There are few cities in the world with as much gastronomic variety as Madrid. If you like to eat rich, varied, with shows or even touring the city by bus, don’t miss the best places in Madrid to eat.
Without further ado, or explanations, we are going to eat in the Spanish capital, you just have to bring an empty belly, thirst for some good beers or some Rioja and a credit card or some cash; from the city center to its most characteristic neighbourhoods, from Lavapies to Malasaña, from Chamberí to La Latina, from El Rastro to Chueca, for all tastes.
Madrid city center
Let’s start with the Center, there is atmosphere, lots of people, tourists, variety and excellent places to eat and have a great time. And the truth is that whenever we arrive in Madrid we take a walk around the Puerta del Sol, the Gran Vía and the Plaza Mayor, where a calamari sandwich is always inevitable.
The Plaza del Callao area, very central, with cinemas and shops, the restaurants that we like the most, are across the square, on the opposite side of Gran Vía, in winding streets with their tables on the sidewalk. There are restaurants serving Galician, Basque, Asturian food, choose according to your taste, as the day was cool, we dined with paella with seafood, Madrid-style tripe and salmon with tartar sauce. And a good Riojan wine of course.
Echegaray street
A few meters from Puerta del Sol you will find Calle Echegaray full of life, restaurants, bars, hotels and a very special place: Cardamomo, the best flamenco tablao in Madrid. There are dancers, dancers, guitarists, singers, a show that represents a true trip to the heart of Andalusia in the heart of the city. Also with good and varied tapas, wines, beers and cocktails, a must. Pay attention to learn these words before: El Cante, El Toque, Palmas and Jaleo, El Baile and los Trajes. The show lasts 1 hour and they have different types of tickets with different menus.
Neighborhood of the letters
Nearby in the surroundings of the Plaza de Santa Ana and Calle del Prado is what is known as the neighborhood of Las Letras. How not to call it that? Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Góngora and Quevedo, among other literary greats, lived in this area. Calle de la Huerta is the epicenter of activity with lots of places to enjoy a tapa or a portion. Servings are called the most abundant dishes, usually to share. So we can start with a portion of Iberian ham if you have a budget, the acorn-fed one; but the fed to bait is good also; potato omelette, padrón peppers and scrambled eggs with ham.
San Miguel Market
The Mercado de San Miguel, close to the Plaza Mayor, is an unmissable date for lovers of delicatessen. It is true that there are a lot of people, tourists and the prices are a bit higher, but the variety and quality of the products is excellent. Stuffed olives, tuna in olive oil, salmon bites, cream cheese and chives, Russian salad, slices of goat cheese; anchovies in oil and salted almonds, hams and cheeses, cod croquettes, prawn tapas, scallops and oysters, black pudding with fried eggs, a festival of flavours.
Ponzano and Chamberi
Chamberi, it is fashionable. It is more of a district with several neighborhoods than a neighborhood in itself. In its streets, the aristocratic atmosphere of a Madrid with nostalgia, elegant houses, university students, travelers, gastronomy lovers, hipsters and others are mixed. Its most emblematic street is Ponzano, with an atmosphere and people eating inside and outside the premises, very much in the Spanish style, standing still and looking like snipers, thinking about the next bar or restaurant to visit until the night is over. We also went there to enjoy the great joint show by Zambayonny and Casciari at the Galileo Galilei theater.