Yes, calçots are also eaten in Madrid. This typical dish of Catalan gastronomy has found its place in the capital and calçotadas are already a winter plan.
For those who still do not understand and think that it is another name for leek (and although they do belong to the onion family), the calçot has its own particularities. This vegetable is typical of the Tarragona area and eating it involves a ritual: it is cooked on the grill, picked up with your hands and dipped in romesco sauce, while you try not to get burned or stained, you savor that 50/50 of the sweetness of the calçot and the creaminess of the sauce.
1. Lakasa
Lakasa’s menu changes with the seasons and adapts to what the market has to offer, which is why calçots have been among its dishes since November. 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 in real life as well as in Instagram where they have developed an informative side by sharing their elaborations. They even have their own podcast.
💶 Average price: 60 €
📍 Plaza Descubridor Diego de Ordás, 1 (Rio Rosas)
2. Candeli
Candeli is located in one of the culinary epicenters of Madrid: ponzano Street. In such an artery, competition is high, but this restaurant has carved out a niche for itself by focusing on two things. One is market cuisine (with special attention to meats) and the other is grilled.
This second element is what makes its calçots menu make all the sense within its menu, which also includes: pan amb tumaca, cod brandade, charcoal grilled chops, butifarra sausage and crema catalana.
💶 Average price: 50 €
📍 Calle de Ponzano, 47 (Chamberí)
3. Can Punyetes
Can Punyetes is a barcelona classic which settled in Madrid at the end of the 80’s, and it could be said that it is already a reference of the Catalan gastronomy in the capital. Mediterranean cuisine is the central axis of this restaurant, which is also governed by the seasons, so the calçots are only on the menu from November to April.
💶 Calçots with romesco sauce: 10,50 €
📍 Calle de San Agustín, 9 (Las Letras) and Calle de los Señores de Luzón, 5 (Las Letras)
4. Calsot
In Calsot they serve calçots and its menu calçotada all the year round, so they do honor to its name. They also take advantage of the embers with a long list of vegetables and meats in their menu, among which the rabbit stands out, so typical of the Levantine cuisine. Another of the Catalan dishes included in the menu are the snails a la llauna, which after being grilled are topped with a brandy flambé.
💶 Ration of calçots (12) with romesco sauce: 15€
📍 Avenida de la Paloma, 36 (Hoyo de Manzanares)
5. Jorge House
At Casa Jorge there is also a calçotada menu when the season allows it. This restaurant in Prosperidad was set up in 2000 by some people from Madrid, who had previously worked in a now defunct Catalan restaurant -Endavant- and having the know-how and the suppliers, they decided to launch their own Madrid version of the Mediterráneo. 22 years later, they now have a total of three restaurants, not counting this one: La Divina de Goya, La Divina de Castellana and Moaran.
💶 Calçots with romesco sauce: 17€
📍 Calle de Cartagena, 104 (Prosperidad)
6. El Economato Tavern
Taberna El Economato has two locations: one in Salesas and the other in the neighborhood of Las Letras, but the calçotadamenu is only available by order at the tavern on Echegaray street. They also serve calçots in portions of 8, you can always accompany them with sausages, cheeses and preserves.
💶 Average price: 25€
📍 Calle Echegaray, 16 (Las Letras)
7. Can Bonet
In front of the retiro Park is this coquettish restaurant with tapas and market dishes and Catalan tradition. For starters, the calçots with romesco sauce are a classic of the winter season, but its fideuá rossejat and milhoja for dessert are an excellent culinary highlight.
💶 Calçots with romesco sauce: 19€
📍 Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo, 15 (Ibiza)
8. Goya’s Divine
La Divina de Goya belongs to the same group as Casa Jorge, and its cuisine also follows the basics of Catalan gastronomy. Their calçotadamenu includes (besides the obvious) escalivada, grilled rabbit with aioli, chops, butifarra sausage and crema catalana to finish on a high note. Also a bottle of cava. The truth is that you can’t ask for more.
💶 Calçots: 18,50 €
📍 Calle Goya, 111 (Goya)
9. High Bar
Barra Alta Madrid is the capital restaurant of the Catalan chef Dani Roca. This vegetable, which is the star of winter vegetable gardens in Catalonia, is presented in two different off-menu preparations, which are available while they are in season. The first is a version of calçots confit at low temperature over romesco sauce, accompanied by meat juice and “butifarra de perol” sausage in the style of the Catalan “calçotadas”. In the second version, Roca gives another twist to the technique normally used to cook this product, in this dish he prepares the calçots in tempura, obtaining a crunchy and delicate result; they also have a touch of chaat masala and, of course, are accompanied by romesco sauce.
price of the dishes: calçots confit, 21€ and calçots in tempura, 15€
📍 Calle Lagasca, 19 (Salamanca district)