Cocido madrileno is Madrid's defining stew: chickpeas, slow-cooked beef, chicken, chorizo and morcilla simmered for hours, served as three sequential courses (broth, chickpeas and vegetables, then meats) in a single pot.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
The cocido madrileno descends from the medieval adafina, a Sephardic Jewish Saturday stew of chickpeas and meat slow-cooked overnight to circumvent the Sabbath cooking prohibition. After the 1492 expulsion of Jewish residents, the dish was adopted by Castilian Christian cooks, with the pork additions (chorizo, morcilla, tocino) emphasizing the lack of Jewish observance. By the 18th century, the cocido had become the city's defining stew, eaten at boarding houses, taverns and the royal court alike. The three-volcado service tradition (broth first, then chickpeas, then meats) developed in the 19th-century working-class taberna. Lhardy serves the canonical version since 1839; Taberna La Bola cooks individual pots over charcoal since 1870; Malacatin since 1895.
Common allergens: None typical
Tip from the editors. Skim foam thoroughly in the first 20 minutes; this is the difference between clear and cloudy broth. Use proper Spanish cooking chorizo, not cured Iberico, for the broth.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Lhardy on Carrera de San Jeronimo in Madrid has poured consome from a silver urn at its downstairs counter since 1839; the post-theatre crowd still drops in for a hot cup at 24:00 standing up.
Try: Consome from the silver urn
Tip: Walk-in only at the downstairs counter. Consome runs 4 euros, eaten standing. Upstairs dining room closes 23:00.
Taberna La Bola near the Teatro Real in Madrid has cooked the cocido madrileno in individual clay pots over charcoal since 1870. The dining room is painted vermilion since the 19th century.
Signature: Cocido madrileno, Callos a la madrilena, Bacalao con tomate
Order: The cocido madrileno served the three traditional volcados: broth first, then chickpeas and vegetables, then meats.
Tip: Cocido served at lunch only; book three days ahead for weekday lunch. Cash strongly preferred. No card terminal until late 2024.
Malacatin off Plaza de la Cebada in Madrid's La Latina has cooked the cocido madrileno in clay pots since 1895. The Vino de Pitarra (house red from clay amphora) is served by the jug.
Signature: Cocido madrileno, Vino de Pitarra, Callos
Order: The cocido madrileno on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday lunch. A jug of Vino de Pitarra at room temperature.
Tip: Cocido served at lunch only, three days a week. Book five days ahead; cash strongly preferred at the bar.
Casa Ciriaco on Calle Mayor in Madrid has served the gallina en pepitoria (hen in almond and saffron sauce) since 1929, three steps from where Alfonso XIII survived the 1906 wedding-day bomb.
Signature: Gallina en pepitoria, Callos a la madrilena, Perdiz estofada
Order: The gallina en pepitoria with rice and the callos a la madrilena. Half-bottle of house Valdepenas.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays. The Tuesday and Thursday cocido is the surest order; the dining room is full of regulars by 14:30.
La Carmencita on Calle Libertad in Madrid's Chueca has run the 1854 taberna under Carlos Zamora since 2014, recovering the original recipes and pouring vermut from the wood barrel out front.
Signature: Cocido madrileno, Croquetas, Tortilla de patatas
Order: The Thursday cocido madrileno, the croquetas de jamon, and a vermut de grifo before lunch.
Tip: Cocido on Thursdays only. Book a week ahead. The terrace on Calle Libertad seats eight; the inside dining room is wood-panelled.
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