You are in Madrid, one of the best European cities. Here you can do almost anything and try much more than you can imagine.
And sometimes, in our eagerness to discover, we get stuck. We have so many options and paths to take that we don’t know where to go and we end up always visiting the same places. How sad.
To give you a solution and open your mind and your stomach, we bring you the best restaurants in Madrid. But not just any restaurant, we make it even easier for you.
Depending on what you fancy, you can visit places specialising in vegan, Italian, Chinese, Indian or a good round of tapas. Now you really have no excuse to try new things and conquer the streets of Madrid.
Best restaurants in Madrid
Best vegan restaurants in Madrid
La Huerta Funky Castizo
Calle de las Conchas 8
In the heart of the city centre you’ll find the best vegan dishes and tapas with a very traditional and very punk touch. But the punk is not only about local food, they also have international dishes that have been given a new point of view.
This idea of keeping the concept but giving it a new version, a twist, is the soul of this restaurant, which is also the perfect place to start your night out in Madrid.
They open their doors from midday but they have a terrace, a location and a wine, beer, vermouth and liquor menu that makes you think… where else am I going to be better off than here?
Viva Chapata
Calle Ave María 43
We’re off to the unique and inimitable neighbourhood of Lavapiés to treat ourselves to a homemade meal, generous in both size and flavour.
Available for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner. For all these meals, you should order a tart for dessert. And this is not an advice, this is a reality. Order a cake, any cake, but order one or two. They are a real treat.
Great quality vegan and vegetarian food, fresh produce and they know what they are doing. To give you an idea, on Wednesdays they serve cocido madrileño…vegan. That’s nothing. And another thing you can’t miss, their vegan potato omelette. They are famous for it.
Santa y Pura
C. de Sta. Isabel, 27
One of those corners of Madrid that has something special. Its atmosphere is relaxed and calm, the perfect place to have a chill drink. From a drink to something to nibble on, although what they are good at here is fast food.
Fast food as an idea, but when it comes down to it, everything is vegan, fresh and delicious. Tacos, calamari, croquettes… just because it’s fast food doesn’t mean it’s not from here.
Best Italian restaurants in Madrid
Alduccio
Av. de Concha Espina, 8
Our first stop in the delicious Italian world is this restaurant with its elegance and spectacular décor. And if you’re a football fan, you’ll be delighted to see that the Santiago Bernabéu stadium is just across the street.
With more than 60 years of history, many famous faces and stories have passed through here. A famous place in the capital, where Italian cuisine is sophisticated and treated with love and care.
Their speciality is pizzas, and to say that their pasta is fresh would be an understatement, as they make it themselves. For lovers of true Italian cuisine, this is a mecca. They have 15 types of pasta and their menu contains the best kept secrets of Italian gastronomy. A luxury establishment and a fantastic experience.
Da Giuseppina
C/ Trafalgar, 17
We are still at the same level, at the same high standards of Italian haute cuisine, with fresh and tasty pasta. And, as in the previous restaurant, the decoration is as important as what is on the table.
The kitchen lovingly serves such well-known and popular dishes as Paccheri di Gragnano in red shrimp sauce, beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan slices, Sardinian pizza or Campidanese. What is Campidanese? A pasta dish that you’ll fall in love with, you’ll have to discover it for yourself.
If you are a wine lover, you are certainly in the perfect place. They have a cellar with the best in Italian wines, more than fifty labels, and you can take some back with you as they are also a well-known point of sale.
Sottosopra
C/ Puigcerdà, 8
What’s wrong, do all Italian restaurants in Madrid have to be nice and cosy? Well, yes, the ones we recommend to you do. Another gem to add to the collection and this one, moreover, in a small format, to make it even cosier.
But let’s talk about what’s important, the food. All their dishes are traditionally prepared, following the steps of Italian gastronomy. And if you want to get to the heart of the matter, order the Italian bread ‘roseta’ as a starter and ‘spaghetti tradizionali alla carbonara’ as a main course. You’ll thank us later, don’t worry.
Best Chinese restaurants in Madrid
Sichuan
Calle del Caballero de Gracia, 8
We turn our menu upside down, and leave Italy behind to enter the Asian giant, ready to go beyond the spring roll?
Sichuan, as well as the restaurant we are talking about, is a province in the southwest of China. And there they have a somewhat different cuisine to the rest of the country, so the dishes, although many familiar, are made with some modifications.
