In new gastronomic openings the decoration is almost as important as the menu. And no, it is no longer enough to be a nice restaurant, now it has to be unique, linked to a concept, an idea, an experience. For two reasons: among so many options it is easier to be remembered and it is also an attraction for new customers. Sometimes it is not necessary that the space is spectacular, but that the whole proposal of the restaurant is not comparable to that of another place.
Zíngara
As it happens with those movies so curious that it is best to get into them without even having seen the trailer, it is best to step into Zíngara for the first time without information or context. We will say, because we have to say something, that it is a restaurant of cuisine and signature cocktails that offers an exquisite vegetarian menu whose dishes convince even the most carnivorous in the room. As long as they are willing to be surprised, of course.
You make a reservation at Zíngara thinking that you are going to dine in one of Justice’s restaurants and, as soon as you enter, you realize that the space has something different from the rest. An atmosphere, between dark and mystical, that is more typical of a sanctuary or the home of a tarot reader. And that is where its magic lies and perhaps that is precisely what makes it one of the best restaurants for dinner in Madrid.
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Plaza de las Salesas, 8 (Salesas)
JAM
The word “original” has at least a couple of definitions. The first one refers to the origin: something belonging to a specific place. The second, to creativity and inventiveness, referring to a work that is, in some way, unique. JAM is original in all its meanings. It is a tavern in Madrid, the city where it was born, but it is also a Middle Eastern tavern, as its Instagram description reads. A double origin -and a double meaning- that has placed it in this nice list.
JAM is not a trip to the Middle East without leaving Madrid. JAM is a jam session in which Spanish gastronomy is mixed with the culinary tradition of the Middle East. A space that, as Hannah Montana did in Disney Channel, unites the best of both worlds to bring to Lavapiés a unique fusion cuisine with dishes as striking as its tasty chistorra hummus or its unexpected chickpea popcorn with tahini and paprika de la Vera.
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Calle Marqués de Toca, 7 (Antón Martín)
Mómö Kebab
The sophistication of kebab has arrived, it is here, and Mómö Kebab comes true. But the particularity of this small restaurant in Chamberí does not stop at presenting the kebab as if it were the new smash burger but the whole place is set in a subway car that could have been perfectly designed for a Wes Anderson movie.
They have two types of kebab, always with pita bread, one with chicken and one with beef, and the fries are made over charcoal.
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Calle de Hartzenbusch, 9 (Chamberí)
Lady Bongo
Japanese food with fusion touches and a cocktail menu almost as long as the food. Lady Bongo is a two-in-one for those who like to go out for dinner and a drink, but go home early.
While the upstairs has a tiki raw bar with Japanese decor and raw dishes being prepared on the spot (nigiris and rolls, cebiches, tiraditos, pokes), the downstairs is the bottom of the sea, aquarium included. It’s like Disneyland but for adults.
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Calle de Serrano, 1, (Retiro)
El Tinterillo de Málaga
“A little piece of Malaga in Madrid”. This is the definition of this Malaga restaurant specialized in rice, seafood and pescaíto where the dishes are not ordered: they are auctioned. Spaghetti, prawns, oysters or scallops come out of the kitchen and are sung – loudly and with great art – in the dining room, to eat as you crave the dishes that are announced.
The portions are generous and the quality is worthy of the land that they carry by flag in the name, so train yourself to be agile on your visit because as the dishes come out they fly.
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Plaza de San Miguel, 8 (Downtown)
Guru lab
“Original” is an adjective that perfectly defines the essence of Guru Lab: more than a restaurant, and as its name suggests, it is a laboratory. A place to experiment, whether you are on the kitchen side or one of the barely 20 diners who can sit at the only table in the restaurant. Cocktails and dishes – which vary from one week to the next – are served at will: as our colleague Miguel Sánchez pointed out, “your tastes and intolerances mark the menu and the rhythm and quantity depend only on your preferences”.
That’s why recommending this or that dish based on your own experience is not possible in Guru Lab: the only option is to surrender to the mystery and be willing to be surprised. One thing is for sure: once you try it, you’ll want to come back.
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Calle de Echegaray, 14 (Barrio de las Letras)
Guo Rong
Arriving at a restaurant and not understanding anything. If there is no more original and curious experience than that, we definitely don’t understand anything. The menu is full of dishes that (unless you are a local or very knowledgeable in Chinese gastronomy) you have never seen in your life.
From duck heads to frog legs (something more normal) and hilarious translations such as “rice with dread”. The best thing to do here is not to take advice. The best thing is to be brave and ask for what you would never ask for. By the way, it’s a Chinese seafood restaurant located in that Chinatown known as Usera.
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Calle Dolores Barranco, 52 (Usera)
Cardumen
It is practically impossible to end up in Cardumen by mistake. You come here because you want to, because you’ve read something about the place, because it’s been recommended or for any other reason.
It’s strange, yes, but one of the best fish restaurants in Madrid is in an industrial estate (behind a car dealership). The reason? One of the capital’s big fish wholesalers has its warehouses there: the closest thing to the beachfront you can find in Madrid.
A showcase full of fish that looks like it has just been taken out of the Atlantic, a wine cellar with thousands of references and a grill that delights diners.
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Albufera 323 – Edif. Vallausa -, Pta.1 Nave 5-6 (Vallecas)
Medium Club
“Supernatural cocktails” is the claim and the leitmotiv of this corner of Pez street with Jesús del Valle. A place where you can order one of those cocktails with names and presentations as spectacular as Premonition, Faces of Bélmez, Uri Geller, Marian Apparitions… our favorite is Abduction (there is a wonderful performance around this cocktail, seriously, ask for it).
But there is something even more peculiar that goes in the name: to the cocktail menu is added a complete offer of hand line reading, tarot cards, astral chart consultation, graphology… even hypnosis, for the more daring. And hey, we are not being untruthful: there is also a food menu here (and delicious, we must say): like the sun-dried tomato hummus, the Andalusian pringá bao, the chicken meatballs with coconut milk, the “santero” sandwich from Cuba…
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Pez Street, 18 (Malsaña)
Salones Cuzco Lupita
The best place. Why? Because there are less and less places like this in Madrid. And we must protect them at all costs. Salones Cuzco Lupita is a restaurant, a party room and a place for celebration. This is where birthdays, quinceañeras, get-togethers… come together in a sea of toasts, karaoke and laughter.
On the plate, Peruvian delicacies such as seco de cordero a la Chiclayana, rice with duck with raspberry sauce, ceviches… and endless piscos.
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Calle del Monte Oliveti, 32, (Puente de Vallecas)
Caluana
Caluana is one of the most original restaurants in Madrid thanks to the fact that it is located in a former 16th century Baroque chapel on Calle de la Bolsa, just a few steps from the Plaza Mayor. In few places can you eat under vaults and gold leaf decorations.
Its culinary proposal is defined as Italian-Castiza, fusing Italian flavors with Spanish ingredients and techniques. Highlights include dishes such as ravioli of suckling lamb in roast stew, potato omelette croquette with Iberian jowl or grilled fallow deer with bordelaise. In addition, its cocktail bar in the subway space Maldita Gioconda completes a perfect evening.
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Location: Calle de la Bolsa, 12 (Downtown)
This article has been written by Alberto del Castillo, María F. Carballo, Miguel Sánchez, Isabel Nieto, and Elena Francés.