The best restaurants in Madrid range from small neighborhood taverns to exclusive Michelin-starred restaurants, passing through centenary restaurants and streets, such as Ponzano, which are the epicenter of new culinary proposals.
Madrid is full of brilliant places to eat and drink. That’s why we’ve chosen the 50 best restaurants that all Madrileños (and non-Madrileños) should try at least once in their lives.
1. Osa
In a city in full gastronomic explosion, as Madrid is, sometimes the identity that made it different is diluted. Osa is an inward look that has brought freshness among so many attempts at forced casticismo. First for its location, on the banks of the Manzanares River, away from the culinary center, where it recovers a house with a garden typical of a Madrid colony.
Then for its elaborations. They do not pretend to be the most innovative, they could be defined as classics. They use French techniques -like the rillete (similar to confit) of rabbit- and national product, with local nods, like the bread of Clan Obrador.
🍲 Chocolate bell pepper with cod pilpil from the Faroe Islands.
Calle de la Ribera del Manzanares, 123 (Moncloa – Aravaca)
2. Lobito de Mar
Lobito de Mar is the most ‘salty’ restaurant in Spain and, without a doubt, one of the best in the capital. The cuisine of the well-known chef Dani García is a tribute to the sea and all its goodness. In Lobito de Mar, the quality of its products is the priority, which are combined with a lot of creativity and good taste. The atmosphere of the place is as pleasant as cozy, largely due to a first class service.
Calle de Jorge Juan, 10 (Salamanca neighborhood)
3. Yugo the bunker
No matter how many times we talk about Yugo the bunker because they will always be insufficient. Its letter of introduction is a raw material of extraordinary quality and an environment already advanced by the name itself. It is impossible to find many of its products in a conventional (or specialized) supermarket. For that reason alone it is worth it. For that, of course, and for the Michelin star that is a guarantor of its quality.
🍲 The classic menu.
Calle de San Blas, 4 (Las Letras)
4. Sala de Despiece
In Sala de Despiece the bet is clear. It is not unusual that more and more restaurants devote their gastronomic proposal to the visual bet: if it is photogenic, people will want to come to take pictures of it and, secondly, to taste it. There are times when photogenic does not transcend the dish and others when it is a natural consequence of quality. To this second group belongs the Sala de Despiece, which became big in Ponzano and after the confinement its second location next to Gran Vía. Raw material, creativity and staging.
🍲El chuletón cenital.
Calle de Ponzano, 8 and 11 (Chamberí) and Calle de la Virgen de los Peligros, 8 (Centro).
5. Montia
Montia was reborn in 2022 after closing due to a fire, and once renovated it recovered its Michelin star. They define themselves as collectors and farmers of what they cook, and it shows in their menu, which changes with the seasons, but always maintains a “wild” side. The trip to San Lorenzo de El Escorial is more than justified to try their tripe and it is also a good excuse to visit the monastery (again).
🍲 Los callos.
📍 Calle Juan de Austria, 7 (San Lorenzo de El Escorial).
6. Mawey Taco Bar
We are not afraid to say it: here you will find some of the best tacos in Madrid. But they are also not bad at guacamole, aguachile and other wonders of Mexican cuisine that can only be improved accompanied by a homemade michelada. And they do that too.
🍲 Their tacos al pastor.
📍 Calle de Olid, 6 (Chamberí) | Calle San Bernardo, 5 (Centro) | Calle Manuel de Falla 3 (Majadahonda)
7. Lana
Lana is the project of the Narváiz brothers, after many years working in the hotel and catering business. The restaurant is a tribute to its Argentinean origin, and the name refers to a ritual, it is the way of preparing each of the products.
There is an almost millimetric study based on family roots, respect for the Argentine gastronomic tradition and the quality of the product. An opportunity to try one of the best steakhouses in Madrid.
🍲 El ojo de bife
Calle de Ponzano, 59 (Chamberí)
8. Chicote Museum
There is a place in Madrid whose walls are living history and that, at the same time, innovates every day. A place that combines the atmosphere of past and present in the heart of Madrid’s Gran Vía. The legendary Museo Chicote, which has been welcoming the best of Spanish (and international) society since the 1930s.
