The historic centre around Sol and Plaza Mayor, home to the 1725 Botin wood ovens, Casa Labra cod fritters and Mercado de San Miguel.
Sobrino de Botin near Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the Guinness-certified oldest restaurant in the world, in business since 1725. The wood-fired oven roasts cochinillo segoviano daily.
Signature: Cochinillo asado, Cordero asado, Sopa de ajo
Order: The cochinillo asado roasted in the 1725 wood oven, then sopa de ajo with poached egg.
Tip: Book the cave dining room downstairs three weeks ahead. Lunch is calmer than dinner; the 14:00 service is the working-day local hour.
Lhardy on Carrera de San Jeronimo in Madrid has run the wood-panelled dining rooms above its Parisian-style charcuterie counter since 1839, serving the city's canonical cocido madrileno.
Signature: Cocido madrileno, Callos a la madrilena, Consome de ave
Order: The three-volcado cocido madrileno on a Tuesday or Thursday. From the counter, the consome from the silver urn.
Tip: The downstairs counter pours consome from the silver urn for 4 euros standing up; the cocido is upstairs by reservation.
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.
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.
Casa Mingo on Paseo de la Florida in Madrid is the Asturian sidreria since 1888, serving roast chicken and natural cider poured from height, next to Goya's San Antonio chapel.
Signature: Pollo asado, Sidra natural, Chorizo a la sidra
Order: A whole roast chicken (12 euros) and a bottle of sidra natural poured from arm's length.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or after 22:00 to skip the queue. Pollo and a bottle of sidra for 18 euros per person.
El Sobrino del Padre in Madrid's Centro serves lechazo (suckling lamb) from the wood oven, with the Castilian roast canon running through cordero, cochinillo and tostones de sopa de ajo.
Signature: Lechazo asado, Sopa de ajo, Patatas a lo pobre
Order: The lechazo asado (1/4 portion serves one) and the sopa de ajo. A glass of Ribera del Duero crianza.
Tip: Book three days ahead for weekend lunch. Lechazo orders must be placed when reserving; lamb is slow-roasted overnight.
Los Galayos in Plaza Mayor in Madrid has cooked the Castilian roast lamb and the migas pastoriles since 1894, with a terrace under the arcades and wood-fired ovens in the basement.
Signature: Cordero asado, Migas pastoriles, Patatas bravas
Order: The cordero asado from the wood oven (1/4 lamb portion) and the migas pastoriles with grapes.
Tip: Book the inside dining room for cordero; the terrace is fine for tapas but the lamb needs the wood oven downstairs.
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado (battered cod) to standing-room counters since 1924. The bar pours cana and the tapas plates are 4 to 8 euros.
Signature: Bacalao rebozado, Callos a la madrilena, Croquetas
Order: Bacalao rebozado at the counter (5 euros per piece) with a cana. Add the callos in winter.
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar fills up after 13:00. Order at the counter; cash is the default though card now accepted.
Los Patos in Madrid has cooked Valencian paella and Catalan arroces in wide flat pans over a wood fire, with the duck a la naranja that gave the room its name as the headline dish since 1976.
Signature: Paella valenciana, Arroz negro, Pato a la naranja
Order: The paella valenciana (minimum two people, 35 euros per head) cooked to order and the pato a la naranja.
Tip: Paella cooked to order requires 35 to 40 minutes; order at the start of the meal. Book a week ahead for weekend lunch.
Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado in iron pans since 1860; the PSOE was founded upstairs in 1879. The cod is still the headline counter order.
Signature: Bacalao rebozado, Tajada de bacalao, Croquetas
Order: A pincho of bacalao rebozado (1.30 euros) and a tajada de bacalao (boiled and seasoned salt cod) with a cana.
Tip: Walk-in only at the bar; the inside dining room takes reservations for lunch. Cash strongly preferred.
Casa de las Tortillas in Madrid's Centro serves 20 variants of tortilla de patatas, from classic con cebolla to chorizo, blood-sausage and pimientos del piquillo, sliced thick at the counter.
Signature: Tortilla, Croquetas, Patatas bravas
Order: Pincho de tortilla con cebolla (3 euros) and one of the rotating specials. A cana to wash it down.
