Last minute decision to fly to london/madrid for a week. Neither of us have been to spain before. As I said in my London thread, we live in nyc so have access to a lot of “stuffy stuff” as my daughter likes to say and in particular, during this trip, have no desire to eat anything but the food of madrid.
we like everything, we prefer to eat in good neighborhood places but spanish is my wife’s weakest language and I can barely speak English at this point We will need one splash out meal for my wife’s birthday but would be more interested in great cooking with great ingredients and great wine than deconstructed/molecular/etc…
Taberna Laredo in Barrio Retiro. Los Asturianos c/de Vallehermoso for hearty Asturiano food (and they are open on Sunday nights, when very few places are). I would also look for a good Gallego place, you wont get that in here in NY. The places i knew have closed, but Casa da Troya (which had one michelin star some years ago) is fine, a little bit out of the way, https://www.casadatroya.es/. I would also lookfor a good Basque Asador, they usually have great Chuleton and simple tasty food. Pelotari @ the edge of Barrio Salamanca is supposed to be very good. http://pelotariasador.es/ And of course you must go to the greatest museum in the world, El Museo del Jamon for the Jamon.
Only spent a short time myself. My favorite was Lakasa. A flawless meal from start to finish
Other standouts…
El Paraguas (Asturian)
Cervecería Cervantes
La Casa del Abuelo for Shrimp and Garlic
Sorry if I am being ignorant here (I feel ignorant), but what do you mean by great/good “wines and no foam?” Anyway, I second Taberna Laredo on the score of just an all around great spot in Madrid.
thanks, we booked laredo for my wife’s bday. any hints from you and @ninkat (or of coure anyone else who has eaten there) on fav dishes would be appreciated!
Also, there was a shrimp or langoustine salad with avocado I was pretty taken with. Have had various fish/seafood there (turbot, e.g.), always excellent. Artichoke tortilla (tortilla in Spain an omelette basically, can get for breakfast or tapa at other meals, not bread). I would ask the birthday girl what she wants to eat…You can feel comfortable ordering ceviche there…it will be great. Really go with what you are in the mood for when you get there.
We had an amazing bottle of wine (white) on my most recent trip there, and tried to find something we liked nearly as well for the rest of the trip. We had some excellent bottles along the way, but this was something new to us, and it was delicious:
PenelopeWitherspoon,
If you want to sample David Muñoz’s cooking style, his new RavioXO, housed in the Gourmet Experience of El Corte Inglés on the Castellana, won’t take reservations for 1 online either but a good concierge may be able to snag a rezzie for you, but made far in advance.
His other street food venture, StreetXO (no rezzies), has a new location in the Gourmet Experience in the El Corte Inglés on Serrano at number 47. I was up there the other day and if one gets there early at least there is a comfortable leather bench where one can sit to wait and inside it’s better organized. One sits at the bar to enjoy a cocktail (all priced at 13.5 or 14) while waiting for a table. Rumor has it that when the outdoor terrace opens, they will take reservations there.
The bar does open at noon, so one can get in line at 11:30, then head straight to the bar to wait for a table but it will be an hour wait, as the kitchen opens at 1.
My current favorites for sit-down dining at wonderful bistrots that won’t break the bank:
Sacha in norther business district
Lakasa off Ponzano
La Bien Atrevida on Jorge Juan in Salamanca district
Taberna Laredo and Taberna La Catapa in Retiro district (both with excellent wine lists—Nico Fernández is La Catapa’s fine sommelier).
The new Calisto at Eduardo Dato 8 in the Justicia district.
Triciclo in the Barrio de las Letras (a.k.a. Cortes or Huertas, near the Art Triangle)
El Paraguas, yes, is excellent, but also quite pricey and is the place to see celebrities, aristocrats, titans of industry, “power brokers”.
All of the above require advanced reservations. In fact, it’s become nearly impossible post pandemic to dine out in Madrid without reservations.
For truly authentic, totally non-touristy, elevated paella or other delicious rice dishes in an elegant, sleek, cozy, relaxed, library style setting facing lovely Retiro Park, loved by locals in the know—Valencian chef is the son of esteemed filmmaker Luis García Berlanga.
Restaurante Berlanga restauranteberlanga.com
For the city’s finest fish/crustaceans (not cheap!)
Estimar near the Hotel Westin Palace
Or the venerable Rafa in the Retiro district (old style but still excellent)-
Galician fare, in an elegant setting with great wines-
Alabaster
This is great! Alas, I probably won’t be staying in a hotel (still thinking through that) as I usually grab AirBnB’s to live more like a local, but I am going to check out my hotel options as well.
It’s La Bien APARECIDA on Jore Juan, Madrid’s elegant restaurant row. (My sincere apologies to Cantabria’s patron saint!) All of the restaurants of Paco Quirós of Santander’s Cañadío are great, but this one is a step up, as in more creatively gourmet and another plus is that it opens on Sundays, a challenging day for Madrid dining.
The two “hot tables” currently getting rave press from the gastro blogs, chefs and professional critics—
El Brutalista in Argüelles
Haranita off the Gran Vía
The former has a menu only of 3 or more courses and specializes in escabeches (brined dishes) and casquería (offal), which may not appeal to all palates. I have a rezzie for 1 person in 2 weeks and will report back.
The latter is fusion, a creation of the boys of Nakeima. Unfortunately no reservations, but since it’s new the lines may not be long. Just don’t know.
The chef of La Catapa enthusiastically recommended both to me.
I only have time left here to hit one but will hit the other when I return.
I’m riveted to this thread, although I will have only a few nights in Madrid this month. Just a reminded that if you will be in the city on 20/03, many restaurants will be closed due to the holiday weekend. And to make things more confusing, some places normally closed on Mondays will be open on that day, also due to the holiday.
I do have a booking at Taberna Laredo on that date, but it for the upstairs, which I found to be very close-quartered on my last visit about 6 years or so back. I much preferred the ground floor/bar seating but they apparently do not book ahead for that area. I do remember wonderful navajas (razor clams), those rabbit ribs, and delicious baby lamb ribs, we well as a deboned and confited suckling pig dish. I’ve not yet looked at the latest menu, if in fact there is one online, but if those are still around, I’d recommend, along with any shellfish on offer.
I second the high esteem held by Rafa on this forum, I hope to sample a few new places on this trip, so if anyone has particular dishes to recommend at TASQUITA DE ENFRENTE (not beloved by all, to put it mildly!) or A BARRA or SALA DESPIECE, please speak up here!!! Mil gracias! erica
I wasn’t super impressed with SALA DESPIECE, some hits and some misses. It was fun sitting at the bar watching the waitstaff put together the dishes, but I found the service to be lukewarm and a bit robotic. A few of my razor clams were so full of grit/sand that I almost spit them out and when I pointed it out to the waiter he just shrugged an basically said “that’s the way it goes”. Much better options ,like Sacha, to spend your time and money. YMMV
We will need one splash out meal for my wife’s birthday but would be more interested in great cooking with great ingredients and great wine than deconstructed/molecular/etc…