Calle de Gran Vía, 12 (Downtown)
9. Saddle
With a Michelin star and two suns from the Repsol guide, one begins to get an idea of the level of cuisine that can be enjoyed at Saddle. A luxurious setting with a culinary offer that is no slouch, mixing classic and contemporary recipes that allow you to taste from a Rossini sirloin to a plate of tripe.
🍲 Pâté en croute
Calle Amador de los Ríos, 6 (Chamberí)
10. Brutalista
Brutalista claims to have the spirit of a neighborhood tavern and market. These experts in making marinades have attracted the attention of chefs and experts despite their short history. Their cuisine has touches of typical game dishes, such as quail, with some Asian cuisine, such as Oliviere temaki, and a classic that never fails, such as gazpacho. In addition, their prices are quite tight, and with three different price ranges.
🍲 La codorniz.
📍 Calle Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, 34 (Argüelles)
11. Muyummy
In Muyummy most of the dishes and ingredients refer to Asia. Or to the vision that its owner and chef, Sergio Garcia, has of Asian gastronomy since he has never left Europe.
In addition to the good fusion cuisine, another attraction of this restaurant in Coslada is the price. They serve a dish of the day for 9,5€ that has never been repeated, as it is decided according to what the chef finds attractive that day in the market.
🍲 The leek croquettes with mojo.
📍 Calle de la Virgen de la Cabeza, 26 (Coslada)
12. Urumea
Let’s see how we explain this. One meter of cachopo. We could end the text here because it is reason enough to include it in a top 50 best restaurants in Madrid. But let’s develop this festival of vanities.
Because in addition to the one-meter cachopazo (for four people, with 3 bottles of cider for 100€) you can choose a starter to share with your tablemates: chorizo in cider, Russian salad, grilled rice blood sausage, homemade croquettes, tomato with onion and ventresca, calamari or fried anchovies.
🍲 Cachopo, you say while you stick your blue pupil in my pupil.
📍 Calle de Cochabamba, 7 (Colombia)
13. Lur
The youth and talent of Lucía Gutiérrez and Sergio Vera, both in their twenties and the cook at Lur, is the first thing that surprises us about this restaurant in Legazpi, which in a short time has caught the media’s attention. Although their young age -of the restaurant and of them- is supported by Miguel Gutiérrez, Lucía’s father, who previously ran the restaurant Kándida, in this same place and now supports them in this project. In Lur they emphasize a cuisine of long cooking and seasonal product, so the rotation of dishes is constant.
🍲 The wild boar ravioli.
📍 Calle de Bolívar, 11 (Legazpi)
14. Xiongzai Restaurant
The famous Chinese restaurant in the garage of Plaza de España broke our hearts when it closed. But we can always console ourselves with the one known as ‘the Winnie’ for using the Disney character in its decoration. Their dishes of authentic Chinese food rarely exceed 4€ or 5€, so with a small bill you have plenty to spare.
🍲 Ramen with sweet potato noodles.
📍 Calle San Leonardo, 3 (downtown) and Calle de la Salud, 8 (downtown).
15. Asturianos
Julia, the cook who after 80 years is still in the kitchen of the Asturianos restaurant, is revered by postin chefs and food critics. This restaurant opened when Vallehermoso street was a compendium of restaurants from different provinces and is the only survivor. Its spoon dishes, typical of the principality, feed the crop and the soul on cold days and its flans at any time of the year.
🍲 Verdinas with seafood.
📍 Calle de Vallehermoso, 94 (Chamberí)
16. Triciclo
Triciclo has long been one of the most interesting restaurants in Madrid. An eclectic menu, with a lot of rotation, undefinable, and market and seasonal products in abundance. A firm bet to get a Michelin Star soon. This recommendation may well serve to visit now that you don’t have to book months in advance.
🍲 The potatoes a la importancia with grilled squid.
