If you’re visiting Madrid for the food, you won’t be disappointed. We fell in love with the food in Madrid during our delicious month there. From evenings in small cosy tapas bars to mornings in cafes and exploring markets, Madrid has so much to offer. So here are our favourite picks for where to eat in Madrid + printable where to eat in Madrid map at the end of the post.
Where To Eat In Madrid Map
A where to eat in Madrid map so you always know what delicious food is close by… ( + printable pdf map at the end).
Tapas In Madrid
Taberna La Concha
Taberna La Concha is a tapas bar on Calle Cava Baja, a street lined with Tapas bars. It has a small area and bar where you walk in and a seating area downstairs. We love the pork cheek with red wine sauce and prawn toast. They also have excellent vermouth (a fortified wine popular in Madrid).
Cava Baja 7, La Latina
Monday from 1 PM to 1 AM + Tuesday to Thursday from 6 PM to 1 AM + Friday to Sunday from 1 PM from 2 AM
Casa Lucas
Another tapas bar on Calle Cava Baja, with a beautiful wooden interior. We loved the Jamon croquettes and pork with caramelised onions on toast.
Cava Baja 30, La Latina
Sunday to Tuesday + Thursday from 1 PM to 3.30 PM + 8 PM to 12 AM + Wednesday from 8 PM to 12 AM + Friday + Saturday 1 PM to 4 PM + 8 PM to 1 AM
Bodega de la Ardosa
This bodega is cosy inside with a great atmosphere. Here they have an absolutely delicious tortilla de patatas or Spanish omelette. They also have vermouth on tap.
Calle de Colón 13
Monday to Friday 8.30 AM to 2 AM + Saturday to Sunday 11.45 AM to 2.30 AM
Other places for tapas that looked amazing: Abuelo (Garlic Shrimp) | Casa Gonzalez (Cheese and Jamon and wine) | La Catapa | La Castela (free tapas at the bar with a drink) | Bodega Ricla (meatballs).
Restaurants In Madrid
Triciclo
Triciclo is a modern elevated take on tapas. The restaurant itself has a great feel to it and the service is friendly.
Here you will have a menu that is divided into three parts, the first column is left untouched, presenting quality ingredients. The second column feels like more complete dishes with complex flavours and the third column are more fusion dishes. On top of this, they will have many off-menu items to choose from too. Each dish can be ordered in full, half or third rations.
Each dish we had was so delicious, it’s really hard to pick a favourite, but the ceviche, the sardines with sherry vinegar and almond milk, and the shiso prawn dish were all outstanding.
Calle Santa Maria 28
Monday to Saturday from 1.30 PM to 4 PM + 8.30 PM to 12 AM
Other restaurants that looked amazing: La Musa Latina | Sacha | Punto MX | Street XO | Bodega de los Secretos | Sala de Despiece | Restaurant Casa Salvador | Sanlucar | Tandoori Station | La Candela | DStage | Treze | Juana la Loca | La Barraca
Traditional Food In Madrid
Pan Con Tomate
Pan con Tomate is a delicious Spanish breakfast of crushed tomatoes on toast. Two great casual places to try this in the Anton Martin area are Más Corazón and Bar Benteveo. They also both have Spanish Omelette or Tortilla de Patatas.
Más Corazón – Santa Isabel 16 | Everyday from 7 AM to 2 AM
Bar Benteveo – Santa Isabel 15 | Tuesday + Wednesday 9 AM to 12 AM + Thursday 9 AM to 1 AM + Friday 9 AM to 2 AM + Saturday 10 AM to 2 AM + Sunday 10 AM to 12 AM
The Best Bocadillo de Calamares In Madrid
The Bocadillo de Calamares, otherwise known as a squid sandwich, is a well-known dish in Madrid, particularly around the area of Plaza Mayor.
After tasting a few, our top 2 were definitely from Bar La Ideal and La Campana, which conveniently happen to be next door to each other. Although they are close and both have tasty squid sandwiches, they have completely different vibes.
La Campana is larger with more seating and your squid sandwich comes with a side of olives. Bar La Ideal is narrow, one side is the bar and one side has a small amount of seating, but there is a great atmosphere eating standing at the bar. Here your squid sandwich comes with a side of potato salad.
Bar La Ideal – Calle Botoneras 4 | Everyday from 8.30 AM to 11 PM
La Campana – Calle Botoneras 6 | Sunday to Thursday 9 AM to 11 PM + Friday + Saturday 9 AM to 12 AM
Empanada
For a casual bite, try the delicious artisanal bakery, Moega. Here they have a variety of empanadas as well as many other bakery products.
