Each person’s criteria for choosing the restaurant they go to for dinner is as disparate as any other decision that governs their life.
There are those who prioritize snobbery and get carried away by any trendy restaurant, those who see La Tagliatella as a gastronomic temple, those who choose based on the latest Cocituber or Dining with Pablo and there are also those who get carried away by the same reason that justifies the advertising of perfumes or cars: that if such a celebrity goes it is eminently good.
Because, how can I not like something that Rosalía likes? Rosalía, who can eat in any self-respecting place just like the pumpkin in Amanece que no es poco could be at the table of the powerful and chose a poor farmer’s field.
Rosalía precisely has been in the news this week in Madrid and not so much for her concert at the Primavera Sound as for her gastronomic choice afterwards. The specialized press has started talking about Casa Macareno as if it had just opened.
And with that idea as a perch, we’ve compiled some of the places celebrities choose when they come to Madrid (or where Madrid celebrities go when they want to eat well).
Rosalia and her idyll with Madrid’s gastronomy
We could have gotten it right, but that hasn’t been the case. A few months ago we made a guide to what a Motomami would do in Madrid and we overlooked including Casa Macareno (San Vicente Ferrer, 44), the restaurant Rosalía chose to eat at after her show at Primavera Sound.
Rosalía, whose idyll with Madrid’s gastronomy is represented by the dish she created together with Dabiz Muñoz, chose this time a restaurant with menu del día at 13,90€. He has also visited on other occasions restaurants like Sacha (Juan Hurtado de Mendoza, 11) or Bodegas El Maño (La Palma, 64). Versatility made person.
When Duki went to Casa Kike
From the villa to the barrio and from the barrio to the villa. In 2021 Duki, the Argentine singer author of hits like Givenchy or Malbec, came to Madrid.
Contrary to what you might expect, this artist with 23 million monthly listeners (imagine half the Spanish population with Marisola in their helmets) did not go to eat at Paco Roncero’s or Dabiz Muñoz’s restaurant.
Duki went to Casa Kike, which we have already recommended in articles such as the Arganzuela guide, and uploaded a post on Facebook thanking him for the treatment and reception. He also called it the best bar in Madrid. That’s nothing.
The favorites of Los Javis
The couple formed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi is one of the best known in the capital. Whether for the use of Madrid in most of their projects or for the famous parties they organized in their house, the Javis have become representatives of the chulapo spirit.
Javier Ambrossi worked alongside Belén Cuesta at the bar Válgame Dios(calle de Augusto Figueroa, 43) in the Chueca neighborhood, the place where the opa prima of the directors originated: La Llamada. For this reason, the venue is important to both of them and they have acknowledged on several occasions that they visit it frequently.
On the other hand, in a 2018 interview in the Guía Repsol Javier Calvo said that if he could choose a meal to enjoy in the capital that would be the cocido de tres vuelcos from the restaurant Malacatín (calle de la Ruda, 5), considered by many as one of the best in Madrid.
The ones chosen by Alaska and Mario
Another of the city’s most iconic couples are Alaska and Mario. We got to know the duo better thanks to their reality show on MTV, in which they showed us their house in the Malasaña neighborhood and their predilection for the most traditional bars and restaurants. In their area, we know they frequent Casa Julio (Calle de la Madera, 37), as we can find a snapshot of them on the bar’s wall of fame, known for its croquetas portions.
In a 2021 interview in the magazine Vanitatis Mario Vaquerizo highlighted the bars in the area of the flea market and mentioned the torreznos from the bar Los Caracoles (Plaza de Cascorro, 18). In the same interview, the member of the group Las Nancys Rubias commented that he had a special appreciation for the restaurant Zara (calle Barbieri, 8), since it was there that he had one of his first dates with Alaska. Vaquerizo recommends the avocado with oil and onion, the lacón encebollado and the yucca with garlic sauce.
Pedro Sánchez and the most “cojonuda” pizza in Madrid
Maybe the love was short (we don’t know if he still frequents it), but certainly the oblivion is long: this ristorante pizzeria napoletano hardly needs any introduction since in 2010 Pedro Sánchez published the celebrity tweet in which he informed his followers that he was with his “colleagues” at the restaurant Luna Rossa (San Bernardo, 24) eating “a great pizza”.
Such was the impact of this publication that the restaurant decided to baptize one of its pizzas as the Cojonuda, and with that name can be ordered today from among those offered on its menu: it is made with fresh mozzarella, PDO gorgonzola, spianata piccante calabrese and organic Portobello mushrooms.
