The 12 best restaurants in Madrid
While Madrid has become one of the top gastronomic capitals in Europe, classic tapas bars and traditional restaurants are still as popular as ever, some sticking to the local favourites, others giving a creative twist to their dishes. You could kick off a visit to this food-loving city by sinking your teeth into roast suckling pig at the 'world's oldest restaurant' Botín or share a plate of sizzling garlic prawns at Cabreira. Have a romantic dinner at Bodega de los Secretos or combine Michelin-starred cuisine with a passionate flamenco performance at Corral de la Moreria.
For further inspiration, see our guide to Madrid and the city's best hotels, bars, tapas, nightlife, shops, things to do and things to do for free.
Find a restaurant by area
Plaza Mayor, Opera and La Latina
Botín
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Botín is officially the oldest restaurant in the world. It opened in 1725 and is renowned for its roast suckling pig and lamb, which are cooked over vine shoots in the huge oven that has been there since it opened. Also good are the clams and the baby squid in its own ink. The dining rooms sprawl through the building, from the vaulted cellar to pretty tiled spaces on the upper floors – Ernest Hemingway fans can ask to sit at his favourite spot. Unsurprisingly, Botín is very popular with visitors, but eating here is a quintessential Madrid experience so don’t let that put you off.
Contact: restaurantebotin.com
Prices: ￡￡
Reservations: Essential
Best table: Ernest Hemingway fans can ask to sit at his favourite spot
Casa Ciriaco
This supremely traditional bar and restaurant, a favourite of politicians, writers, bullfighters and celebrities, has been going for a century and has a rich history – which you can trace by looking at the photographs covering the walls. New owners have barely changed a thing, thank goodness, and Casa Ciriaco has lost nothing of its character. Order the delicious signature dish, gallina a la pepitoria - chicken in almond sauce – and maybe some meatballs. In summer, start with the melon gazpacho. Or just have a draught vermouth or beer in the tiled bar with some croquetas – a good option if you need to recharge your batteries after visiting the Royal Palace.
Contact: casaciriaco.es
Prices: ￡￡
Reservations: Advisable for restaurant, not required for bar
Corral de la Morería
With the renowned chef David García at the helm, the restaurant at this legendary flamenco venue has been awarded a Michelin star. An evening here, in the oldest and most characterful part of Madrid, is really special and unique as it combines enjoying creative cuisine with seeing performances by the top flamenco artists in Spain. For the full Michelin experience, book one of the four tables in the gastronomic dining space. After dinner, you move to a reserved table close to the action when the show starts. Most people eat in the less formal setting of Tablao, the area around the stage.
Contact: corraldelamoreria.com
Prices: ￡￡￡
Reservations: Essential
Taberna Los Huevos de Lucio
Taberna Los Huevos de Lucio is a traditional tavern run by the younger generation of the family behind the renowned Casa Lucio across the road, and is great for either a quick bite at the bar or a proper sitdown meal. Huevos rotos – fried eggs 'broken' over a pile of chips – is the signature dish, as it is in Casa Lucio, and is a must-try in Madrid. Here it's elevated to gourmet heights, with additions such as chistorra sausage or pisto vegetables (like a Spanish ratatouille). The slow-cooked ibérico pork cheeks are fabulous too. Order a few things to share.
Contact: loshuevosdelucio.com
Prices: ￡
Reservations: Recommended for restaurant, but not needed at the bar
Barrio de las Letras and Lavapiés
Bodega de los Secretos
You would be very unlikely to stumble upon Bodega de los Secretos by chance, as the restaurant is not only on a quiet side street but is also hidden away in a labyrinth of underground wine cellars that date back to the 17th century. Tables in romantic arched alcoves ensure privacy and there is a great menu of modern Spanish dishes, such as steak from the Pyrenees, rice with prawns and octopus, tuna tataki, and pumpkin ravioli. There are more farflung influences too, such as ceviche with avocado, coconut milk and mango cream.
Contact: bodegadelossecretos.com
Prices: ￡￡
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: Ask for one in an alcove
La Sanabresa
Madrid’s traditional casas de comida (basic restaurants) are dying out, but this jolly, unpretentious place does a roaring trade every day; waiters charge around and old friends are engaged in animated conversations in the gloriously unreconstructed dining room. Come here for a bargain fixed-price lunch after the Prado or Reina Sofía museums. There is plenty to choose from, with no standing on ceremony, and you may well have to wait, but the queue moves quickly. Have a big bowl of soup, aubergine fritters, a salad, roast lamb, spare ribs, meatballs – whatever you fancy basically.