📍 Calle de Sta. María, 28 (Las Letras)
17. Desde 1911
Desde 1911, from the Pescaderías Coruñesas Group (owned by the García Azpiroz family), is a tribute to the Maragato muleteers who gave birth to the family legacy that continues to reap success. This restaurant holds the top spot on Opinionated About Dining’ s list of the 30 best new European restaurants in 2022. With a menu that changes daily in order to serve only the best possible seafood and fish and an impeccable Nordic décor, they make Desde 1911 a place to be.
🍲 Changes daily.
📍 Calle del Vivero, 3 (Tetuán)
18. Takos al Pastor
🍲 Try them all
📍 Calle de la Salud, 13 (Downtown)
19. Terracotta
No need to ask about the concept that vertebrates a restaurant like Terracotta because the attentive eye guesses it: craftsmanship runs through every little element. The dishes, for example, are handmade.
It has been open since 2021 and it has been worth that time to consolidate itself as one of the best restaurants in the Salamanca neighborhood. And they have done so with an artisanal menu (as it could not be otherwise) that varies almost daily.
🍲 Säam of glazed Iberian jowl with pineapple and peppermint
Calle de Velázquez, 80 (Salamanca district)
20. Lakasa
Lakasa’s menu changes with the seasons and adapts to what the market offers, that’s why among its dishes since November are calçots, while in summer they bet on bonito.
Cesar Martin is in charge of this restaurant that maintains a balance in which the product is excellent, but the average price is not prohibitive. This has made them recognized both in real life and on Instagram, where they are very active and have developed their more informative side.
🍲 Depending on the season.
Plaza Descubridor Diego de Ordás, 1 (Ríos Rosas).
21. Doppelgänger
Samy Alí, a half-Madrilenian and half-Sudanese chef with the name of a boxer, has opened Doppelgänger, although he used to run La Candela Restó until the moment when (after getting a Michelin star) he decided to close it.
A good way to approach this innovative restaurant is the following: when we got the bill we expected the price to be 70€ per person and finally it was 30€. The menu varies and when you sit at the table, they bring out all the dishes (the only thing they ask you is if there is something you don’t like or if you have any allergies).
You will try the whole menu.
Calle de Santa Isabel, 5 (Antón Martín Market)
22. Bel Mondo
Bel Mondo, which opened in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood (Calle Velázquez, 39), may be one of the best Italian restaurants in Madrid. The food, of course, is as dogmatically Italian as an Italian restaurant in Italy demands. It is the first restaurant that the Big Mamma group opened in Spain, followed by Villa Capri and Napoli Gang.
🍲 Its carbonara, undoubtedly.
Calle de Velázquez, 39 (Salamanca district)
23. La Bola
Two reasons why La Bola’ s cocido is so well known: it is prepared for more than 4 hours over very low heat and over holm oak charcoal and in the classic clay pots, in which it is also served. Inside the pucheros the raw ingredients are introduced: chickpeas, water from Madrid, bacon, potato, chorizo and it is taken to the charcoal, where it is cooked, during which time the pucheros are periodically refilled with broth.
🍲 The stew.
📍 Calle de la Bola, 5 (Downtown)
24. Genko
Genko has taken the free buffet concept to the level of haute cuisine. Its executive chef, Víctor Camargo, calls “Iberian Umami” to the union that occurs in most of its dishes between Asian gastronomy and the Castilian essence. A good example of this intermediate point are the pork ear sui mai, the grilled mussels with red kimchi and edamame or the pork needle and bacon ramen.
🍲 Sui mai of pig’s ear.
📍 Calle Velázquez, 47 (Salamanca district)
25. Yeca estrit fud
It is difficult to define the dishes or at least find a concept that runs through each and every one of the creations that you can find in Yeca Estrit Fud. It is easy, however, to recommend the strong points or dishes of the menu. First and foremost, the green chicken curry with pumpkin – the level of spiciness is suitable for all palates and perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the pumpkin.
Another Vietnamese-inspired dish, Banh Xeo (crispy pancakes with bacon, prawns, sprouts and herbs), deserves a special mention.
🍲 The green curry.