U2 and the legend of Casa Julio’s croquettes
The history of this local Malasaña -founded in 1921- and that of the Irish band U2 has been linked forever. The reason: the band’s visit to the city in 2000, during which they held a photo shoot in this tavern. And what was originally going to last a couple of hours, took five: according to Luis Torres Gil, the owner, on several occasions, the group was at ease in Casa Julio (Madera, 37).
The trace of that visit is reflected in a photograph hanging on the wall that led the band’s fans to make a pilgrimage here. The popularity of the place increased in a short time and they decided to introduce cuisine to their offer, such as croquetas.
And although over the years details have been added to the story that are not true, since U2 never got to taste the croquettes -only coffee and “Bono had a bite of tortilla or chorizo,” Gil told EPE-, what is certain is that the way they make them at Casa Julio they don’t make them anywhere else and that it has been and is a place of pilgrimage for famous people like Irene Escolar, Martiño Rivas or Carmen Machi.
The omelette that drives Harry Styles crazy
Editorial credit: La Martinuca.
Harry Styles can’t miss his date with La Martinuca when he makes one of his secret visits to the capital. The undercooked tortillas made there have definitely won him over.
On his last trip to Madrid -in the summer of 2024-, the former One Direction member went twice to the brand’s bar in Chueca (Calle Barquillo, 11) and ordered two varieties of the acclaimed omelette: the classic with onion and the green bell pepper one.
Yolanda Ramos’ favorite (for many reasons)
Image courtesy of La Esperanza.
It is not uncommon to find Yolanda Ramos sitting at one of the tables of this beautiful restaurant with a traditional air and inspiring traditional cuisine. Her husband, Mario Alvarez, runs this space and she is, how could it be otherwise, one of his most regular customers. The actress who stars in more memes thanks to her performance as Noemí Argüelles in Paquita Salas is, like her character, a #foodie and knows how to eat well and at a very good price in the capital.
At La Esperanza (Torrecilla del Leal, 3) we can find typical Spanish food with a very interesting twist. Artichokes, oysters or patatas bravas are some of their best rated pinchos but the truth is that there is not a dish on their menu that is not worth it.
They describe themselves as “a neighborhood bar where you eat and drink great” and they couldn’t have defined themselves better. They have the good things of a traditional bar, with its essence and joy, but with more careful and special dishes. We are not the least bit surprised that it is a meeting point for artists and cooltourists.
In fact, Yolanda Ramos is not the only one who visits La Esperanza regularly. Her professional partner, José Corbacho, acknowledged in an interview for the Repsol Guide that whenever he passes through Madrid, he goes to the bar of this unique bar. Surely, after reading this, you’re next.
Isabel Coixet and Yokaloka ramen
The film and series director was inspired by this quaint little stall in the Anton Martin market for one of the appointments to which the protagonists of Foodie Love, the series she premiered in 2019, go.
This information already tells us that, at least, Isabel Coixet is a fan of the aesthetics of this restaurant. But it doesn’t stop there. The filmmaker said in an interview that Yokaloka is the place where they serve the best ramen in the world. And she’s not wrong at all. The careful (and extensive) menu of this Japanese restaurant is a delight and, their ramen, one of the richest in Madrid.
We, however, encourage you to explore a little more and also try other dishes from their menu. Their sushi, gyozas and mochis are well worth a try. In fact, the characters in Coixet’s series are encouraged to eat the dumplings and leave the ramen for another time. Perhaps it didn’t look good on camera to see two people eagerly slurping this Asian soup? Anything can be.
Madrilenian night according to Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa’s thing with Madrid was a summer idyll (who hasn’t been carried away by the summer heat and partying in Madrid?). Even a pop diva has ended up enraptured by the local nocturnal euphoria. But before going to La Discoteca -yes, that’s the name of the club where she was seen dancing to Bad Gyal songs with Aron Piper-, she went on a gastronomic tour.
On his Instagram he uploaded photos of his dinner at Sala de Despiece, one of the restaurants in the capital that you have to try at least once in your life. His dishes are minimalist, somewhat conceptual and indeed, very photogenic. He followed it up with a cocktail at ChinChin, as the owners tell Vogue magazine, and liked it so much that they have been in charge of organizing his birthday and the after party’s of his concerts.
This article was written ten-handedly by Alberto del Castillo, Isabel Nieto , Helena Menéndez, Javi Bisbal, Miguel Sánchez and Elena Francés.
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