The 19th-century grid uptown, Madrid's bourgeois quarter where Goya, Ortega y Gasset and Velazquez streets host the fine-dining canon and the jamoneria flagships.
Jurucha on Calle Ayala in Madrid's Barrio de Salamanca has run the same-family barra of more than 60 Donostiarra-style pinchos since 1962, with the gildas.
Signature: Pinchos donostiarras, Tortilla de patata, Gildas
Order: A round of gildas, the tortilla de patata, and whichever fish canape the bar shows today. A cana of Mahou.
Tip: Stand at the barra; sit-down tables miss the point. Closed Sundays and holidays. Cash and card accepted; pinchos charged per piece.
El Pescador on Ortega y Gasset in Madrid's Salamanca has sourced Galician seafood from Pescaderias Coruñesas since 1975, with the live-tank centollo.
Signature: Centollo, Pulpo a la gallega, Croquetas de chipiron
Order: A centollo (spider crab) from the live tank and the pulpo a la gallega. A glass of Albarino from Rias Baixas.
Tip: Book five days ahead for weekend dinner. The bar opens 12:30 onward and is the easier door at lunch; the dining room is closed Sundays.
Casa Dani inside Mercado de la Paz in Madrid's Salamanca has cooked the tortilla de patatas (sliced thick, runny in the centre) for 40 years.
Signature: Tortilla de patatas, Croquetas, Menu del dia
Order: The pincho de tortilla de patatas (2 euros) and the menu del dia (13 euros weekdays).
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or expect a queue. Cash preferred at the bar; card accepted in the dining room.
El Pescador on Calle Jose Ortega y Gasset in Madrid's Salamanca has cooked Galician seafood since 1976, with a live tank of shellfish and the rape (monkfish).
Signature: Pulpo a la gallega, Almejas a la marinera, Pixin a la plancha
Order: Pulpo a la gallega (24 euros), almejas a la marinera and a half-bottle of Albarino from Rias Baixas.
Tip: Book five days ahead for weekend dinner. The marble counter seats 8; the dining room is wood-panelled and formal.
El Doble on Calle Ponzano in Madrid is the cana doble (double-pour beer in tall glasses) headline counter, with sharp Mahou and short-cellar wines.
Signature: Cana doble, Boquerones, Tortilla
Order: A cana doble (3.50 euros) at the bar with boquerones en vinagre and a pincho de tortilla.
Tip: Walk-in only. Standing room at the bar. Cash strongly preferred. The terrace is on weekends only.
East Crema Coffee Hermosilla in Madrid's Salamanca is the larger second outpost of the East Crema roastery, with a wide counter for the V60 and espresso bar.
Signature drink: Filter coffee from East Crema roast
Tip: Open daily 08:00 (09:00 weekends) to 20:00. The 11.50-euro brunch set (coffee, juice, toast, pastry) is served until 13:00.
Levaduramadre on Calle Lagasca in Madrid's Salamanca is the artisan sourdough bakery chain founded in 2014, with rye, spelt and white sourdoughs.
Tip: The Salamanca flagship has a cafe counter. Whole loaves run 5 to 8 euros; the pan de centeno sells out by 13:00.
Worth the queue: Pan de centeno
Supreme Coffee in Madrid's Salamanca is the specialty roastery and bean-retail cafe since 2020, with a clean white interior, beans-of-the-week from East.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The single-origin Kenya AA (22 euros bag) is the headline retail; espresso 1.80 at the counter.
Sources from: Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
Vinos Jose Pascual on Calle Castello in Madrid's Salamanca is the wine-bar-and-shop since 1948, with 350 references on the cellar, 25 by-the-glass and tablas.
Signature pour: Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, by the glass
Wine focus: Spanish wines, 350 references
Food: Tablas, conservas
Tip: Closed Mondays. The by-the-glass list rotates weekly; ask the staff for the current Ribera del Duero recommendations.
El Jardin Secreto in Madrid's Conde Duque is the rooftop garden bar at the Hotel Innside Madrid, with views over Plaza Comendadoras, a vermut programme.
Signature drink: Vermut tonic
Food: Tapas, small plates
Tip: Open April to October only. Walk-in until 21:00, reservation required after. The vermut tonic (8 euros) is the headline.
La Cibeles is the Madrid craft brewery founded in 2010, with the flagship Cibeles Premium Lager poured at over 100 Madrid taprooms. Located in Salamanca.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Walk-in. Cana of Cibeles Premium runs 3 euros; the wood-fired pizzas are the pairing carte.
Mercado de la Paz in Madrid's Salamanca is the 1882 neighbourhood market that hosts Casa Dani's reference tortilla counter, plus 50 stalls of fresh produce.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Casa Dani tortilla counter inside is the headline; arrive before 13:30 to skip the queue.
Apunto Centro Cultural del Gusto on Calle Hortaleza in Madrid is the cooking school and bookshop since 1999, with classes on Spanish regional cuisines.
Tip: Bookings via website. The cocido madrileno workshop runs once a month (110 euros, 4 hours including lunch).
Casa Dani in Mercado de la Paz in Madrid has cooked the city's most-talked-about tortilla de patatas for 40 years; the pincho runs 2 euros and the menu del.
Try: Pincho de tortilla, menu del dia
Tip: Walk-in only. Closed Sundays. The pincho de tortilla at 2 euros is the cheapest tortilla in Madrid; menu del dia under 13.
East Crema Coffee Hermosilla in Madrid's Salamanca is the specialty-coffee-and-brunch room from the East Crema roaster, with a spacious counter.
Order: Brunch set with specialty coffee and house pastry
Tip: Walk-in only. Brunch runs until 13:00 daily; the 11.50-euro set (coffee, juice, toast, pastry) is the order.
Goya Social Club on Calle de Goya in Salamanca runs an electronic-leaning club with a capacity around 350, programming house, deep house, tech-house, techno and vinyl-led disco and funk sets.
Tip: Doors Thu to Sat from 00:00-06:00; reservations through the website skip the queue. Velazquez or Goya L4 L2 are the nearest metros.
Fenomeno on Calle de Recoletos in Salamanca is a 400 square metre hi-fi listening bar inspired by Japanese Jazz Kissa, with two DJ booths, multiple bars and an 80s and 90s funk and disco programme.
Tip: Open every day 17:00-04:00; weekends fill quickly. Reservation through the venue site helps at peak. The vinyl room is the back lounge.