Calle de Tribulete, 10 (Lavapiés)
26. Casa Kike
Casa Kike is a faithful representation that a possible key to success is to do well what you have been doing all your life. Without more pretensions and without more grandiloquence. Recurring parishioners, international singers who come here on pilgrimage or national critics who try to unravel the secrets of its oxtail. The best way to measure the quality of Casa Kike, however, is by visiting it (and tasting its bacalao al pil pil).
🍲 El bacalao al pil pil.
Paseo de los Melancólicos, 43 (Imperial)
27. Bichopalo
Bichopalo was born in the Mercado Barceló, the place became too small and came out of its chrysalis to settle in Ponzano. In Bichopalo the offer is easy to explain: a tasting menu that varies from time to time (but maintains authorial touches), a mixture of culinary trends and a top quality product.
La dorada frita.
Calle de Cristóbal Bordiú, 39 (Chamberí)
28. DiverXo
Diverxo hardly needs any introduction: a restaurant whose owner has been considered the best chef in the world, which is always on the front page and is the only restaurant in Madrid that has made it onto a list of the best restaurants in the world. It’s not that it’s a restaurant to go to before you die, it’s that it’s a restaurant to stay and live in.
🍲 The experience and let yourself be surprised.
Calle del Padre Damián, 23 (Cuzco)
29. Farah
Farah is the Mediterranean restaurant that Heba Kharouf opened in December 2023 after leaving advertising to devote herself to cooking. With her dishes she manages to unite her Arab cultural ties with those here through recipes that, without being the same as ours, do have a common denominator. Chickpeas, eggplant, octopus, prawns… his menu is short, concise and very healthy.
🍲 Eggplant Fatté.
Carrera de San Francisco, 12 (Center)
30. Batch
Batch is one of the most interesting stalls in the Vallehermoso Market. Here, in addition to natural wines, they make their own ferments, so it is both a store and a small restaurant with a tasting menu. The fermenter Nacho García and the cook Daniel Vare decided to include in their menu a wide variety of natural wines since they opened their market stall. The truth is that in addition to those packs of ferments and wines (which they also sell online) their cuisine has been gaining relevance, until it has become their great attraction.
🍲 The tiger mussel with bechamel and kimchi.
📍 Calle de Vallehermoso, 36 (Vallehermoso Market, stall: 47-48).
31. Ornella
Some would say that Italians are trendy in Madrid, but they are, because of gastronomic proposals like those of Ornella. A well-decorated restaurant, young and tasteful, where you can taste the best dishes of our Azurri neighbors. A space where to hold a business meeting and come out victorious, a perfect place for a romantic date, and come out triumphant.
🍲 The Nutellotto dessert.
Calle Velázquez, 18 (Salamanca district)
32. Casa Lucio
A Madrid classic. Little more can be said about Casa Lucio, where monarchs, presidents from all over the world, artists, sportsmen and even astronauts have gathered. According to the tavern owner who gives his name to the business, there have been many occasions when he has been offered a Michelin star, but he has always turned them down because the real stars were already seated in his place. If you haven’t tried it yet, the huevos estrellados are a must. Almost, almost like visiting the Vatican and not standing in line for the Sistine Chapel.
🍲 Huevos estrellados.
Calle de la Cava Baja, 35 (La Latina)
33. Julián de Tolosa House
You don’t have to go far to find another of the best restaurants in Madrid. A temple of good meat where you can enjoy tasty grilled steaks. So much so that Forbes even catalogued them as the best in the world. But its history goes back to the 50’s of the last century, in the municipality of Tolosa in the province of Gipuzkoa, which makes it one of the first Basque steakhouses known. At present, it has two premises in the capital.
🍲 Chuletón de vaca madurada.
Calle de la Cava Baja, 18 (La Latina) and Calle de Ibiza, 39 (Ibiza).
34. La Maruca
If we talk about classics, this list could not miss La Maruca. It belongs to the same group as La Primera, La Bien Aparecida and Cañadío, which in 202 was named the best restaurant in Spain to eat tortilla de patata. La Maruca is a proven phenomenon, an authentic place to be for lovers of good food. It has three locations in Madrid, all three are well located, spacious and have a tremendously agile service.
🍲Rabas de calamar.
