Madrid has amazing food: paella, jamon, churros, and more! One of the highlights of our 2019 trip to Madrid was the great restaurants. Find below some information about eating in Spain and our list of where to eat in Madrid.
Table of Contents
Spanish Meal Times
First, some things to note about meal times in Spain before we get into where to eat in Madrid:
- Breakfast (“desayuno“): Most Spaniards have a light breakfast consisting of coffee, bread with a topping, or something sweet. Standard American breakfasts of eggs and bacon aren’t very common, but can be found. To eat like a local though, opt for churros con chocolate or a continental breakfast.
- Mid-morning snack/second breakfast (“almuerzo“): Since a typical breakfast is so light, it’s common to have a morning snack to hold you over to a later lunch. Around 11:30am, it is common to see people stop in cafes for coffee and some light food, like a sandwich or Spanish tortilla.
- Lunch (“comidas,” the meal): This is traditionally the largest meal, and usually occurs between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.
- Mid-afternoon snack (“meriendas“): Dinner is late in Spain (see below), so it is common for people to eat a snack/light meal in the afternoon. Often eaten between 5pm and 7pm, it usually consists of pastry or tapas.
- Dinner (“cena“): Dinner in Spain is eaten late. In the United States, dinner can start as early as 5pm. However, in Spain, an early dinner is 8pm or 9pm. We would often go out to eat at 9pm in Madrid and be the first people in the restaurant. On weekends, dinner is even later and starts at 10:30pm at the earliest.
Spanish Food to Try
When we travel, we love to try foods specific to a location. In Madrid, there are plenty of great Spanish foods to try, like:
- Tapas (small dishes of Spanish cuisine)
- Paella (a Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia)
- Churros (fried-dough pastry)
- Patatas Bravas (fried, cubed potatoes with a spicy sauce)
- Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelette, made with egg and potato)
- Jamón (Spanish dry-cured ham)
- Gazpacho (cold soup of raw, blended veggies)
- Croquetas (lightly breaded and fried bechamel fritters, often with meat)
- Huevos estrellados/Huevos rotos (fried eggs with French Fries and meat)
- Torrijas (Spanish-style French toast)
Where to Eat in Madrid
Restaurante La Barraca
Address: Calle de la Reina, 29, 28004 Madrid, Spain
Website: https://www.labarraca.es/en/
The first place on our list of where to eat in Madrid is Restaurante La Barraca. Located just off the Gran Via, this restaurant is known for paella! It was founded in 1935 when a Valencian family moved from their native region to Madrid and has served authentic paella ever since. If you order paella, they cook at minimum two portions so they are best for splitting. We ordered the Paella Valenciana, which included chicken, rabbit, green beans, and white beans. It was delicious!
| Tip: Beware of all the tourist traps on the Gran Via and other popular areas. They all serve paella, but often times, it is microwaved and overpriced. Opt for a more authentic and made-to-order restaurant like La Barraca, which is only steps from the main drag. |
Mercado Antón Martín
Address: Calle de Santa Isabel, 5, 28012 Madrid, Spain
Hours: Traditional market stalls: Mon- Fri from 9 to 9pm, Saturdays: 9 to 3pm
Restaurants/modern stalls: Mon- Sat. from 9-11:30pm
Website: https://www.mercadoantonmartin.com/
Antón Martín is a market located in Madrid’s historic center. This three-floored building houses roughly 65 food stalls. Produce, meat, fish, baked goods, and more are sold at traditional market stalls and there are a few restaurants, like a sushi bar. We recommend visiting the more tourist-filled Mercado de San Miguel as well, but Mercado Antón Martín gives you a more local feel. It is also close by to the next restaurant on our “where to eat in Madrid” list!
Taberna El Sur
Address: Calle Torrecilla Del Leal 12, 28012
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Elsurdetorrecilla/
| A Favorite Restaurant! |
This restaurant was probably my favorite meal of the trip. Everything was so delicious and it was an amazing lunch after a long walk through Retiro Park. Alex ordered spinach ravioli, I got a delicious meat dish with homemade plantain chips, and we shared a slice of Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelette)! The atmosphere is very cozy; we loved it!
Although this place is very local, they are very welcoming to tourists and families. Our waiter was able to piece together our English and attempts at Spanish. Honestly, this was the best meal we’ve had in Spain. Highly recommend!
Chocolatería San Ginés
Hours: open 24 hours
Address: Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5, 28013 Madrid (near Plaza Mayor)
Website: https://chocolateriasangines.com/
San Ginés is open 24/7 and is always busy. It was founded in 1894 and is located in small alleyway off of Plaza Mayor. It is probably the most famous chocolatería in Madrid. Many people frequent here after going out for the evening, or for a sweet, traditional Spanish breakfast. We opted to visit for an early breakfast.
