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Casa Dani is a legendary bar in Mercado de la Paz whose tortilla de patata (potato omelet) is easily the best in town, and perhaps the country (if first place in the National Spanish Omelet Championship of 2019 is any indication). Each hefty wedge is packed with caramelized onions and served hot and slightly runny. Adventurous eaters should opt for the con callos version, topped with spicy tripe. The €13 prix fixe, which hinges on market ingredients, is a great lunch deal if you're not in a rush (prepare for long lines to be seated).
Calle de Ayala 28 (also Calle de Lagasca 49), Madrid, 28001, Spain
Known For
- Possibly world's best tortilla española
- Value prix-fixe lunch
- Long lines that are worth the wait
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
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This gourmet shop (est. 1931) doubles as a cozy bar where you can sample most of the stuff on the shelves, including canned asparagus, charcuterie, anchovies, and a varied well-priced selection of Spanish cheeses and wines. It also serves good inexpensive breakfasts.
Calle del León 12, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Known For
- Regional wines and cheeses
- Delectable sobrassada-honey toast
- Quaint setting
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Crackly fried pig ear, fat wedges of tortilla de patata (potato omelet), and garlicky rabbit al ajillo are a few of the many old-school standbys that have kept this cubbyhole bar in business since 1934.
Calle de José Castán Tobeñas 1, Madrid, 28020, Spain
Known For
- Phenomenally affordable
- Classic tapas and breakfasts
- Off-the-radar gem that's worth the hike
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Always crisp and never greasy—that's the mark of a well-made churro, and Madrid Chocolat's piping-hot baskets of fried dough always hit the spot.
Calle de Santa María 30, Madrid, 28014, Spain
Known For
- City's best churros
- Comfortable dining area
- Terrific grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches
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Expertly pulled espressos, natural wines, and unexpectedly outstanding food—think velvety scrambled eggs, flavorful quiches, and homemade cakes and pastries—have made this café on Plaza del Biombo an instant hit with locals and expats, many of whom treat the roomy communal table like a coworking space (just be considerate and order more than a coffee if you plan on staying awhile).
Calle de Calderón de la Barca 8, Madrid, 28013, Spain
Known For
- €15 weekday prix fixe
- Genial bilingual staff
- Industrial-chic decor plus sunny patio seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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This cheery yellow-tiled café serving Middle Eastern-inflected sandwiches and pastries is packed from breakfast to lunch, when neighborhood-dwellers show up for falafel, shakshuka, and spinach pie. At 8:30 pm, Golda morphs into "Golfa," its boozier late-night alter ego serving tapas and natural wine.
Calle de Orellana 19, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Laptop-friendly
- Expertly pulled espresso drinks
- Homemade salads and sweet and savory pastries
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Madrileños pour in from far and wide for Esther's famous patatas bravas, fried potato wedges cloaked in vinegary paprika-laced chili sauce. A menu brimming with snails, fried lamb intestines, pork rinds, and Castilian blood sausage confirms that you're in el Madrid profundo. Breakfast is also served.
Calle Fornillos 58, Madrid, 28026, Spain
Known For
- Killer patatas bravas
- Throwback interiors
- Madrid-style offal dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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From the owners of Hola Coffee, Madrid's preeminent third-wave coffee shop, comes this über-trendy roomier outpost two blocks from Gran Vía. Beyond the single-origin espressos and other classics made from roasted-in-house beans, there are warming chai lattes, shrubs, and (seasonal) cold brew. Misión quietly makes some of the best pastries in town—try the house-made croissants or zippy lemon–poppy seed cake—in the abutting Misión Bakehouse. There are plenty of plant-based options on the breakfast and lunch menu as well. Tables are for coffee-sipping and dining only, so if you brought your laptop, sit at the high-top communal table or on the wooden "bleachers."
Calle de los Reyes 5, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Complex brews made with roasted-in-Madrid beans
- Killer pastries
- Cool-kid hangout
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Of all the marvelous bakeries in Madrid, Panem (take-out only) is the most technically skilled, churning out impeccable croissants, baguettes, and a wide range of Spanish and French pastries including Kouign-ammans, roscones (Three Kings cakes), and torrijas (Spanish "French" toast).
Calle de Fernán González 42, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Ultra-flaky French pastries
- Sourdough breads made from specialty flours
- Three blocks from El Retiro
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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Plan on a siesta after dining at this phenomenal down-home restaurant that hasn't changed a lick since opening a half-century ago. Whether you're in the boisterous downstairs bar or cozy upstairs dining room with cloth napkins and popcorn walls, you'll be blown away by Sylkar's lovingly prepared specialties including creamy ham croquettes, braised squid in ink sauce, battered hake, and the best tortilla española in Madrid for those in the runnier-the-better camp. If the torrijas (custardy Spanish "French" toast) aren't sold out by the time you order dessert, don't miss them. The 9:30 am opening time makes Sylkar a fine spot for breakfast as well.
