contemporary take on Italian cuisine can be found at Noi. It is one of the eight restaurants in Madrid that has received the Big Gourmand recognition from the Michelin Guide in 2022.
Its menu traverses the Italian peninsula from north to south through the tasting menu, which has a long list of antipasti or starters such as vitello tonnato, then focuses on pasta dishes as emphatic as fusilli with calabrese sauce and ends with classic desserts ranging from cannolo to tiramisu.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Recoletos, 6 (Salamanca district)
2. La Pizzeria
La Pizzeria triumphs in its light pizzas, with a tomato sauce of perfect acidity, made in the oven; as well as its homemade and handmade pastas (special attention to the gnnocchi with veal ragout). The menu is succinct, concise and does not go on with impossible pizzas with more than eight ingredients, which almost assures that what they do, they do very well.
Price: Menu for two people: 59,90 €.
📍Location: Calle del Barquillo, 20 (Chueca)
3. Ozio Gastronomic
Dario Genova is the executive chef in charge of printing the flavors of southern Italy in the dishes of Ozio Gastronómico, an Italian restaurant in Tetúan. In his menu you can find Sicilian caponata, carbonara with black truffle and a second course of tagliata with Palermo-style beef tenderloin. For dessert you have to choose between cannolo and tiramisu, it won’t be easy.
Price:€€€€€
📍Location:37 Aviador Zorita St. (Alvarado)
4. Gioia by Davide Bonato
Gioia is the result of chef Davide Bonato’s roots and work experience. This restaurant works like a workshop: everything is handmade. But there is also room for innovation, in a balance with the more traditional flavors, which is the basis of all his dishes, where the essential ingredients of yesteryear are reborn with new shapes, colors and textures.
Price: €€€€€
📍 Location: Calle de San Bartolomé, 23 (Chueca)
5. Numa Pompilio
When you cross the courtyard of Numa Pompilio you arrive at the most romantic and ancient Rome. Its name and logo, with reference to the second king of Rome, will put you in situation. Its menu is based on Italian tradition, but draws from the entire Mediterranean basin. Two proofs of this are the squid cannelloni in its ink and the boletus and foie risotto.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location: calle de Velázquez, 18 (Salamanca neighborhood)
6. Bel Mondo
Since the opening of Bel Mondo, the first restaurant of the Big Mamma group in Spain, it has become one of the Italian restaurants of reference in Madrid. The food, of course, is as dogmatically Italian as an Italian restaurant in Italy demands (despite being a chain of French origin). It plays with an excessive decoration that looks like the set of a romantic movie shot in Little Italy, but its authenticity goes all the way to its workers, most of whom are originally from the country of carbonara without cream. Oh, and the photo of the carbonara pasta on the wheel of cheese can not miss in your feed.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location:calle de Velázquez, 39 (Salamanca neighborhood)
7. Fratelli Figurato
Brothers Riccardo and Vittorio are the two wizards of Neapolitan pizza at Fratelli Figurato. The good things come threefold, in this case, they already have three establishments: the original pizzeria, the trattoria popolare and the laboratory, where you can only pick up orders. They also serve an authentic carbonara that is to go crazy because the pasta is fresh and made right there. A must visit in Madrid.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location: Pizzeria: Calle Alonso Cano, 37 (Chamberí) and Trattoria: Calle Larra, 1 (Justicia)
8. Mica Restobar
In Mica the doughs are fermented naturally and use semi-wholemeal flours, so not only their pizzas are worthy of mention, their focaccias compete in prominence. And as a starter, so that it is not all flour, a carpaccio that will definitely whet your appetite. If you still have enough strength for dessert, the caprese cake will make you dream of the island of Capri.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location:Calle del Limón, 30 (Conde Duque)
9. Barbieri Café
Café Barbieri is in the exclusive club of centenary restaurants in Madrid and is experiencing a rebirth since its refurbishment in early 2022. In addition, as for the gastronomic offer, it bets on quality Italian food at a reasonable price. What better place to try a pizza made with sourdough dough, surrounded by mirrors and velvet sofas in an iconic place of the capital.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location:Ave María street, 45 (Lavapiés)
10. Davanti
Davanti is an orthodox Italian restaurant, with exquisite fresh pasta, including classics such as tagliatelle alla bolognese and pear ravioli. But in their other restaurant, La Bottega de Davanti, they also have a market of Italian products, in case you want to make your own pasta at home, they sell everything (even the sauce). They also organize Italian wine tastings and you can end up eating lasagna. A dream.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location: calle de Augusto Figueroa, 41 (Chueca) and La Bottega in calle Núñez de Balboa, 60 (Salamanca neighborhood).
11. Baldoria
The former executive chef of Big Mamma Group, Ciro Cristiano, started his solo venture in 2022 with Baldoria. This Italian restaurant concentrates the Neapolitan essence, specifically of the small island of Procida, in its Mediterranean, colorful and excessive decoration -subtly following the line of Bel Mondo and Villa Capri-. Their dishes leave aside the more is more to focus on the good product known and always very resultón, as the famous carbonaras served in the crust of the cheese. They embroider the pizzas so much as to have been third in the I Championship of Pizzas of Spain of 2023.
Price:€€€€€
📍Location: Calle de José Ortega y Gasset, 100 (Salamanca)
12. Mandarosso
Madarosso takes the place of Nina Pasta Bar, one of the most missed Italian restaurants in La Latina since the death of its owner, Adriana Restano, much loved in the neighborhood. Pietro Leonetti decided to take over and open a sequel to his restaurant in Barcelona, La Cucice Mandarosso.
It is a traditional proposal of very common dishes of Italian cuisine: with a southern accent and very well executed. In general, the restaurant flees from the trend of more is more to focus on getting the basics right.
Price: €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Sta. Ana, 21 (La Latina)