Tip: Walk-in only; the counter fills up by 13:30. Cash preferred at the bar; card terminal in the dining room.
Casa Toni near Sol in Madrid's Centro is the old-Madrid taberna for the offal canon: callos, oreja, mollejas and zarajos served from the formica counter to a midday vermut crowd since the 1960s.
Signature: Callos, Oreja a la plancha, Mollejas
Order: Oreja a la plancha (6 euros), callos a la madrilena (8 euros) and a cana. A glass of vermut to start.
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar fills up at 13:00. Cash strongly preferred; the formica counter has no card terminal until 2024.
Bar La Ideal off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is one of the bocadillo de calamares counters that built the local lunch tradition, with battered squid rings on a fresh roll and a cana for under 8 euros.
Signature: Bocadillo de calamares, Cana, Croquetas
Order: Bocadillo de calamares (5.50 euros) with a slice of lemon and a cana. Order at the counter to save time.
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar gets busy at 13:00. Cash strongly preferred at the bar; the dining room takes card.
Estado Puro on Plaza Canovas in Madrid is the modern-tapas room by Paco Roncero, with a clean white dining room, an open kitchen and a carte that runs the modern Spanish tapas canon.
Signature: Patatas bravas, Tortilla de Sacha, Croquetas
Order: The patatas bravas (8 euros), the tortilla de Sacha (deconstructed in a glass) and the croquetas de jamon.
Tip: Book three days ahead for weekend dinner. The terrace seats 12; the inside dining room is the design-led room.
Casa Puerto Rico off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is one of the Centro counters serving bocadillo de calamares to a midday crowd, with squid rings fried in a small kitchen behind the standing-room bar.
Signature: Bocadillo de calamares, Tortilla, Cana
Order: Bocadillo de calamares (5 euros), a slice of lemon and a cana. Tortilla pincho on the side.
Tip: Walk-in only; standing room at the bar. Cash preferred. Open daily including Sundays through the rastro hours.
Cafe de Oriente on Plaza de Oriente in Madrid faces the Palacio Real, with the chocolate con churros tradition, a fin-de-siecle dining room and a terrace looking at the Royal Palace.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open daily 09:30-24:00. The terrace (12 tables) faces the palace; the inside is wood-panelled and full of red velvet.
Cafe Gijon on Paseo de Recoletos in Madrid is the 1888-founded literary cafe that hosted the post-civil-war tertulia (literary discussion circle) of Cela, Hemingway and Lorca during their Madrid years.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open daily 07:30-01:30. The breakfast set runs 6 euros; the terrace under the trees is the seat to book in summer.
La Mallorquina on Puerta del Sol in Madrid has sold the napolitana de crema (custard-filled puff pastry) since 1894. The 19th-century counter still queues out the door every morning.
Tip: Walk-in only; the counter fills up by 09:30. Cash strongly preferred at the counter. The upstairs cafe takes seated customers.
Worth the queue: Napolitana de crema
Casa Mira on Carrera de San Jeronimo in Madrid has made the turron de Jijona by hand since 1855. The marble-fronted shop still uses the original 19th-century moulds for the Christmas-season production.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash preferred. The Christmas-season queue forms in November; turron sold all year, polvorones in autumn.
Worth the queue: Turron de Jijona
Viena Capellanes in Madrid is the 1873-founded confiteria that gave the capellan pastry its name. The chain still produces breads, brioche capellanes and the iconic emparedados from its central workshop.
Tip: Open daily. The capellan pastry (1.80 euros) is the morning-coffee headline; the emparedados de jamon for take-away lunch.
Worth the queue: Capellan (Madrid pastry)
Confiteria La Campana off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the original bocadillo de calamares counter since 1956, with the squid rings fried in a small kitchen behind the marble counter to the rastro crowd.
Tip: Walk-in only; counter open daily until late. Cash preferred. The bocadillo (5 euros) is the only headline order.
Worth the queue: Bocadillo de calamares
Antigua Pasteleria del Pozo in Madrid is the 1830-founded pastry shop with the city's oldest sweet-pastry counter, the pastel ruso, and the wood-and-marble shopfront preserved since the 19th century.
Tip: Closed weekends. Cash preferred. The pastel ruso (3 euros) and the rosquillas tontas y listas are the headlines.
