Restaurants
The best places in the city to sample cuisine from the most traditional kitchens to the most avant-garde
Most popular online restaurant bookings
El Patio del Fisgón
Warning: You're going to want to spend hours and hours in this bistrot in the Salamanca district, with its charming patio surrounded by greenery and little...
Donde Mónica
Like an oasis in the center of Madrid, emerges a small redoubt of good taste, we are talking about the lovely "Donde Mónica" a charming...
El Mercado de la Reina
Very centrally located and open year-round from morning until the second drink of the night, this huge space (with a terrace in the square out the back where...
Recommended restaurants
Juanita Cruz
Juanita Cruz restaurant is located a few steps from the Alberto Alcocer, Madrid Avenue. This is an excellent restaurant serving international cuisine, the same group as other renowned restaurant Pipa & Co and Marieta. The gastronomic restaurant Juanita Cruz is fresh and innovative, is based on various cooked delicious cooked all with excellent raw materials from the best markets. In the restaurant's menu you will find tapas, Japanese specialties, delicious pizzas and other main dishes like ravioli with spinach and Galician octopus.
Tándem
In the space of the now-defunct Motha, where you went to feel a bit happier (and which a few still miss), the little brother of TriCiclo now stands tall as one of the most successful restaurant openings of 2014 in Madrid. The new space shares a few winks and nudges with TriCiclo, such as its name – in tandem with the mothership and its location on the same street, just 100 metres away. In some cases the relationship is obvious. At first there was 'our Ferran's cannelloni' on the menu, and the same steak tartare. But now they've grown their own wings, they've got new goals, and Tándem is more casual, has a less orthodox timetable, and features a lighter menu. Although there is a bit of a trendy air about the place and it's managed to become a meeting point for a very mixed clientele whose ages range between 30 and 50, we could debate some interior décor decisions (as well as the comfort of the chairs and tables). But that's not much (after all, it's not intended to be a spot for lingering meals), which shows that the emphasis this time around is on the food, which does still have a bit of maturing to do (details such as the wine, which arrived far from its ideal serving temperature), but which opens up the already promising field of work for its three chef-proprietors. And now for the main attraction: the food. The seasoned oyster is a starter that sets the tone for the meal to come. First off, you get to choose between a touch of Thai or Peruvian for the seasoning. They're ou
Álbora
Haute cuisine through the creative talent of David García, a Basque chef with experience in the kitchens of Spain’s most important restaurants. An experienced team in front of house and top-quality ingredients (from 'presa ibérica de Joselito' to wild sea bass) make this restaurant a solid, growing concern. It’s popular with critics and already has one Repsol sun.
Mercato Ballaró
Two floors. Different menus. The lower floor (with a bar and a few tables) is more informal, with fast service and small dishes made for sharing. Prices are higher in the restaurant upstairs but the cuisine is also more elevated, featuring more intricate dishes with more select ingredients that take you on a journey to Sicily.
Top Madrid restaurants
DiverXO
David Muñoz’s restaurant needs no introduction. In only five years, this chef has gone from being a complete unknown to winning the Spanish National Prize for Gastronomy and being awarded three Michelin stars for his restaurant DiverXO, where he has gone for an elaborate type of cuisine, mixing the flavours, textures and techniques of haute cuisine. Surprises in the dishes are guaranteed. It can be difficult to book a table here, but it’s worth the effort.
Ramon Freixa
Located in Hotel Único Madrid, this elegant restaurant is headed by a Michelin-starred Catalan chef. Its many virtues ensure satisfaction for all diners. Flavour is the king here, placed just above creativity in the list of priorities, making for dishes that are surprising and exciting in equal measure. All you have to do is choose one of the three set menus on offer.
Viridiana
Viridiana is synonymous with Abraham García and 30 years of excellence and good food. This renowned chef turns his traditional raw materials into a cross-cultural journey that changes the perspective of all who dine here. Using excellent execution and outstanding products, this cinema-loving chef deserves an Oscar for his lifelong contribution to the culinary arts.
Ramsés Bistro
With Ricard Camarena, one of Spain's greatest chefs, as their consultant and his right-hand man in the kitchen, this splendid restaurant with decoration by Philippe Starck offers gorgeous products, flashes of creativity and reliability in each dish. If you want to surprise, they have a room designed by David Lynch.
Sudestada
Run by young Argentinians with a passion for Asian food, Sudestada is the new Madrid branch of a Buenos Aires favourite. Elegant surroundings (wood, mirrors and warm lighting) provide the setting for a selection of delicious dishes that are fresh and spicy (in the case of beef or fish curry). Make sure you start your evening by ordering one of the house caipirinhas. Book at weekends. It’s one of the top three Asian restaurants in Madrid.
Santceloni
Oscar Velasco’s Santceloni has grown steadily, marked by the sure touch, drive for excellence and personality of a great chef, bringing creativity to tradition and putting the product before artifice. The cheeseboard alone, presented by maitre d' Abel Valverde, is already envied by establishments of a similar category. The cuisine here has received the seal of approval given by two Michelin stars.