Calle de Velázquez, 54 (Salamanca district); Paseo de la Castellana, 212 (Chamartín) and Calle de López de Hoyos, 42 (El Viso).
35. El Brote
Specialized restaurants always give a special confidence, either because they only make one dish or because they have an ingredient that occupies the entire menu. The latter is the case of El Brote. Here the mushrooms are even in the dessert, although the dishes vary according to the season because when betting on a product that depends so much on the temperatures the menu has to adapt to the full menu. The owners are experts and passionate mycologists who always know how to get the best product (or mushroom) of each season.
🍲 Varies with the season.
Calle de la Ruda, 14 (La Latina)
36. Umiko
Umiko is Japanese fusion cuisine that has the recognition of the Repsol guide (2020) and all the palates that have had the opportunity to try it. This would be a way to present Umiko, a restaurant that combines quality, flavor and attention to detail in each dish. And it is no wonder that having chefs Juan Alcaide and Pablo Álvarez heading the project eating here is quite an experience.
🍲 Paella socarrat nigiri with Huelva prawns
Calle de los Madrazo, 6 (Downtown)
37. Yokaloka
Yokaloka’s ramen is cinematic, or to be more specific, worthy of a TV series, as it inspired Isabel Coixet in her series Foodie Love, in which the protagonist claims that it is the best ramen in the world.
This Japanese restaurant takes its name from Yoka Kamada, the Japanese woman who has been in charge of the kitchen for more than 14 years. In addition to the ramen they cook for 12 hours, the sushi set yokaloka is a must.
🍲 The ramen.
Plaza de Matute, 7 (Centro)
38. Santa Canela
They say that what is good, if brief, is twice as good; and that is something that perfectly applies to Santa Canela’s menu, with which you will get it right no matter what you order. Despite not being as well known as some of the names on this list, it has been able to gain the loyalty of its clientele in a short time with an offer that includes traditional classics, raciones, hamburgers? We can not fail to recommend their patatas bravísimas: with homemade sauce made of chipotle chili and aji amarillo on a bed of sobrasada and fennel, a real vice.
🍲 Patatas bravísimas
Calle de Guzmán el Bueno, 20 (Chamberí)
39. Dimibang
Its name “Dimibang” refers to what is considered the first cookbook written by a woman in East Asia, a reference in terms of Korean cuisine. A very appropriate name for a restaurant that has managed to bring the flavors of Korea to the heart of Argüelles. If in addition to eating (very) well you want to have a good time, the Korean barbecue, which is cooked at the table itself, is a fun and ideal option for those who understand food as an opportunity to share.
🍲 Korean barbecue
Calle de Rodríguez San Pedro, 67 (Chamberí)
40. Nakeima
The fame of Nakeima means that the queue is assured. It has no website, and it is difficult to reach them by phone, so in this Asian fusion food restaurant is a 100% analog experience and that may be part of its grace. Among its attractions is that, although it has a tasting menu, you can stop whenever you want, if you can not or do not want to eat more you do not have to take the whole thing. Another peculiarity is that there is no previous information about what they are going to serve you, you don’t know anything about the next dish until they serve it to you.
🍲 The dry ramen with aioli
Calle Meléndez Valdés, 54 (Chamberí)
41. Tripea
Tripea opened in 2017 and 6 years continues to reap accolades, such as the one it received this year for best market stall in the region at the ceremony held by ACYRE (Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs) during the 50th edition of the Gastronomic Contest of the Community of Madrid.
Its tasting menu is one of the most attractive and affordable in Madrid (it costs 50€) in relation to the quality offered. It consists of 8 passes where ceviches, dumplings and grilled meats triumph.
🍲 Hot ceviche of mussels.
Vallehermoso Market (Chamberí)
42 .Ugo Chan
Ugo Chan is the grand opening of 2021, thanks in part to the recognition of Dabiz Muñoz on his IG, as well as other gastronomic gurus such as Eric Vernacci. It is the solo bet of chef Hugo Muñoz, after having passed through the kitchen of Kabuki, Shikku and KBK and creating the concept of UMO. All good promises and a Michelin star that endorses its performance.
