Madrid’s seafood restaurants are supplied by the second largest fish market in the world (after Tokyo): Mercamadrid. Although this information is not well received in the coastal cities of the rest of Spain, the fish that comes to Madrid by the simple law of supply and demand is the best and most abundant. So it is not surprising that the fresh product served in the capital’s restaurants is among the best in the country.
1. El Señor Martín
El Señor Martín first started out as a fishmonger’s, and 10 years later ended up on the other side of the chain, as a restaurant in the neighborhood of Las Salesas. This restaurant, which appears in the Michelin Guide and has a Repsol Sun, ensures that the fish and seafood they serve comes from responsible fishing. They also boast that they visit different Spanish fish markets to select the best from each place.
Price: €€€€€
Location:Calle General Castaños, 13 (Salesas)
2. Ribeira do Miño
Ribeira do Miño is one of the seafood restaurants in Madrid that adjust prices while maintaining quality. Located in the Malasaña neighborhood, this traditional Galician restaurant is a safe bet for celebrations and birthdays in the capital. From oysters to garlic clams, without forgetting the Galician bread and a piece of Santiago cake for dessert, but without the sea breeze (or the constant rain) accompanying.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Santa Brígida street, 1 (Justicia)
3. El Pescador
El Pescador is the first restaurant of the Pescaderías Coruñesas group. They maintain that what made them stand out when they opened, back in 1975, was the unmasked fish and seafood, aware of the quality of their products. Here you will find lobster from the Bay of Biscay and prawns from Cadiz. The best of each end of the peninsula.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Calle José Ortega y Gasset, 75 (Salamanca district); Ronda de Toledo, 2 (Arganzuela) and Avenida del Monasterio de Silos, 22 (Fuencarral-El Pardo).
4. La Trainera
La Trainera, founded in 1966, is one of the best known seafood restaurants in the Salamanca district. This restaurant is so focused on its product, seafood, that it even has a wholesale fish stand in Mercamadrid. For this reason, it could be said that it has a bit of an advantage in the selection of its raw material.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Calle de Lagasca, 60 (Salamanca neighborhood)
5. O’pazo
The restaurant O’pazo was inaugurated in 1969 and since 1981 belongs to the group Pescaderías Coruñesas. It quickly carved a niche for itself in Madrid’s booming gastronomy, to the point of being one of the few restaurants to obtain the recognition of a star in the first edition of the Michelin Red Guide for Spain.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Calle Reina Mercedes, 20 (Cuatro Caminos)
6. El Cucurucho del Mar
Behind El Cucurucho del Mar there are two generations of people from Vigo who have brought their know-how to the capital. Among its specialties are fresh scallops or scrambled Finisterre seaweed with sea urchin caviar. The ideal is to accompany them with an Albariño or Ribeira Sacra wine and to close, indulge yourself with some delicious filloas.
They also offer a menu of the day with an excellent quality-price ratio (17,50 €) and prepare orders to take away for any special occasion.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Postigo de San Martín street, 6 (downtown)
7. La Chalana
La Chalana is an Asturian restaurant in Madrid that has as its flag the “democratization of fish and seafood”. A clear example is its menus with drink included from 19 €. The simplicity of their dishes and focus on the product have allowed them to be so competitive. Grilled and baked fish, grilled meats, and freshly cooked or grilled seafood. Raw materials, oil, salt and little else are the key to its success.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Calle Santo Domingo de Silos, 6 (El Viso); Calle de Barceló, 6 (Centro) and Calle de Clara del Rey, 24 (Chamartín).
8. Rafa Restaurant
Rafa is already part of the neighborhood’s identity. This restaurant specializing in seafood and fish has been in the vicinity of the Retiro since 1958. It serves a salpicón of lobster from the Bay of Biscay, clams with garlic and a prawn omelette that will make you think you are on the beach. You can eat it either at the bar or sitting at the table with a tablecloth, it all depends on the mood and the company.
Price: €€€€€
Location: Calle Narváez, 68 (Ibiza)