6 nights in Madrid - affordable must eats

Regional Dining Discussions Italy, Spain, Portugal
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We are a group of 5 adults and 3 kids (age 7, 7, and 4) staying in Madrid for 6 nights this spring. We are coming from Los Angeles and visiting for the first time. I’ve been reading the printed travel guides, food websites, Eater, TimeOut, Infatuation, and these forums for recommendations, but need some help narrowing down our options. In general, we are looking for more affordable Spanish restaurants and tapas bars with reasonable portion sizes, and not Michelin fine dining spots. More $/$$ rather than $$$/$$$$ places. We are staying near Plaza Mayor, but willing to go farther out with our group of 8 for truly outstanding places.

This is what I have put together so far. It would be great to get your input on which ones are musts, any overrated spots, and any other suggestions you have.

Madrid Restaurants
• Baldoria – pizza
• StreetXO – long lines
• La Sanabresa
• Casa Dani – tortilla espanola
• Casa Revuelta – fried bacalao rebozado, torrezno bacon
• Toga
• La Castela
• Casa Macareno
• Viva Madrid – cocktails and bites
• Casa Amadeo - snails
• Bodegas al Mano
• Los Chucis
• Casa Toni
• Casa Gerardo
• Lamiak Cava Baja
• La Campana – calamari sandwich
• La Casa del Abuelo – gambas al ajillo
• El Cogollo de la Descarga
• Bar Selva – menu del dia
• Ochenta Grados – menu del dia
• Viuda de Vacas
• Taberna El Sur de Huerta
• Taberna Laredo
• Fratelli – pizza
• La Perejila
• Emma Cocina
• Casa Lucas
• Lalopez Bar
• Barmiton
• Casa Toni
• Casa Julian de Tolosa – steak
• Vinos 11 Casa Dani
• La Paloma
• Taberna Almeria
• Taberna Errante
• Viuda de Vacas
• Sanlucar

Madrid snacks and desserts
• Chocolateria San Gines – churros
• Fismuler – cheesecake – can get at Mallorca?
• Alex Cordobes – cheesecake
• Hundred burger
• Casa Gonzalez
• Jamones Julian Becerro – jamon to go
• Rondillo – sandwiches
• La Mallorquina – pastries
• Moega – bread
• Obrador San Francisco – bread
• Museo de Pan Gallego – bread
• Alma Nomad bakery
• 100 Montaditos
• Pez Tortilla

Madrid Bars
• La Venencia
• Salmon Guru
• Angelita
• Glass by Sips

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La Castela For Rabo de toro and ice cold beer.
If you want Fismular’s cheesecake, you might as well go for dinner. It was excellent.
Casa Toni was fun and portions were huge, I didn’t care for the pigs ears, but that’s just me.
Casa Dani for the tortilla Espanola in the morning, will always go back when I’m in Madrid.
I had a delicious and fun dinner at La Lloreria, nice wine selection. Sit at the counter if you can.
Delicious pastries from Alma Nomad Bakery and excellent pizza from their pizzeria across the street, Pizza Pronto.
La Monteria, very good.
Casa Revuelta , good fried bacalao and vermout for breakfast.
Casa Orellanna for ,lunch .Open on Sunday. Fantastic torreznos.
I suspect you’ll be culling your list quite a bit, as did I :sweat_smile:
StreetXO isn’t affordable at all.
“We are a group of 5 adults and 3 kids (age 7, 7, and 4” For some reason I missed this, a couple of my recommendations might not be appropriate for the little ones.

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@Maribel?

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Some others I would recommend

Taberna carmencita - old school homey family style dishes in a very rustic but refined setting

Casa botin- oldest resto? Great suckling pig

Juana la loca - everything is so good best is the tortilla I think it won some awards better than Dani imo, tapas mixed with some new age fusion

La catapa- near monteria and castelados, we thought they were the most interesting food in the retiro neighborhood

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Yes! I forgot about Carmencita. I was there on my previous trip to Madrid, excellent food and service.