After waiting in line, we ordered and snagged a table for two. We received a plate of churros and a cup of melted chocolate. It was delicious! I’m not a huge sweets for breakfast person, but when in Madrid, eat like the locals! After we finished the churros, I drank some of the liquid chocolate.
| Tip: If you don’t want to sit and enjoy your chocolate, there is a convenient take-out only line across the alleyway. |
El Corte Ingles Shopping Center- Gourmet Experience
Address: Plaza del Callao, 2, S0, 28013 Madrid, Spain
Website: https://www.elcorteingles.es/aptc/gourmet-experience/gran-via/gusto/
The next stop on our “where to eat in Madrid” list is actually a department store, El Corte Ingles. In this Madrid location, right off the Gran Via, they have a food hall on the ninth floor. To get there, enter the store and take the elevator up to the “Gourmet Experience.” You can purchase gourmet groceries but it also has a food court with stalls ranging from tapas and pizza to sushi and gourmet burgers.
| Tip: The gourmet burger place, Hamburguesa Nostra, has a menu in English! We visited twice during our trip and the first time, I tried to order in Spanish (I do not speak Spanish) and ended up messing up the meat temperatures. We ended up with very rare burgers. The next time, we found out there were menus in English and were able to correctly order. (And I had also looked up how to say “medium-well” in Spanish)
Hamburguesa Nostra also has a take-out window. If you want to eat there, don’t order at the window. Instead, sit down at their tables and a staff member will take your order from there. |
The Gourmet Experience even has mochi for dessert! One of the best parts of the Gourmet Experience is the view! The view is completely free and you can see Madrid’s skyline, including the palace and the cathedral. You can enjoy the view from inside or venture out onto their patio.
La Mia Venta Meson Restaurante
Address: Plaza de la Marina Española, 7, 28013 Madrid, Spain
Website: https://www.lamiventa.com/
This restaurant was super cool! The atmosphere is very unique and the room that we ate in was an old brick cellar previously used for storing drying ham. We had reservations for 9pm and we were the only ones in the room for quite some time. For our appetizer, we selected some ham croquetas. Alex ordered grilled baby lamb chops and I opted for huevos rotos with ham.
As the restaurant filled with evening diners, it still remained an intimate meal. We ended our delicious cena with dessert and ordered toffee torrija, Spanish-style French toast, with vanilla ice cream. Definitely recommend La Mia Venta for where to eat in Madrid!
| Tip: If you want to eat during the more traditional Spanish dinner time, we recommend making a reservation for La Mia Venta! |
Mercado de San Miguel
Address: Plaza de San Miguel, s/n, 28005 Madrid
Website: https://mercadodesanmiguel.es/en/
Hours: Monday – Thursday and Sunday: 10:00 – 24:00, Friday – Saturday and holiday eves: 10:00 – 1:00
Mercado San Miguel is the most popular market in Madrid and has become quite the tourist hub. There is a little bit of everything here, from Vermouth and olives to seafood and cheese. Spend some time walking the aisles and perusing stalls. Order a little from various places or simply window shop. We tasted some empanadas and fresh fruit, yummy!
B-LikEat
Address: Plaza de España, 18, 28008 Madrid, Spain
Website: https://www.barcelo.com/en-us/barcelo-torre-de-madrid/
We stayed at the Barceló Torre de Madrid hotel for our 2019 trip. The hotel has a breakfast buffet designed for foodies by nutritionist and “eating designer,” Vanessa Losada. Our reservation didn’t include breakfast every day, so we paid to eat there once. It was a little pricey, but yummy! There is an ensemble of breads, nut butters, vegetable pâtés, meats, cheeses, yogurt, pancakes, eggs, smoothies, and cereal.
El Pimiento Verde
Address: Calle de Quintana, 1, 28008 Madrid, Spain
Website: http://elpimientoverde.com/
The last restaurant on our “Where to Eat in Madrid” list was recommended to us by our hotel concierge. El Pimiento Verde now has several restaurants and has become a Madrid chain. It is known for their famous artichoke flowers (“Flores de Alcachofa”). Of course, we had to try the artichokes and ordered them as an appetizer (it comes with quite a few). The artichokes were salted (but not too much), tender, and amazing!
For our main course, Alex tried the octopus and I ordered a steak. The entrees were good, but the real showstopper was the artichokes! You simply have to try them!
Thanks for reading our “Where to Eat in Madrid” post! Happy traveling (and eating)!