Address: Calle Amor de Dios 12
Contact: 00 34 91 429 0338, facebook.com
Prices: ￡
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Taberna La Elisa
Taberna La Elisa, decorated with pretty blue and yellow tiles, dates back more than century but is now run by the talented young team behind the highly successful Triciclo restaurant nearby. Here they serve up modern versions of Spanish classics, such as rich oxtail with silky butter beans. Grab a stool or a marble table in the bar or book a table to eat in the dining room at the back. The kitchen is open all day and this is a good bet for a late lunch after visiting the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza or Reina Sofia museums.
Contact: eltriciclo.es/la-elisa
Prices: ￡
Reservations: Recommended for dining room, not required for bar
Paseo del Prado and The Retiro Park
Murillo Café
After walking miles around the Prado, this chic brasserie-style café behind the museum is the perfect place to rest your feet with a coffee – or drop in for breakfast before you start. Snacks include pizzetas with toppings such as ibérico ham or fontina cheese with mushrooms, but you might feel like settling in for a leisurely lunch of tuna tartare with chipotle mayonnaise, goat’s cheese, quinoa and lentil salad or a vegetarian burger. If you are really exhausted, order a restorative passionfruit Daquiri to start with. Sunday brunch options include waffles and eggs Benedict.
Contact: murillocafe.com
Prices: ￡￡
Reservations: Advisable for lunch or dinner
Chueca, Malasa?a, and Conde Duque
Angelita
Book ahead at Angelita in Chueca, a gastrobar where the daily-changing menu features the best seasonal produce and more than 50 wines are available by the glass – and also the half glass, so you can try quite a few. Just let the waiters advise you both on what to order and what to drink with it. If you’ve been disappointed with vegetable dishes in Madrid, a lot of the produce here comes from the owners’ farm and is superb quality. After dinner, just slide downstairs to the decadent bar for a classic or creative cocktail – maybe a Chido, a mix of mezcal, cranberry juice and rice vinegar.
Contact: madrid-angelita.es
Prices: ￡￡
Reservations: Essential
Cabreira
This tapas bar and restaurant with traditional décor and terrace tables on Plaza Dos de Mayo in the boho Malasa?a area is a popular local haunt. Have the patatas a la churri (sautéed potatoes with scrambled egg, onion and garlic), delicate coquina clams, monkfish goujons, fried aubergine with honey and the gambas al ajillo (prawns sizzling in oil with lots of garlic and chilli). Or go for one of the steaks with chips if you’re in that sort of mood. The draught beer is excellent here and there is a good range of reasonably-priced wines by the glass or bottle. The friendly waiters speak good English.
Contact: cabreira.es
Prices: ￡
Reservations: Recommended at weekends
La Dichosa
Hidden away on a quiet street in the quietly cool Conde Duque area, local favourite La Dichosa is a laidback bar and restaurant with striking blue, black and white décor where you share plates of croquettes, grilled octopus, baby broad beans with sobrasada sausage, artisan cheeses and charcuterie. There is a changing range of interesting wines by the glass as well as the bottle and a selection of craft beers too – check out the blackboards to see what’s on offer or just ask Eva or David behind the bar, who will be happy to advise you.
Address: Bernardo López García 11
Contact: 00 34 915 418816; facebook.com/pg/LaDichosa; instagram.com/tabernaladichosa
Prices: ￡￡
Reservations: Recommended at weekends
Paseo de la Castellana and Salamanca area
Ramón Freixa Madrid
Catalan chef Ramón Freixa has two Michelin stars at his glamorous restaurant in the Hotel único, where the floor is a dramatic swirl of black and white marble. He is always creating new dishes, but the menu might include shrimp cornet with spicy brava sauce, roasted sea bass with shellfish, courgette flower, cockle and aniseed jelly tartlet and Iberian suckling pig confit with cappuccino pork belly consommé. This is a great choice for a special occasion meal when you feel like dressing up.
Contact: unicohotelmadrid.com/en/restaurant-ramon-freixa-madrid
Prices: ￡￡￡
Reservations: Essential
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.