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Madrid restaurant “Musts” (I live here and dine out at least twice a week):

Casa Dani for tortilla
La Castela and La Montería for everything (same owners)
Casa Macareno or Ponzano or Casa Orellana for their menu of the day (I don’t see young children there though, but Spaniards adore kids!)
LaLópez Bar-unmissable for tomato, ensaladilla rusa and Sergio’s tiramisú
Taberna Errante
Barmitón

Madrid bars (but you won’t see young children at these first 3):
Viva Madrid (easier to get into than Salmón Gurú (same owners) for cocktails
Angelita
La Venecia is for sherries only
Casa Amadeo for snails, if you like snails

Madrid snacks & desserts:
Chocolateria San Ginés (go to the sit down, new place on Bordadores to find seating, less crowded than the original)
Casa González for cheese & charcuterie platters in the back dining room or for ham to go
Alma Nomad bakery
Pizza Pronto for pizza (run by Alma Nomad)
La Mallorquina for pastries
Fismuler’s cheesecake at Mallorca or stand in a long line at Alex Cordobés

Overrated to me:
Lamiak Cava Baja
La Sanabresa (haven’t been in years but extremely popular with first timers and cheap)
Taberna El Sur de Huertas (I like Tabanco la Santa & Tabanco Amores, same Triciclo group, better for Andalusian)
100 Montaditos (very cheap, yes, but completely forgettable chow-wise)
Pez Tortilla (tortilla is better at Casa Dani, if you want to choose just one place)
Rodilla (very cheap, but completely forgettable chow-wise)

Expensive. as in not affordable at all
Casa Julian de Tolosa
La Paloma

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Hungryhungryhippos;
Just a note—Juana la Loca has closed, no more, sigh! In its place—Alto Bardero. I havent’ yet been.

And I agree with La Catapa, for plates to share. But can be more expensive if one order’s off menu than La Castela.

A new place for you and for PedroPero: El Buen on Hermanos Bécquer, just below the American Embassy, for small plates, Basque style and nice selection of wines. Reasonably priced but tiny and mostly tall communal table seating. We have a low 2 top table but we reserve far in advance. We’re headed there today for lunch.
https://elbuen.es

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Another note----People here when out do dinner keep the final tab more reasonable by SHARING.
When with my family or a group of friends, we share everything. We order several dishes for the center of the table and dig in. This is an extremely common practice here, especially at the tabernas/tascas/tabancos.

This is especially important for families with children. The waiters should know well and inform you if they feel you’ve over ordered.

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Looks great!

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Hi PedroPero,
El Buen
An homage to old time bars with a ”bar favorites” menu and with winks to the Basque Country, this has become a favorite of ours in the Salamanca district (just below the American Embassy on Hermanos Bécquer 5).

Today we returned for lunch, starting with their yummy croquetas con jamón de Arturo Sánchez (we again made the mistake of ordering 6—they’re extremely creamy and rich and 2 or even just 1 each would have sufficed).
The bread basket (2.50/e) is exceptional, accompanied by really fine butter (not usual here in the city). We never can do it justice after a first course of half dozen croquettes.

Then shared a pepito (sandwich) of chistorra (again, that bread!) with fried green peppers and a half portion of large mussels in a spicy sauce (needed that bread!).
No dessert (couldn’t do it even though I longed for their gâteau Basque), but the couple next to us shared an off menu strawberry confection that looked lovely.
With a bottle of our favorite Ribera del Duero wine, Cair Cuveé (owned by Luis Cañas of the Rioja Alavesa) our bill came to 31/p.

Pedro, my only hesitation for you might be the seating as a singleton. There are only 5 close together 2-tops next to the window (one made into a 4 top) with tight Parisian bistro style seating, plus two communal tables for 6 in the center (one occupied today by a group of 4 friends and the other just by a couple), then seating all around an L-shaped counter with some seats directly in front of the glass walled kitchen. These counter seats don’t have backs, if that’s an issue.

No, it’s not a place for families, because there’s simply no room for a low table for 6. However, the Basque owner, Angel Zalduegui from Bilbao, greeted me upon leaving and said that they would have an outdoor terrace open in a couple of months, one half covered with heaters/tablecloths and one half open.
I complimented the chef, Raúl Hernández (formerly of the Michelin starred Clos) on our dishes, and the wait staff is extremely friendly (these conversation were in Spanish).

I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t find tourists here as it’s off the beaten path, too new, hasn’t made the guides or the NYT or Somebody Feed Phil and seems to be frequented by denizens of this well-heeled hood.

Again, prices are very reasonable. For example, our favorite Basque txakolí, Katiña, is priced at 15 euros/bottle, cheaper than at their own winery in Orio/Gipuzkoa.

Back to my remark about sharing—-the couple next to us came in sans rezzies at 3:30 and simply ordered the pisto (ratatouille) con huevo frito and the mollete de rabo de toro, both to share. House water and one beer. And a shared dessert. Nada más.