Worth the queue: Pastel ruso
Horno de San Onofre in Madrid's Gran Via is the 1972-founded panaderia and pasteleria with the canonical rosquillas de San Isidro (May festival ring biscuits) and a daily-changing fresh-bread counter.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The rosquillas de San Isidro (10 euros per box) appear from late April to early June.
Worth the queue: Rosquillas de San Isidro
Horno de la Santiaguesa on Calle Mayor in Madrid is the 1893-founded confiteria with the tarta de Santiago (Galician almond cake) and a daily-changing fresh bread and biscuit counter.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The tarta de Santiago whole (15 euros) or by slice (3.50 euros) is the headline.
Worth the queue: Tarta de Santiago
Angelita Madrid on Calle del Reina is the natural-wine room by the Casa Cervantes group since 2014, with 100 by-the-glass pours and a focus on Spanish small producers like Comando G and Suertes del Marques.
Signature pour: Comando G La Bruja Aveleyra, by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and small-producer Spanish wines
Food: Tapas and small plates
Tip: Closed Sun-Mon. The downstairs cocktail bar is the second-stop; the wine bar is on the ground floor.
El Pulpito on Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the Galician wine bar and tasca with 80 by-the-glass references, pulpo a la gallega and the daily-changing pizarra of Galician and Asturian wines.
Signature pour: Albarino from Rias Baixas, by the glass
Wine focus: Galician and Asturian wines
Food: Tablas, conservas
Tip: Closed Mondays. The terrace on Plaza Mayor seats 12; the inside dining room is wood-panelled and small.
La Venencia on Calle Echegaray in Madrid is the 1930s sherry bar where Hemingway drank manzanilla. The room pours only sherry, the prices chalked on the wood counter; no photos, no tip-jar.
Signature pour: Manzanilla en rama from Sanlucar
Wine focus: Andalusian sherries (fino, manzanilla, oloroso, palo cortado, pedro ximenez)
Food: Conservas, mojama
Tip: Cash only. No photographs (rule since the 1930s). The bar serves five sherry styles and three conservas; nothing else.
Museo Chicote on Gran Via in Madrid is the 1931-founded cocktail bar by Perico Chicote, the Madrid cocktail pioneer. The room hosted Hemingway, Ava Gardner, Lola Flores and the post-war Madrid scene.
Signature drink: Dry Martini
Food: Snacks
Tip: Walk-in. The art-deco room is the headline; the dry martini (12 euros) is the canonical order. Open daily until 02:00.
Azotea del Circulo on Calle de Alcala in Madrid's Centro is the rooftop of the 1926 Circulo de Bellas Artes art club, with 360-degree views over Gran Via and a cocktail-and-tapas carte.
Signature drink: Gin tonic
Food: Tapas, small plates
Tip: Entry fee 5 euros. Open daily 11:00-02:00. The sunset slot (19:30) is the busiest; book on Tickets.com to skip the queue.
El Imperial near Gran Via in Madrid is the cocktail bar by Diego Cabrera's team since 2012, with the Crystal Negroni (clarified Negroni) and the modern cocktail-tasting carte that won World's 50 Best 2018.
Signature drink: Crystal Negroni
Food: Small plates
Tip: Walk-in. The room is small (40 seats); booking recommended for weekend evenings. Crystal Negroni runs 14 euros.
Boadas Madrid is the 2021 outpost of the 1933 Barcelona original, with the throw-cocktail technique (drinks thrown between shakers in a long arc) and the canonical classic Spanish cocktail carte.
Signature drink: Boadas (rum, kummel, gin, mint)
Food: Snacks
Tip: Walk-in. The bar seats 30; the throw-cocktail show happens behind the bar. Closed Sundays.
Bar La Ideal off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the bocadillo de calamares counter where battered squid rings on a fresh roll define the Madrileno working-day lunch since the 1950s.
Try: Bocadillo de calamares
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Bocadillo (5.50 euros) with a slice of lemon and a cana. Cash preferred at the bar.
Chocolateria San Gines off Calle Mayor in Madrid has fried the churros con chocolate for the after-midnight crowd since 1894. The 24-hour counter still pulls a queue at 03:00 from the late-night Madrid scene.
