Madrid is well known for being a city full of monuments. From visiting the Royal Palace or some of the best museums in the world like El Prado to taking a stroll around Retiro Park, there's plenty to see and do. With so much sightseeing you are bound to get hungry. Sure there's always some restaurant nearby offering typical Spanish food but you don't want to end up in a touristy restaurant with disappointing and overpriced food. To help you avoid this mistake, today I bring you my foodie guide to the best places to eat near Madrid’s top attractions.
THE ROYAL PALACE
Cafe de Oriente & La Botilleria de Oriente are timeless, there's a mixture of modern and traditional decor with uniformed staff that will make you feel like you are in a luxury restaurant without having to spend a fortune.
Mercado de San Miguel is the best place to try tapas. However, you won't find average tapas here, think more like "upscale tapas". The place tends to be crowded but it's worth it.
PUERTA DEL SOL & PLAZA MAYOR
I'd say
San Gines is a tourist attraction more than a place to eat. Tourists and locals go to this place for the best
chocolate con churros in town.
MUSEUMS
Mr Frank is like half way between Puerta del Sol and two of the most famous museums in Madrid: El Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza. This restaurant offers unique dishes inspired by trips all around the world. The restaurant is divided in two areas: one looks like a wine cellar and the other has a rustic decor that makes you feel at home.
GRAN VIA
El Jardin de Salvador Bachiller and
El Invernadero de Salvador Bachiller have a similar menu but different atmospheres. The first is a rooftop and the second one a basement. The decor in both is based on nature with flowers and plants all around. Their specialties are brunch, natural fruit juices and cocktails.
Gourmet Experience El Corte Ingles. On the 9th floor of Spain's most famous department store in Gran Via you will find a mixture of gourmet food store and food market. You can buy products or eat tapas, pizza or gelato with a view.
PLAZA DE ESPAÑA
Cafe Mür is the cutest coffee shop and cocktail bar. The decor is a mixture of rustic and industrial with elements that contribute to create a cozy atmosphere like Chester sofas, vintage cushions, a chimney and wooden beams. The menu includes a selection of salads, bagels and their famous homemade cakes.
CHUECA
Chueca is the gay neighborhood in Madrid and has some of the best decorated eateries and cafes in the capital of Spain.
Frida is one of the most popular among locals. They offer creative cuisine, taking care of every detail regarding both their food and the decor. Be sure to make reservations or you will have to go somewhere else.
If I fancy a burger when I'm in the area, I go to
Anauco Gourmet. Apart from the delicious food I love the fact that you can choose the size of your burger.
Mercado San Anton is foodie paradise. The first floor focuses on perishable food, the second one on take-away food and on the third floor you'll find
Cocina de San Anton, a restaurant where customers can eat their goods bought on the first floor, cooked for a supplement of 4€. There's also a menu and a great selection of cocktails.
EL RETIRO PARK
El Perro y la Galleta is one of the most intagrammable places in Madrid and has delicious reasonably-priced food too. What's not to like?
Atlantico Taberna offers a mixture of tradition and trendiness. When you walk into this Galician restaurant you feel like you have been transported to the seaside.
SERRANO
If you have some time to go
shopping be sure to visit Serrano (a.k.a. the golden mile) and nearby streets. The biggest Zara and Mango shops in the country are waiting for you along with luxury brands like Chanel, Dior or LV. There are plenty of restaurants around but my favorite are the following:
Cafe Colon -now called Papua- a luxury restaurant for a luxury neighborhood. A great option to give yourself a treat. Very close to Cafe Colon you can find
La Habanera. I have to say that the decor here is better than the food but it's so beautiful it will make your jaw drop when you walk in. If you want to see where all the pretty people in Madrid hang out, go to this Caribbean inspired restaurant.
What amazed me the most about
Ultramarinos Quintin was the quality of their products. Every single ingredient of the dishes we ordered tasted like heaven. It's pricey but this is one of my favorite places to celebrate a special occasion. On
Puigcerda street you'll find the cutest restaurants lined up, the tricky thing will be to pick just one!
Because of my love for food, I'm on a crusade to try all the amazing restaurants and cafes Madrid has to offer. In order to share my adventure, I've created a new Instagram account
@madrid4foodies. Follow it if you want to keep updated and see the best restaurants in Madrid.
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