The old medieval quarter south of Plaza Mayor where the Sunday vermut crawl runs along Cava Baja and Casa Lucio still cooks the broken-egg dish since 1974.
Casa Lucio on Cava Baja in Madrid's La Latina has cooked the huevos rotos (broken eggs over fried potatoes) since 1974. The kings and presidents who eat here all order them.
Signature: Huevos rotos, Cocido madrileno, Solomillo
Order: The huevos rotos on a bed of fried potatoes, then a half-portion of the solomillo or the cocido.
Tip: Book ten days ahead by phone; Casa Lucio rarely takes online reservations. Ask for the downstairs dining room when you book.
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 Paco off Plaza Puerta Cerrada in Madrid's La Latina is the 1933 asador that pioneered the cast-iron skillet chuleton service: meat is sealed at the front of the room, then finished in the oven.
Signature: Chuleton de ternera, Cochinillo, Callos
Order: The chuleton de ternera for two (450g per person, 28 euros per head) and the callos in winter.
Tip: Walk-in only at lunch; reservation taken for dinner. The downstairs dining room is the wood-panelled original.
Taberna Matritum on Cava Alta in Madrid's La Latina is the modern taberna by chef Tony Sanjuan, with a focused carte of cocido, tartare and seasonal market plates since 2010.
Signature: Cocido, Steak tartare, Croquetas
Order: The croquetas de jamon, the steak tartare and the cocido madrileno (weekdays only).
Tip: Book five days ahead for weekend dinner. The terrace on Cava Alta seats six; the inside dining room is wood-panelled.
Taberneros in Madrid's Centro is the modern taberna by chef Estanislao Carenzo, with a market-led carte of tartares, croquetas and tortilla, plus a focused wine list since 2009.
Signature: Steak tartare, Croquetas, Tortilla
Order: The steak tartare prepared at the table and the tortilla de patatas. A bottle of Mencia.
Tip: Book three days ahead for weekend dinner. The downstairs dining room is the original cellar; ask when reserving.
Casa Mariano on Cava Baja in Madrid's La Latina has run the Sunday vermut crowd since the 1960s, with the tortilla, croquetas and the broken-egg dishes that anchor every La Latina taberna crawl.
Signature: Tortilla, Croquetas, Cana
Order: Tortilla de patatas con jamon (10 euros), croquetas de jamon and a vermut de grifo.
Tip: Walk-in only Sundays during the vermut crawl; the bar is full by 13:30. Cash preferred. Closed Mondays.
Taberna Tempranillo on Cava Baja in Madrid's La Latina is the wine-bar headline of the Cava Baja crawl, with 200 by-the-glass Spanish references and a daily-changing pizarra of tapas and tablas.
Signature pour: Mencia from Bierzo, by the glass
Wine focus: Spanish wines, 200 references
Food: Tapas, tablas
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar fills up Sundays during the vermut crawl. The pizarra changes daily; ask for current Mencias.
El Rincon de Jaen on Cava Alta in Madrid's La Latina is the Andalusian wine bar with 90 by-the-glass references from Jerez to Montilla-Moriles, plus tablas of jamon iberico and Manchego.
Signature pour: Pedro Ximenez from Montilla-Moriles
Wine focus: Andalusian wines and sherries
Food: Tablas, jamon iberico
Tip: Closed Mondays. The by-the-glass sherry flight (12 euros for 4) is the headline tasting set.
Mercado de la Cebada in Madrid's La Latina is the 1875 working-quarter municipal market, with 80 stalls of fresh fish and meat, plus a Saturday tapas-and-vermut spillover into the surrounding plaza.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Saturday after-market spillover at Plaza de la Cebada with vermut barrels is the local scene.
El Rastro on Calle Ribera de Curtidores in Madrid is the centuries-old Sunday flea market with 1000 stalls plus the parallel vermut and tapas crawl through La Latina, anchored by the Calle Cava Baja taberna route.
Tip: Sundays only 09:00 to 15:00. The vermut crawl post-rastro on Cava Baja (Lucio, Matritum, Tempranillo) runs until 17:00.