what and where to eat in madrid

The Gran Reserva at Joselito's.

I love eating in Spain. Inevitably, the food I've eaten there has ended up in my top 10 for best street food or in my top 10 for best restaurant dishes. It's probably because my Filipino heritage has a 300 year history with Spain, and a lot of the food I grew up eating has its roots in Spanish cuisine. Luckily, Mr. SR also loves eating in Spain, a likely result of his many visits to his family's home in Andalucia. So, whenever we visit, all we do is eat. Often.

While we have eaten very well in every part of the country, I think Madrid holds its own among the other cities. After all, as the capital and the center of Spain, many of the food from around the country end up there. 

For the most part, this post will not discuss specific restaurants because I think Madrid is more than just a few restaurants. There are just so many great areas to explore with lots of eating opportunities. So, what and where should you eat if you visit Madrid?

Calle Ponzano - Close to the Iglesia and Alonso Cano subway stops is a small street that is home to a row of tapas joints that specialize in canned and jarred seafood. Don't turn your nose up just yet. Spain has a long tradition of canning food. Some of them are even considered better than some "fresh" food because these have been canned immediately after being caught and allowed to mature in premium oils. Stop at one joint, order a drink and a tapa, walk on over to the next joint, repeat. Trust me, they're good! 

A tapas bar specializing in canned seafood.

Tinned Stuffed Squid.

Another bar specializing in canned seafood.

Calle Cava Baja - Close to the La Latina subway stop is a street where a lot of people go to party. It has a very lively scene at night. But, in addition to an overdose of people watching, this street is a great place to eat day or night. There are restaurants and tapas places that specialize in montaditos (or stuff on bread). It's definitely worth a visit.

A Montadito from Calle Cava.

Barrio Salamanca (South) - most people recommend the Salamanca neighborhood for shopping. But, for food lovers, Salamanca is a hidden gem. Why?

• Joselito's - Joselito is one of the greatest producers of Jamon Iberico and Joselito's is its jamoneria, a place where they sell jamon. The menu is limited to the types of jamon you want to order. Their jamon is so good that they have surpassed the categorization of jamon iberico de bellota. Instead, they sell jamon by the vintage, where the Gran Reserva rules above them all. Their types of jamon have fantastic quality and their claim that Joselito is "Declared the Best Ham in the World" is not an exaggeration. In addition to the jamon, they also have jamon broth from the bones. Jamon. Broth. I think I died and went to heaven. If you want to learn more about Jamon Iberico, check out Mr. SR's article here.

Carving the Jamon at Joselito's.

Jamon Broth at Joselito's.

• Churrerias - There are plenty of places that sell chocolate con churros (the skinnier ones) or con porras (the thicker ones) in Barrio Salamanca. But, there is this food truck near the border with Barrio Las Ventas that sell them to order, cheaply and deliciously.

A Churreria in Barrio Salamanca.

Chocolate con Churro.

• Secreto - In addition to jamon iberico, which is essentially the leg of the Iberian pig, you need to try a Secreto Iberico, which is a cut near the shoulder of the pig. Its name literally means "secret" because not a lot of people know that it is a very delicious part of the pig. There are plenty of restaurants/tapas places in Barrio Salamanca that serve Secreto. It is usually quickly grilled. Try it now that you're in on the secret.

Secreto Iberico.

Food court at El Corte Ingles - El Corte Ingles is a muti-story Shopping Store. They sell clothes, shoes, make up, electronics, etc. They even have a travel agency. They also have a food court. But, some stores do not have a food court like your typical American food court selling crappy fast food. Instead, some stores have a fancy gourmet food court. Check it out.

Barrio Las Ventas - Most people go to this neighborhood to visit Madrid's bullring. But, another reason to visit it is to check out the tapas places around there. I particularly enjoyed a marisqueria, called El Rincon de Jaen, in that neighborhood that kept on serving us free huge plates of shrimp everytime we ordered a cheap cana (small glass of beer) or a glass of wine.

Cheap drinks and free plate of shrimp at El Rincon de Jaen.

There are some specific hidden gems that I also enjoy in Madrid:

La Venencia is not a food place, although they have small tapas available. It is a place to drink a lot of amazing sherry from finos to manzanillas to amontillados to olorosos to pedro ximenez. It is about a 10 minute walk east of Plaza Mayor. Once you enter, you can almost feel history around you. Some of the sherries in the back bar have inches thick dust because they've been marinating there for generations. 

A note of warning: 

(1) don't take photos inside or they will come after you, and (2) don't leave a tip because they consider it offensive.

The entrance to La Venencia.

Bar Marion - Mr. SR introduced me to this place during the early part of our courtship. He loves this place and I have grown to love it, too. I like this place because they serve fantastic fried seafood, which tend to have a nice and crunchy but not too thick batter. There is nothing fancy about this place. But, the food....!

Fried Anchovies at Bar Marion.

Fried Baby Cuttlefish (chipirones) at Bar Marion.

Finally, just a quick tapas tip. In Madrid, if you go tapas hopping, order your drink first. Then, wait. They will usually serve you a free tapa if you wait. The tapa could be anything from olives to chips to a montadito to a big plate of shrimp (see Rincon de Jaen). If you order food when you order your drink, chances are, you might miss out on a free tapa. If you do not get a free tapa, then order food.



I hope you enjoy some of my favorite places to eat in Madrid. If you have been to Madrid, where do you like to eat?