Calle de Espronceda 17, Madrid, 28003, Spain
Known For
- Legendary tortilla española
- Irreverent banter with the waitstaff
- Free tapa with every drink
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Sat.
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Salt cod croquettes, fresh tomato salad, roast suckling pig—these are some of the comfort-food classics you'll find on the menu at this neighborhood haunt whose diner decor (steel bar, beige awnings, paper place mats) hasn't changed in decades. If you can snag a patio table in the summer, you've hit pay dirt.
Camino Viejo de Leganés 82, Madrid, 28025, Spain
Known For
- Affordable suckling pig
- Generous breakfasts
- Hyperlocal crowd
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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When this centenary café—one of the oldest in Madrid—shuttered in 2015, ostensibly for good, the public outcry was so great that it inspired a local restaurant group to buy the property and give it a much-needed revamp. In a dining room that combines original elements (huge mirrors, carved wooden columns) with new high-design fixtures, feast on a menu that's a dance between Café Comercial classics, including ham croquetas and tuna-topped ensaladilla rusa (potato salad), and novel creations by chef Pepe Roch.
Glorieta de Bilbao 7, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- One of Madrid's first literary cafés
- Modern menus by Pepe Roch
- Outstanding seafood rice
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The grandmotherly upholstery, fringed lampshades, plush wingback chairs, and wooden bookshelves make Café de la Luz a cozy spot to curl up with a book, catch up with friends, or get some work done. Coffees will run you about €2 apiece, and if you're peckish, there's a good variety of sweets and open-faced sandwiches to sate your appetite. Come evening (closing time is 2 am most nights), the lights get dimmed and coffees turn into cocktails.
Calle de la Puebla 8, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- Cheap and cheerful coffees and sandwiches
- Homey digs
- Laptops allowed
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Trace the western side of the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales until you reach Chocolatería Valor, an ideal spot to indulge in piping-hot churros dipped in thick hot chocolate. Valor's churros are chewy, puffy, and snipped into batons, more akin to porras (churros' baking-soda-leavened sibling) than to standard crispy churros.
Calle del Postigo de San Martín 7, Madrid, 28013, Spain
Known For
- One of the best chocolaterías in town
- Family-friendly atmosphere
- Outdoor seating
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These carb geeks cut no corners—breads here are leavened with sourdough and made with organic stone-ground flours, and the beans for their complex coffees are roasted in-house. Drop into the postage-stamp dinette for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up, and savor airy all-butter croissants and any range of sweet and savory pastries and breads. Seating is limited and there's no Wi-Fi.
Calle de Fernando el Católico 17, Madrid, 28015, Spain
Known For
- Sourdough breads and pastries
- House-roasted coffee beans
- Across from Mercado de Vallehermoso
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Spaniards love their morning cafés con leche and afternoon cortados (espresso with steamed milk), but until a few years ago, it was hard to find a truly great cup of joe in Madrid. Enter Hola Coffee, whose multilayered third-wave espressos and cold brews are made with beans the company roasts itself. From-scratch baked goods and open-faced sandwiches will make you want to stay awhile; printed "Cool Beans" T-shirts make zany souvenirs.
Calle del Doctor Fourquet 33, Madrid, 28012, Spain
Known For
- Third-wave coffees made with house-roasted beans
- Multilingual expat staff and clientele
- Alternative music and atmosphere
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The average customer age in this time-warpy tavern is pushing 70, which is always a good sign—Madrid's abuelos and abuelas never settle for subpar Spanish cooking. In the snug tile-walled dining room, tuck into disappearing classics like braised squid in ink sauce and stewed baby fava beans (verdinas) with prawns; then satisfy your sweet tooth with a custardy fried torrija (Spanish "French" toast).
Calle del Rey Francisco 28, Madrid, 28008, Spain
Known For
- Kitschy Spanish décor
- Lots of local clientele
- Dependable down-home cooking
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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Diverging in spirit from the stuffier baroque-style cafés of the neighborhood, this cozy spot with mismatched vintage furniture attracts an artsy crowd.
Calle del Espíritu Santo 9, Madrid, 28004, Spain
Known For
- Assortment of teas, booze, and baked goods
- Malasaña hideaway
- Cheap and cheerful
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Hand-rolled New York–style bagels, made fresh daily, hit the spot when continental breakfast fatigue sets in.
Calle de Bretón de los Herreros 35, Madrid, Spain
Known For
- Madrid's only decent bagel
- Rib-sticking breakfast sandwiches
- Challah and other Jewish baked goods
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Perhaps the only worthwhile tapas restaurant on Gran Vía, Madrid's main commercial artery, Mercado de la Reina serves everything from croquetas to grilled vegetables to tossed salads. Enjoy them in the casual bar area, in the slightly more formal dining room, or on the outdoor patio. A downstairs lounge bar with an extensive gin menu accommodates those who want to keep the night rolling.
Calle Gran Vía 12, Madrid, 28013, Spain
Known For
- Inexpensive eats
- Convenient location
- Lounge bar downstairs
