The 19th-century residential quarter north of Bilbao, home to Sala de Despiece, Sacha and the Madrileno middle-class market on Calle Ponzano.
Casa Mono in Madrid's Arguelles district is the modern taberna by chef Ramiro Vazquez, with a market-led carte of croquetas, tartares and slow-braised carrilleras since 2008.
Signature: Carrillera estofada, Croquetas de jamon, Tartar de atun
Order: The croquetas de jamon and the carrillera estofada with potato puree. A glass of Lopez de Heredia rosado.
Tip: Book a week ahead for Saturday lunch; the dining room is small. Lunch menu del dia runs 22 euros weekdays.
Sala de Despiece on Calle Ponzano in Madrid's Chamberi runs the room like a butcher's counter: stainless steel benches, white tiles and the meat carved in front of you since 2013.
Signature: Steak tartare, Lomo en manteca, Tuetano asado
Order: The lomo en manteca (pork loin in lard) and the bone marrow roasted with capers. Glass of Mencia by the glass.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 for lunch or 20:30 for dinner. The bar stools are the seats locals want.
Sacha in Madrid's Chamartin is the bistro by Sacha Hormaechea, whose lazy-tortilla and lasana de boletus are reference dishes for half the country's modern Spanish kitchens.
Signature: Tortilla vaga, Atun con caviar, Lasana de boletus
Order: The tortilla vaga (lazy tortilla, undercooked and topped with caviar) and the lasana de boletus.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead; tables of two are easier than four. The dining room is intimate, the chef circulates between courses.
Viavelez near Nuevos Ministerios in Madrid is the modern Asturian by chef Paco Ron, with a refined take on fabada, bonito and the rice canon, in a clean Asturian-tiled dining room.
Signature: Fabada asturiana, Bonito de Asturias, Arroz cremoso de bogavante
Order: The fabada asturiana with compango and the arroz cremoso de bogavante. A bottle of Albarino from Rias Baixas.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead for weekend dinner. The tasting menu runs 65 euros weekdays; carte is 50 to 70 euros per head.
Stuyck & Co on Calle Modesto Lafuente in Madrid's Chamberi is the American-style smokehouse since 2018, smoking brisket and ribs over wood for 14 hours, served by weight from the counter.
Signature: Brisket, Pulled pork, Mac and cheese
Order: Brisket plate by weight (28 euros per kilo) with mac and cheese and pickles. Glass of Mencia.
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter; the dining room takes reservations. Sells out by 21:30 on weekends.
Mision Cafe in Madrid's Conde Duque is the specialty third-wave room with house-roasted beans, a daily-changing brunch carte and a clean Scandinavian-design dining room since 2017.
Signature drink: Single-origin filter
Tip: Open daily 09:00-20:00. The weekend brunch sets (14 to 19 euros) book up by 11:30; walk-in only.
Cafe Comercial on Glorieta de Bilbao in Madrid is the 1887-founded grand cafe, restored in 2017 by the El Comidista team. The Madrid literary scene drank cafe con leche here for over a century.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open daily 08:00-24:00. The breakfast set (cafe con leche, tostada, OJ) runs 6.50 euros; cocido madrileno on Wednesdays.
Panaderia Mision in Madrid's Conde Duque is the bakery-and-cafe by the Mision Cafe team since 2020, with sourdough breads, croissants and a focused brunch carte at the counter.
Signature drink: Cortado
Tip: Open daily 09:00-19:00. The croissant with cortado (4 euros) is the morning headline; sourdough loaves sell out by 14:00.
Mision Cafe Roasters in Madrid's Conde Duque is the specialty roastery and cafe since 2017, with house-roasted single-origin beans, a brunch counter and a focused subscription service.
Tip: Whole-bean bags (14 to 19 euros) at the counter and a brewed flat white (3.50 euros) are the morning recommendations.
Sources from: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Amor de Madre Coffee in Madrid's Chamberi is the specialty third-wave roastery cafe since 2019, with a small Probat sample roaster, house single-origin beans and a focused brunch counter.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The single-origin Burundi (18 euros bag) is the staff recommendation; the V60 filter at 4.50 euros.
Sources from: Colombia, Ethiopia, Burundi
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Vinothecvm on Calle Bravo Murillo in Madrid's Chamberi is the natural-wine bar and shop since 2018, with 150 by-the-glass references, Spanish and French growers and a focused tasting menu pairing.
Signature pour: Suertes del Marques from Tenerife, by the glass
Wine focus: Spanish and French natural wines
Food: Tablas, conservas
Tip: Closed Sundays. The shop is open during bar hours; bottles to take home from 18 euros and up.
30 y Tantos on Calle Ponzano in Madrid's Chamberi is the wine-and-cocktail bar since 2018, with a focused vermut carte, by-the-glass natural wines and a tapas pizarra running daily.
Signature drink: Vermut house cocktail
Food: Tapas
Tip: Walk-in. The terrace on Ponzano seats 12; the inside bar is open until 02:00 weekends.
La Tape on Calle San Bernardo in Madrid is the wine-bar-and-tapas room since 2015, with 80 by-the-glass references, a focused daily-changing tapas pizarra and a small terrace on the corner.
Signature drink: By-the-glass wines
Food: Tapas, small plates
Tip: Walk-in. Closed Sundays. The corner terrace seats 14; the inside bar is the standing-room scene.
Panaderia Mision in Madrid's Conde Duque sells sourdough sandwiches at the counter, with daily fillings of jamon iberico, tortilla and salmorejo, plus the city's reference sourdough loaves to take away.
Try: Sourdough sandwich
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Sourdough sandwich runs 6 to 8 euros. The loaves sell out by 14:00; buy early.
La Tape on Calle San Bernardo in Madrid is the Spanish craft tap-house since 2015, with 16 rotating taps from Spanish breweries, a focused tapas carte and a corner terrace.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Walk-in. Tasting paddle of 4 craft beers runs 10 euros; the tapas pizarra changes daily.
Mercado de Maravillas in Madrid's Tetuan district is the city's largest traditional municipal market with 200 stalls, an unmatched seafood section landed daily from Galicia and the city's strongest jamoneria selection.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The seafood section runs until 14:30; the iberico counter Cantanal sells whole shoulders.
Kitchen Club Madrid in Chamberi runs cooking classes in Spanish and English since 2007, with daily-changing themes from Spanish regional cuisines to international (Thai, Japanese) and dessert workshops.
Tip: Bookings via website. Drop-in classes from 55 euros; the full Spanish-cuisine workshop (130 euros) includes a market walk.
Mision Cafe in Madrid's Conde Duque is the specialty third-wave room with a focused brunch carte; eggs benedict, avocado toast and smashed-egg plates with the house-roasted single-origin coffee.
Order: Eggs benedict on house sourdough with cured Iberico
Tip: Walk-in only; the Sunday brunch fills up by 11:30. The brunch sets run 14 to 19 euros; cortado at 2.20.
Panaderia Mision in Madrid's Conde Duque is the bakery-and-brunch room by the Mision Cafe team since 2020, with house-baked sourdough toasts, daily-changing brunch plates and the focused coffee counter.
Order: House sourdough toast with Iberico jamon and tomato
Tip: Walk-in only. The sourdough-and-jamon toast plus cortado runs 10 euros; whole loaves to take home from 5 euros.