In Madrid there is a lot of terrace on the top floor of the building with exquisite views of the city, but even being at ground level you can have a good panoramic view and, of course, eat well.
But the choice of these restaurants is not only based on how Madrid looks from them – in some cases it was impossible not to mention it – but also those where you can rest your eyes, either because of the beautiful decoration, the amount of plants or the special landscape.
1. Café Oriente
The Café de Oriente is located under the vaults that once belonged to the 17th century Convent of San Gil. It is located on the opposite side of the square to the Royal Palace, so the view from one of its tables is like a postcard of Madrid. From table number 9 the cartoonist Antonio Mingote found the inspiration to send a new cartoon to the ABC newspaper every day.
Roberto Hierro has been the chef of the restaurant -and of the Lezama group- since they started in the late 80s. The menu is classic, but maintaining haute cuisine standards with recipes such as Faroe cod confit at low temperature with the stew of their tripe and cocochas al pil-pil.
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📍Plazade Oriente, 2 (Downtown)
2. The ventorrillo
Continuing in the Hapsburg Madrid another very privileged terrace is that of El Ventorrillo. From the Plaza de Oriente you only have to cross the Segovia viaduct to a small esplanade with trees where this terrace is located.
If the sunsets from the temple of Debod are famous for their perspective of the city, this point offers the view of La Almudena from another angle. In addition, the name of the restaurant already gives some clues that even in the middle of August there is always a light breeze here.
Its menu is mainly of portions and gives room for improvisation, but if you have to choose, its chicken or rabbit with garlic is exquisite.
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📍Callede Bailén, 14 (Downtown)
3. Cibeles Rooftop
Even if you want to avoid the rooftops if you have to choose, it is likely that you will end up in one of them, and if you have to choose, it is better to start at the beginning: Azotea Cibeles, the restaurant of the Palacio de Cibeles, headquarters of the Madrid City Hall.
This restaurant has reopened its doors with new owners and a somewhat changed concept. On the one hand, there is the haute cuisine restaurant with a cocktail bar and, on the other hand, the café in which the menu of the day overlooking Cibeles only costs 14, 35 €.
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📍 Plaza Cibeles, 1, Sixth Floor (Center)
4. The Ritz Garden
Right next to the Prado Museum is one of the greenest terraces in the city: The Ritz Garden, which of course belongs to the mythical hotel. The decoration and the ambience is one of sophistication, which is also reflected in the menu. Quique Dacosta, one of Spain’s top chefs, runs his kitchen which revisits some of the classics of the local cuisine, such as his version of omelette with mushrooms, cured Iberian bacon and garlic chips.
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📍 Plaza Cánovas del Castillo, s/n (Downtown)
5. The dome of the Peñotes
The Cúpula de los Peñotes is located in a garden center in La Moraleja that surrounds the geodesic dome that give the place its name. Yes, we can’t look at the horizon here, but the feeling of being inside a giant greenhouse makes the view just as happy.
In his dishes the main protagonists are vegetables, a good example is the grilled cauliflower with parmesan and beet hummus. In addition, they have a long menu for breakfasts and snacks.
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📍Plazade La Botánica, 1 (Alcobendas)
6. Villa Verbena
Sometimes you have to leave the classic views of the city to get perspective and the location of Villa Verbena is perfect for this. This restaurant is the bet of the Tricycle group with The Hat Madrid in the lake of Casa de Campo. It has a 600 m² terrace and from any of its tables you can see the water, the trees and the outline of some of Madrid’s emblematic buildings that seem farther away than they really are.
This restaurant adds to the renovation that took place around the lake in 2019, both for the public facilities, as well as for the businesses in the area. It is a very good stop after a long walk through the largest green lung of the city.
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📍Casade Campo