The Golden-Age literary quarter east of Sol, where Cervantes and Lope de Vega lived; now a cobbled tapas crawl around Calle Huertas and Plaza Santa Ana.
Casa Gonzalez on Calle del Leon in Madrid's Barrio de las Letras is the 1931-founded ultramarinos (deli-and-wine-bar), with 30 by-the-glass wines and tablas of jamon iberico, queso and conservas.
Signature: Tablas de quesos, Iberico, Wines by the glass
Order: A tabla de quesos (12 euros), a plate of jamon iberico de bellota and three by-the-glass wines.
Tip: Walk-in only; the marble tables fill up by 13:30. Closed Sundays. The deli sells the same products to take away.
El Zerain on Calle de la Cruz in Madrid is the Basque sidreria with a coal grill at the back of the room, the chuleton de buey for two, tortilla de bacalao and natural cider poured from height.
Signature: Chuleton de buey, Tortilla de bacalao, Sidra
Order: The chuleton de buey for two (700g, EUR 80) cooked rare and the tortilla de bacalao. Bottle of natural cider.
Tip: Book five days ahead for weekend dinner. The downstairs dining room is small; the upstairs is the spillover.
Salmon Guru on Calle Echegaray in Madrid is Diego Cabrera's neon-lit cocktail room (2017), the World's 50 Best Bars regular with tiki-style drinks, custom glassware and a tasting-flight menu.
Signature drink: Tikki-style cocktails by Diego Cabrera
Food: Small plates
Tip: Closed Mondays. Book the back-room tasting flight (4 cocktails for 40 euros) three days ahead; bar takes walk-ins.
Viva Madrid in Madrid's Las Letras is the 1856-founded tile-fronted cocktail bar, with a long bar, gin tonic carte and the daily-changing tapas pizarra under the original ceramic-tile ceiling.
Signature drink: Gin tonic carte
Food: Tapas
Tip: Walk-in only. The terrace on Calle Manuel Fernandez seats 8; cocktails 10 to 14 euros, tapas 5 to 12.
Mercado de Anton Martin in Madrid's Barrio de las Letras is the 1941 neighbourhood market reborn in 2014 as a working market plus gourmet upstairs counters, with the city's best vegan and Korean options.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The traditional ground-floor butchers and fishmongers serve until 14:30; upper-floor tapas until 21:00.