Don´t miss their ensaladilla rusa and their sandwich mixto with cured egg yolk!
And today there were 4 off menu items, including fabada, for which the waiter gave the prices. Most all dishes can be ordered in half portions.
Their purveyors are top notch—meat from Discarlux, cheeses from Formaje, ham from Arturo Sánchez, fish from Pescaderías Coruñesas, etc.

Closed Sun/Mon

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Hola Maribel!! Thanks for the review! One of the downsides of traveling solo is not being able to order as many dishes as I’d like , but the upside is that I don’t have to share anything :rofl::sweat_smile:. Not sure when I’ll be back in beautiful Spain and Madrid, going to CDMX in April, but I’ll definitely keep El Buen on my list of must visits when I do make it back.

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I will book mark el beun Hermanos for our next visit might be stopping through Madrid in late may!

That is so sad to hear about Juana loca. Was there reason them to close? Seemed super hard to get a reservation so I can’t imagine it was finances. Will there be a new Juana loca or spiritual successor? I really was looking forward to going back there.

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I wish I could tell you, Hungryhungryhippos, but it’s a mystery to me! “Problemas técnicos” is what was reported in the press, but not indicating what problems.

At any rate, Alto Bardero is an offshoot of the very successful Bardero, so I’m confident that it will receive solid reviews. I’ll keep checking.

The new owners,

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Just a new, fresh re-read of your list:
These are the other “I wouldn’t bother” of your list-

Moega and Museo de Pan Gallego for bread
(Obrador San Francisco is fine but remember América on Atocha, if handier)

Glass by Sips–go to Viva Madrid instead for more authentic atmospheric and a fab interior décor

I could easily skip Bodegas el Maño, Taberna Almería, Viuda de Vacas, Emma La Cocina, Sanlúcar and Los Cuchis…
but I would go to La Campana for that iconic bocadillo de calamares.

Yes, if you´re hankering for gambas al ajillo, La Casa del Abuelo is your place, very tourist friendly. Just that one dish.

Never visited El Cogollo de la Descarga, Bar Selva, Fratelli, Ochenta Grados, Hundred Burger, Julian Becerro or La Perejila.

Casa Lucas is the best on Cava Baja but you can have even better cuisine at any of the tabernas in the Retiro district (Laredo, la Montería, La Monte, La Catapa, La Castela, Castelados), but it will be more of a hike through El Retiro Park from your lodging. The best tavern food these days is decidedly in the Retiro district, not in the Latina.

Tabera Laredo can err on the expensive side if you sit upstairs.

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How does Botin’s cochinillo compare to Jose Maria in Segovia? We were thinking of just getting cochinillo in Segovia.

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Our apartment in Madrid is right around the corner from the Chocolateria San Gines on Bordadores so that’s perfect.

Anything specific to get at Alma Nomad? The only reason I brought up Museo del pan Gallego because it’s near our lodging. Since we are a big group with a kitchen, I’m thinking we’ll take it slow in the mornings and have some jamon iberico sandwiches for breakfast. Any particular recommendations for excellent bread, olive oil, and maybe a store that sells vacuum sealed jamon iberico so we can make sandwiches in our apartment?

Is Mallorca the closest place to try Fismuler’s cheesecake? For Alex Cordobes, is there a particular day/time where the line is shorter?

So sad that Juana La Loca is closed since it seems to be well regarded.

Yes, sharing is definitely what we plan. We grew up eating family style in Asia so that’s what we’re used to anyway. For sit down dinners, is there an expectation that you would order enough for a full dinner for everyone or is it acceptable to order as if you’re doing a food crawl throughout the evening?

Any other cuisines or Spanish takes on other cuisines we should try? For example, we were in Japan recently and loved wafu pasta and Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza.

I truly appreciate everyone’s honest input on my list. I used to be active on Chowhound many years ago and I just recently discovered this board!

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Also, would you any suggestions on conservas and chips we should definitely take home with us? Looking for reasonably priced stuff so we don’t have to feel precious about opening them. Where is the best place to buy them?

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From Alma Noma, so good I went twice in 6 days :sweat_smile:.
Pistachio swirl and a pistachio croissant.

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Pizza Pronto, same owners as Alma Noma and just across the street.

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I have never had cochinillo in Segovia.

For me botin is a cheeky suggestion it’s super touristy marketed as the oldest restauant in the world and def does not seem like a locals spot.

But the building, waiters, and vibe are super fun esp with an ice cold mahou. Also I ordered the rib/stomach area and the head and they were very juicy and not overly dry unlike some other cuts that I saw at other tables. It’s definitely not a dining destination but if you go with lower expectations i think it would be a very fun family experience.