Try: Churros con chocolate
Tip: Walk-in only. Set of 6 churros and a thick chocolate cup (4.30 euros). The 03:00 to 05:00 slot is the post-club rush.
Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid serves the gilda tapa (anchovy, olive and guindilla pepper on a stick) at 12 different counters, the Basque-origin pintxo adopted into the Madrileno tapas canon.
Try: Gilda tapas
Tip: Gilda tapas run 2 to 3 euros each at every counter; pair with a glass of Txakoli from Casa Real Andaluza.
Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado (salt cod in light batter) at its counter since 1860. The pincho de bacalao remains under 2 euros and the standing-room bar fills at 13:00.
Try: Bacalao rebozado
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Pincho de bacalao (1.30 euros) and a cana. Cash strongly preferred.
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado in iron pans since 1924. The bar pours cana and standing-room patrons order the cod by the piece at 5 euros.
Try: Bacalao rebozado
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Closed Mondays. Cash preferred. The cana doble runs 3 euros next to the cod.
Casa Toni near Sol in Madrid is the offal-counter taberna for oreja a la plancha (grilled pig's ear, crispy and tender), with the offal canon (callos, mollejas, zarajos) served from the formica bar since the 1960s.
Try: Oreja a la plancha
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only at the standing-room bar. The oreja a la plancha (6 euros) is the headline; vermut beforehand.
Rosales on Calle Echegaray in Madrid is the standing-room tapas counter where the Basque-origin gilda (anchovy, olive, guindilla on a stick) anchors the Spanish-Northern tapas canon adopted by Madrid taberneros.
Try: Gilda tapas
Tip: Walk-in. Gilda tapas run 2 euros each; pair with vermut. The bar fills up at 20:30 weekend evenings.
Casa Puerto Rico off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the bocadillo de calamares counter, with squid rings fried to order in the small kitchen behind the standing-room bar, beside fresh-pressed lemon slices.
Try: Bocadillo de calamares
Tip: Cash preferred. Walk-in only. Bocadillo runs 5 euros, cana 2.50 at the standing-room counter.
Casa Mira on Carrera de San Jeronimo has produced turron (soft-and-hard almond-and-honey brick) since 1855, with the marble counter and the original 19th-century moulds for Christmas-season production.
Try: Turron de Jijona
Tip: Cash preferred. Closed Sundays. Turron runs 15 to 28 euros per kilo; smaller portions sold by weight.
La Virgen in Madrid is the city's reference craft brewery since 2011, with a taproom near Plaza de Espana, 12 house taps on rotation and a clean industrial dining room with a small carte of tapas and burgers.
Tip: Walk-in. Cana of La Virgen Madrid Lager runs 3 euros; the IPA at 3.50. The terrace seats 24 in summer.
BrewDog Madrid near Gran Via is the Spanish flagship of the Scottish craft brewery since 2018, with 30 rotating taps of BrewDog and Spanish guest beers, plus a burger-led food carte.
Tip: Open daily until 01:30. The 2-3-9 happy hour (17:00-20:00) is the locals' slot. Burger and pint run 18 euros.
Naturbier on Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid is the German-style brewpub since 1991, with cellar lagers brewed on-site, the long wood tables of a Bavarian beer hall and the sausage-and-pretzel carte.
Tip: Walk-in. The cellar dining room downstairs is the original; the terrace on Plaza de Santa Ana seats 30.
Mercado de San Miguel beside Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the wrought-iron 1916 market reborn in 2009 as the city's reference gourmet tapas market, with 30 counters and an evening vermut scene under the glass roof.
Tip: Walk-in. Cash and card. Counters: gilda tapas 2.50 euros, vermut at Casa Real Andaluza, oysters at La Casa del Bacalao.
Cooking Point Madrid in Las Letras is the city's reference English-language cooking school since 2008, with three-hour paella and tapas classes, hands-on prep and a market walk option.
Tip: Bookings via website; classes daily 11:00 and 17:00. The paella class (95 euros) includes wine and the cooked meal.
Devour Madrid's cooking class is the three-hour Spanish-cuisine workshop where students cook paella, tortilla and three tapas with the Devour team since 2014, with a market visit option.