The Sichuan is run by a family from that same province, so the recipes they use and the preparation of the dishes is their own with years and years of history. Try the Douban Sea Bass and the Shui-zhu style dish. By the way, in Sichuan, spicy is one of the family. Be warned.
El Buda Feliz 1974
C. de Tudescos, 5
Of the thousand surprises hidden in Malasaña, this may be one of our favourites. You’ll be happy to leave when you start ordering more and more dishes and see that there’s nothing you don’t love.
Legend has it that this is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Madrid, some gossips say it’s even the oldest, so they know what they’re doing.
Cantonese-style duck may be their best-known dish, although as we said, everything here is delicious. Even the simplest and best-known dishes, such as the 3-delicious rice, seem to have at least four or five other delicacies in this place.
Chila
Calle Silva 2 y Calle Aviador Zorita 35
When you have two restaurants in a city with as much to offer as Madrid, you can already tell that you are very good. But if, in addition, you have one on Gran Vía and the other a short walk from the Bernabéu, you have to be one of the best.
And that’s why it’s on our list. The decoration of both places is fantastic, very trendy and cool. If before we visited Sichuan, now we go to Hunan, similar dishes, traditions and different flavours.
They have earned their popularity with a lot of hard work and care in their cuisine. The flavours are completely new, something different from what you have tasted so far and they are always willing to help you choose the perfect dish for you.
Best Indian restaurants in Madrid
Tandoori Station
C. José Ortega y Gasset, 89, 91
If you thought the switch from Italy to China seemed radical before, wait for the trip we have prepared for you; welcome to India. Open since 2005, from the very first minute it became one of the favourites of the locals.
If you are a fan of Indian cuisine, here you will taste dishes that are already known but with a unique touch that only an experienced chef can give it. Yes, we are talking about a chef. If you have never tried Indian food, this first stop will set your expectations very high.
One thing you must do, which does not accept negotiation, is to try the ‘Murgh Ka Tikka’, chicken cooked with spices and yoghurt sauce. If you want to try it all, though, go for the tasting menu.
Doli
C. Diego de León, 13
With a strong relationship with the previous restaurant, as the Indian chef Singh Sukhwinder was working in the kitchen of the Tandoori Station, we came to the Salamanca neighbourhood to try one of the most famous Indian restaurants in Madrid.
In addition to reviewing traditional Indian cuisine, they have their own creations, based on the chef’s experience, so here you will taste dishes that you won’t find anywhere else.
Udaipur
Paseo de la Castellana, 74
We have left for last the place that will surprise you the most. Its décor is breathtaking, transporting you to India in the blink of an eye. But its fascinating décor and ambience would be useless without a kitchen to match.
And believe us, this one is up to the task. As well as the best-known Indian dishes, you’ll be surprised to see some nods to our culture, such as Chicken Tikka Masala in croquettes. It is a must-visit and a real treat for the senses.
Best tapas restaurants in Madrid
El minibar
C. del Mesón de Paños, 1
Is it possible to go to the centre of Madrid, eat a bit of this and a bit of that, enjoy its good quality and, what’s more, be away from the large number of tourists who visit the capital? The answer is yes, at the Minibar.
As the name says, don’t expect a large interior, but expect the tastiest tapas and dishes of our gastronomy. The kitchen’s work is outstanding, with dishes that you could order non-stop and, if that wasn’t enough, the prices are more than fair.
We are unable to find a negative side to this place. Maybe it should be bigger to accommodate everyone who wants to try it, we wouldn’t mind if it was renamed from ‘Minibar’ to ‘Maxibar’.
Bar Trafalgar
C. de Alburquerque, 14
It’s trendy, people love it and no wonder. The atmosphere is relaxed, everything here has an air of tranquillity. No stuffiness, no inventions. Traditional menu, normal presentations but a completely impressive flavour.
And that’s what we like, the casual style doesn’t affect the quality of the food. The waiter may be very cool, no one cares what you’re wearing, but above all there should be first-class dishes, and here they all are.
Hermanos Vinagre
C. de Narváez, 58
Last walk along the route of the best restaurants in Madrid to get to the Retiro area. It will be good to have it close by so you can take a stroll afterwards and then bring down everything you’re going to eat.
Here you can feel the authentic traditional atmosphere from the first hello. They don’t offer a wide range of dishes, and they don’t need to. They work with the most classic and well-known dishes, but they do it so well that they don’t need anything else.
Don’t leave without trying the fried squid, the fresh tuna cubes and the smoked mussels.