Moega – Calle León 26 | Monday to Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM + Monday to Friday 5 PM to 9 PM
Cafes In Madrid
HanSo Cafe
An excellent cafe in every way, located in the Malasana district. Service is friendly, drinks and food are delicious and it has such a great atmosphere. Perhaps the best coffee in Madrid.
Calle Pez 20
Tuesday to Friday from 9 AM to 8 PM + Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 8 PM
Plenti
Plenti is located in the Barrio de las Letras Neighbourhood and has excellent breakfast and coffee, we loved the baked eggs.
Costanilla de los desamparados 13
Monday to Friday 9 AM to 7.30 PM + Saturday from 9.30 AM to 7.30 PM + Sunday from 9.30 AM to 5 PM
Read More: The Best Coffee in Madrid Spain
Desserts In Madrid
San Gines
I think San Gines is one place you need to experience in Madrid. This beautiful shop is famous for its churros con chocolat and they are delicious.
We had the churros and porras, my favourite was the churros, Chris the porras. I do have to admit though, that churros aren’t my favourite dessert, at least not with the rich chocolate that comes with them. Great when you eat them, but It’s a little too heavy and sweet afterwards. Still, something you need to experience!
If you can’t sit outside here, there is a nice space downstairs too.
Pasadizo de San Gines 5
Everyday 24 hours
Chocolat
We wanted to try other churros to compare to San Gines, and Chocolat came well reviewed. The taste was actually very close, it’s hard to separate the two. The main difference is that San Gines is an experience for the beautiful building and atmosphere. San Gines would be my first recommendation for those reasons. But Chocolat was still great, smaller with a more local feel. So if you’re ready for churros round two, I would definitely head here.
Calle Santa Maria 30
Wednesday to Monday 7.30 AM to 9 PM + Tuesday 7.30 AM to 4 PM
La Mallorquina
One of the oldest pastry shops in Madrid, let’s just say it hasn’t dropped the ball. This place is busy with both locals and tourists, but it’s definitely worthwhile. Here we tried the Neopolitana de crema and it was so soft, creamy, crispy and delicious. I could have had a lot more of these.
Calle Mayor 2
Every day from 8.30 AM to 9.15 PM
Other desserts that looked amazing: Lolo polo’s | El Jardin de Convento
Markets In Madrid
Madrid is full of Markets, some of which have a combination of fresh produce and places to eat.
Mercado de San Miguel
This market is right near Plaza Mayor and is perhaps the most well-known. It’s a beautiful building and has some amazing options for where to eat inside. It can get extremely busy at times so be prepared or come before lunch or in the afternoon.
Plaza de San Miguel
Sunday to Wednesday from 10 AM to 12 AM + Thursday to Saturday from 10 AM to 2 AM
Mercado de San Ildefonso
This market was a lot smaller than I imagined and is predominantly full of places to eat rather than any fresh produce. It’s a few stories but each level is fairly small. Great for a place to eat in the Malasana neighbourhood.
Calle de Fuencarral 57
Monday to Friday 1 PM to 1 AM + Saturday 12 PM to 1 AM + Sunday 12 PM to 12 AM
Mercado de Anton Martin
Mercado de Anton Martin is perhaps my favourite of the lot. It was our local market during our month in Madrid and had a more local feel to it. Here you will find a combination of fresh produce stalls and places to eat, both inside and around the streets. A great atmosphere on Saturday mornings.
Santa Isabel 5
Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 9 PM + Saturday 9 AM to 3 PM
Mercado de San Anton
This market is in the Chueca neighbourhood and has a combination of fresh produce and eating places with an open rooftop terrace restaurant. A fairly fancy market with some delicious food options.
Calle de Augusto Figueroa
Every day from 1 AM to 12 AM
Tips For Eating & Drinking In Madrid
Traditional tapas are free with a drink but a lot of tapas bars now you choose and pay for your tapas.
When ordering a beer, usually you will order a cana (pronounced can-ya), which is a small beer. A cava is like Spanish champagne and a vermouth (vermut) is a popular fortified wine.
In Madrid, dinner is fairly late, say around 10 pm. A lot of restaurants or tapas bars may not open until 8 or 8.30 pm. It’s best to check the times in advance of each place as best you can and have a plan b.
In August, a lot of restaurants and tapas bars are closed for the holidays.
Printable Where To Eat In Madrid Map
Get your free printable Where To Eat In Madrid Map (PDF) to take with you.
Read More:
Where To Stay In Madrid: Our Picks Of The Best Hotels In Madrid
Where To Find The Best Coffee In Madrid