Tip: Bookings via website. Classes daily 11:00. The market-and-cook version (145 euros, 5 hours) includes a Mercado de la Cebada walk.
Context Travel's Madrid market-and-cook is the docent-led five-hour workshop combining a Mercado de la Cebada market walk with a Spanish-home-cooking lesson in a private kitchen.
Tip: Bookings via website. Group capped at 6. Includes the market walk, a paella and three tapas, plus wine pairings.
Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid fries the bacalao rebozado at its 1860-founded counter, with the pincho de bacalao still under 2 euros, a cana for 2.50 and the standing-room bar a working-day local.
Try: Pincho de bacalao
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Cash preferred. Bacalao plus cana under 4 euros; the dining room runs more expensive.
Bar La Ideal off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the bocadillo de calamares counter where a full bocadillo, cana and a slice of lemon runs under 8 euros, defining the Madrileno cheap working-day lunch since 1955.
Try: Bocadillo de calamares + cana
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Bocadillo 5.50 euros, cana 2.50; cash preferred at the bar.
Casa Mingo on Paseo de la Florida in Madrid is the 1888 Asturian sidreria where a whole roast chicken and a bottle of natural cider feeds two people for 18 euros, with no service charge.
Try: Pollo asado + sidra
Tip: Walk-in only. Roast chicken 12 euros plus 6 euro bottle of sidra; arrive before 13:30 or after 22:00 to avoid the queue.
Casa Toni near Sol in Madrid serves the offal canon at counter prices: oreja a la plancha 6 euros, callos 8, cana 2.50; the whole working-day lunch runs under 10 euros at the standing-room bar.
Try: Callos, oreja, cana
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only at the standing-room bar. Closed Wednesdays. The bar is full by 13:00.
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado at the counter since 1924, with the pincho at 5 euros, cana 2.50, the whole working-day lunch under 7 euros at the standing-room bar.
Try: Bacalao rebozado por unidad
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Cash preferred. Closed Mondays. Cod sells out by 15:30 on weekends.
Chocolateria San Gines off Calle Mayor in Madrid has fried the churros con chocolate since 1894; a set of 6 churros and a thick chocolate cup runs 4.30 euros, the cheapest 24-hour breakfast in the centre.
Try: Churros con chocolate
Tip: Walk-in only. Open 24 hours daily. Cash and card. The 03:00 to 05:00 post-club slot has the fastest queue.
Chocolateria San Gines off Calle Mayor in Madrid has fried the churros con chocolate for the after-midnight crowd since 1894; the 24-hour counter still pulls a queue at 03:00 from the late-night Madrid scene.
Try: Churros con chocolate
Tip: Walk-in only; the post-club queue 03:00 to 05:00 is the busiest slot. Set of 6 churros and chocolate cup runs 4.30 euros.
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.
Casa Mingo on Paseo de la Florida in Madrid is the 1888 Asturian sidreria serving roast chicken and natural cider through 01:00 daily; the post-theatre crowd still piles in for the late-lunch order.
Try: Roast chicken plus sidra
Tip: Walk-in only. The 22:00 to 24:00 slot is the calmest; whole roast chicken 12 euros, bottle of sidra 6.
Bar La Ideal off Plaza Mayor in Madrid serves the bocadillo de calamares until 23:00 nightly; the standing-room counter crowd that takes it after the theatre or before a long bar crawl.
Try: Bocadillo de calamares
Tip: Walk-in only; cash strongly preferred. The bar fills up after 22:00 with the post-theatre crowd. Bocadillo 5.50 euros.
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid serves the bacalao rebozado until 23:00 nightly Tuesday to Sunday; the post-Plaza-Mayor crowd still piles in for the 4 euro pincho and cana at 22:30.
Try: Bacalao rebozado
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Closed Mondays. Cod sells out by 21:30 on weekend evenings; arrive earlier on Friday-Saturday.
Naturbier on Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid is the German-style brewpub since 1991 serving cellar lagers and sausage plates until 24:00 nightly, with a long Bavarian beer-hall dining room downstairs.
Try: House cellar lager and sausage
Tip: Walk-in. The terrace on Plaza de Santa Ana seats 30. Cellar lager runs 3.50 euros; sausage plate 11.