Any suggestions for a Madrid restaurant (not a fine dining destination) that has a lively/charming area for outdoor dining for our last night in Madrid? A little wrinkle - this is for a Sunday night dinner, although if you are able to suggest a few names, I can always research to see if they are open on Sunday. I’m also hoping to find a restaurant with an outdoor area that can be specifically reserved - I see some restaurants allow you to reserve the outdoor area and some have a first-come, first-served system, but I can do a little research on that as well if you can suggest some names. Another plus if the restaurant has a good selection of vegetable dishes. Thanks for your help! FYI- I will probably cross-post this question in the Madrid forum on Trip Advisor.
@Maribel ?
I just remembered that I had a very nice meal at Casa Orellana on a Sunday night last September , with no reservations(I somehow botched the reservation that I had at another restaurant)and they had a lovely patio as well. . Food and service was spot on.
Thanks, Peter. I will check it out.
@Maribel will have plenty more suggestions for you 
Casa Orellana—yes, when we stay at a hotel nearby, it is our Sunday evening ace-in-the-hole. The cuisine is primarily Andalusian, if that matters. Peruse the menu to see if there are enough vegetarian dishes.
I can’t remember how many tables are outside, but no more than 4 (uncovered), I believe, and online Cover Manager has no way to reserve one–salón dining only, but you could call. The street is pedestrian and Salesas is a charming area of the city. Wish I lived in Salesas!
There are several more options, but not knowing where you´re staying, I don’t want to send you on a very long walk, taxi, bus or metro ride, unless you’re up for it.
The following are on my Sunday night dining “cheat sheet” with outdoor terrace- not many! the Sunday night + outdoor terrace combo is challenging for really nice dining.
In the Retiro district,
Arzábal Retiro, high top tables only outside—would be my first choice. It & Kulto have been other ace-in-the-holes
Kulto, also a block from Retiro Park, again, cooking from the south, specializing in almadraba-caught tuna prepared with an Asian twist.
https://kulto.es/carta/
In Las Cortes/Barrio de las Letras
Arzábal Museo, at the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, with lovely, large indoor patio–handy to lots of hotels & short term rentals
In swank Salamanca
La Maruca on Velazquez, quite reasonably priced for this ´hood–cuisine from Cantabria–small covered terrace–must reserve
La Máquina on Jorge Juan–more expensive than the former, but not as costly as neighbor El Paraguas or Dani García’s Lobito de Mar (ouch!!). The terraces at the latter are for the very well heeled.
All the way up to the Diego de León metro, northeast Salamanca district
Cañadío on Conde de Peñalver, with comfy outdoor terrace, not glass enclosed but covered and cuisine from Cantabria, the sister to La Maruca, another one of our “go to” places for Sunday night, pleasant dining.
https://www.restaurantecanadio.com/carta-madrid/
Cadaqués on Jorge Juan, belongs to the Sagardi group, for rice dishes. Open handily on major holidays.
Outdoor terrace of sorts, just high top tables on the sidewalk, not covered and not charming.
Weve dined at all of the above.
On your TA request, someone will probably mention “La Mi Venta” near the Royal Palace. For me, the prices are a bit too high, but it’s very popular with tourists. The interior is very much a typical Madrid mesón but they do have a busy outdoor terrace. I wouldn’t call the terrace that charming though. And like most Madrid mesones it’s meat-centric.
Meant to add that many hotels now have roof top terraces with nice views for dining or simply for craft cocktails and tapas. They’re too numerous to list here but there may be one open on Sunday evening near where you’re staying. There are literally dozens on the Gran Vía (but I’m not a fan of this very crowded thoroughfare—Madrid’s Broadway of sorts).
And speaking of Retiro Park, there’s Florida Park, with several different dining venues and a large outdoor terrace. This may be closer to what you’re seeking.
This is great, Maribel! Thank you so much! FYI, I am staying in Chueca at the Only You Boutique Hotel on C. del Barquillo. Leaving for Spain in a few days. I have made lists of some of the other restaurants that you and others on this forum have recommended for Madrid and also for Cordoba and Sevilla (especially relying on the azahar-sevilla website). Thanks again.
Yes, I know the Only You Boutique on Barquillo well. That area of Chueca doesn’t really have outdoor terraces–no room on the street for them.
It’s not a far walk at all to Casa Orellana.
But again, the hotel should call to reserve one of the few sidewalk tables outside on pedestrian Calle Orellana. And hope it doesn’t rain! 
Looking at the Casa Orellana menu, I see a few vegetarian dishes—the artichokes, the tomato and onion salad, the classic patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy sauce), the cheese tray, the red peppers from Navarra.
it’s also not a far walk from the much larger outdoor terrace of Gran Café Santander, another member of the moderately priced, casual Cañadío/La Maruca group. It sits directly on the Plaza Santa Barbara, just a couple of blocks from Casa Orellana. This group´s dining establishments all are open on Sunday nights.
Have a great trip!
Gran Café Santander menu in Salesas on Plaza Santa Barbara
Once again - thanks so much!
I see that on Tripadvisor, the Bosco de Lobos, brought to the city by the hip Tragaluz group of Barcelona, has been recommended. It´s near your hotel, also in Chueca. It has an Italian focused menu, so perhaps more vegetarian friendly. We’ve been there.
Thanks, Maribel. I might like the Italian place, but I suspect that we will probably stick with Spanish food on this trip. In Cordoba, I have reservations at Casa Mazal, which I read about on this forum. As I’m sure you know, it has Sephardic food, with lots of things that appeal to me. I’m not a vegetarian, but I eat very little meat/fish.
@Lovetotravel
Yes, I assumed that you would want Spanish cuisine, with the exception of the Middle Eastern dinner in Sevilla. The other member of that group with a charming indoor terrace is Tragaluz in the VP Jardín de Recoletos hotel, but again, an Italian menu.
That’s why the ones I recommended in my first post all serve Spanish cuisine, from different parts of Spain—Andalucía, Cantabria…
The only really charming terraces, as in prettily or designer decorated, would be the interior courtyard of Arzábal Museo or Florida Park, if that matters.
There are plenty of high end, “people watching”, “places to see and be seen” surrounding the Puerta de Alcalá that face Retiro Park, open on Sunday evening, but… they are quite pricey, serving “international cuisine”, with the tables on their covered outdoor terraces (with heaters and or misters) charging a supplement for the pleasure of terrace dining. On the menu the restaurant must stipulate that there will be that extra charge, “suplemento de terraza”.
Thanks, Maribel.
