Living in Madrid is synonymous with seeing it in a perpetual change of coat. And the new trendy restaurants help this process of mutation. Large luxury hotels are springing up where there used to be gold-buying stores, market stalls now house innovative restaurants, and neighborhoods where you can go to eat the latest culinary hit are multiplying.
Nato
Nato had a novel effect on this writer. I had not finished eating and I was already booking a table for the next day.
It is in Usera and its basic idea is Asian tapas (which have a foot in Spain, as is the case of the Russian salad with pickled mussels and sesame oil and more) that are not shared. The zamburiña with pine nuts, butter, anchovy is on its way to becoming one of those emblematic dishes that justify a pilgrimage.
📍Location: Calle de Elisa, 1 (Usera)
Chuck’s
Chuck George has not come to Madrid to make hamburgers. Or, at least, not only to do that. The American with Filipino roots already made it clear in Milan that his cuisine is a statement of intent.
Now, in Chamberí, he ups the ante with a place that looks like a French bistro but is actually a melting pot of influences: wooden tables, lamps handmade in Madrid, and a menu that ranges from kinilaw – a Filipino ceviche made here with pork rinds – to chicken wings that turn into gyoza. Burger joint? Fusion? Temple of natural wines? Yes. And it’s also a place without a sign. If you walk by and don’t see it, you’ve seen it.
📍Location: Calle de la Santísima Trinidad, 6 (Chamberí)
Rapaz
Rapaz is like going to eat at your grandmother’s house . Duralex tableware, checkered tablecloth, Spanish food without clichés and only on weekends. Rapaz (Mercado de los Mostenses) has just twelve seats and is only open Fridays and Saturdays at noon. 35 euros menu, seasonal cuisine and a feeling of “how well I have eaten” that lasts until Monday.
Txitxo, one of the brains behind Kitchen 154, is also behind Rapaz and defines it as “a Spanish food place”, but without the croquette, paella or the umpteenth Betanzos omelette. Here there is stuffed pheasant, oxtail consommé with foie, stewed potatoes with octopus and cream canutillos with chestnuts in syrup. The menu changes every month depending on the market and their Instagram is the only way to know what’s on and when to book.
📍Location: Mercado de los Mostenses (Centro)
Red Panda
Born as a delivery and consolidated as one of the trendiest restaurants in the Salamanca neighborhood. In absolute postmodernity, the life cycle of restaurants is an enigma.
And Red Panda started on the food delivery platforms and the success of its curries and many other dishes that look to Southeast Asia consolidated it as one of the best places in Madrid to order food. They have just arrived in the neighborhood and are already reaping success.
📍Location: Calle de Maldonado, 7 (Salamanca)
Gustoo
The success of trendy restaurants in Madrid is calibrated in two ways: either you queue endlessly to eat there or you have no way of reserving a place until the next equinox. Gustoo is one of the former.
High avant-garde fast food by Jorge Cal and Aldo Sebastianelli, who has worked with Dabiz Muñoz. They make sandwiches, to sum it up very much, in which you choose the bread: brioche, crepe or bao. A very interesting bet where you can eat for about fifteen euros.
📍 Location: San Antón Market (Chueca)
La Capa
People are hungry for authenticity and this is clear in the new trendy restaurants in Madrid. La Capa is a food house with a menu worthy of a wine bar. What sets this restaurant apart is its location, it is in Carabanchel, and although this could be another sign of gentrification, the truth is that they have neither transformed the facade nor redecorated the interior and its menu is focused on typical national dishes. La Gracia? Good product, good price and good atmosphere.
📍Location: calle Condes de Barcelona, 8 (Carabanchel)
Casa Tabacos
Following the maxims of the previous restaurant, which makes the trend even more evident, Casa Tabacos is a traditional restaurant. Ensaladilla rusa, pincho de tortilla, tapita de aceitunas and vermú, typical dishes that triumph in its menu and give back to Malasaña the traditional side. The owners, Sergio Ochoa and Julián Lara, are experts in recovering classic places, as they have done previously with Casa Macareno, Bodegas El Maño and Café Ruiz.
📍Location: Calle de la Palma, 69 (Malasaña)
Pury
We warned you in the title, but at Pury it is crucial to book weeks in advance for two reasons: it only has nine tables and it is indeed one of the trendiest restaurants in Madrid. Since its opening in July, it has caused a sensation for its authentic Korean cuisine, highlighting dishes such as jokbal -Korean-style pork knuckle- and bossam -steamed bacon. Kimchi is also a star of the menu, available in various preparations as an omelet or as an accompaniment to other dishes.
📍Location: Calle de Ricardo León, 2, Shop 6 and 7 (Mostenses Market).
This article has been written by Alberto del Castillo and Elena Francés.