🍲 Pepitoria de crestas de gallo (rooster’s combs)
Calle Félix Boix, 6 (Chamartín)
43. El Corral de la Morería
El Corral de la Morería is one of the best known flamenco tablaos and also one of the best restaurants in Madrid. It is not opinion, it was recognized as the best restaurant in Madrid in 2021 by the Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs of Madrid (ACYRE) and also has a Michelin star and two suns of Repsol. Its menu is the bet of its chef, David García, for the organic garden, controlled cultivation and good raw materials.
🍲 Lamb Crown Pré-Salé
Calle Morería, 17 (Downtown)
44. Fismuler
Fismuler may adapt its menu to the seasons with exquisite success and good product, but nothing will match -in size and flavor- its escalope with egg and truffle, or its blue cheese and Idiazabal tart that distinguishes it among so many pastry offerings. Such is the success of these hits on their menu that you can order them to be sent to your home, or buy the tart separately at Pastelería Mallorca.
🍲 El escalope
Calle de Sagasta, 29 (Chamberí)
45. Kitchen 154
Kitchen 154 is a restaurant that, although known for its spicy dishes, appeals even to the chili-averse. Its fame has been made over the years and word of mouth, because if you mention spicy in this city it is rare that Kitchen 154 does not come up in conversation. The menu is concise, with lots of reference to Asian street cuisine, from India to Korea, and the occasional nod to the local. A good example is the Oreja killing me, a Madrid classic with a Thai twist.
🍲 Korean ribs with bbq sauce.
Mercado de Vallehermoso (calle de Vallehermoso, 36) and calle del Acuerdo, 3 (Noviciado)
46. Zalacaín
Very few restaurants in Spain and in the world can boast such a relevant trajectory as that of Zalacaín. A gastronomic temple par excellence, synonymous with a unique gastronomic experience and a meeting point for personalities from all walks of life since its foundation almost fifty years ago. In its menu in which remain or return a selection of its most emblematic dishes such as the Búcaro “Don Pío” (Consomé Gelée, smoked salmon, quail egg and caviar) or the Bacalao Tellagorri.
🍲 Búcaro “Don Pío”.
Álvarez de Baena Street, 4 (Castellana)
47. Smoked Room
Smoked Room was another of the great openings of 2021. The success is such that within six months of opening they received two Michelin stars. At the helm of this restaurant located in the Hyatt Hesperia hotel is the work of Dani Garcia and Massimiliano Delle Vedove. Exclusivity runs through this project, from the menu to the decoration, in which there is seating for only 14 people.
🍲 Tasting menu 180€.
Paseo de la Castellana, 57 (Chamberí)
48. Casa Botín
This list could not miss the oldest restaurant not only in the city, but (literally) in the world: 295 years of history behind it and, even so, a long future ahead. From the Arco de Cuchilleros this gastronomic institution has remained standing combining tradition and innovation in its restaurant, and now also in the 1725 Gourmet Terrace.
🍲 Its roasted lamb and suckling pig.
Calle de Cuchilleros, 17 (La Latina)
49. La tasca suprema
The perfect example that sometimes the essential is more within reach than we think. With the vegetable garden of Navarre as the protagonist, this small tasca serves traditional homemade dishes, in the purest style of the “casas de comidas”. A tribute to the most classic recipes to make you feel at home tasting its stew, its tripe or its centenary recipe of torrijas.
🍲 Cocido madrileño supreme (on request)
Calle de Argensola, 7 (Salesas)
50. Casa Lhardy
Founded in 1839, Lhardy is one of the oldest restaurants in the capital the best place to eat cocido madrileño and undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Madrid. Moreover, after it almost went bankrupt after the pandemic, it was acquired by Pescaderías Coruñesas who have brought it back to life. Its halls have managed to remain in the Madrid imaginary thanks to artists like C. Tangana, who included it in a video of his album El Madrileño.
🍲 El cocido madrileño.
Carrera de San Jerónimo, 8 (Downtown).
Madrid has a bar or restaurant for every 211 inhabitants and that number from year to year. From the finest Madrid to the pure neighborhood, you have to know it all and what better way than through its restaurants that compete in quantity and quality with those of the great European capitals.