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.
La Pescadora in Madrid's Salamanca district sources its seafood daily from Galicia, with the centollo, ostras and rape al horno running the carte since 1985, in the dining room behind the marble counter.
Signature: Rape al horno, Centollo, Ostras de Galicia
Order: A centollo (spider crab) from the live tank and the rape al horno with patatas a lo pobre.
Tip: Book five days ahead for weekend dinner. The marble counter seats six; the inside dining room is the formal one.
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; locals call it Madrid's best slice of egg-and-potato.
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) and pulpo running the carte.
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. Boquerones, tortilla and croquetas under 5 euros.
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.
Loft 39 in Madrid's Salamanca is the design-led specialty cafe and brunch room since 2014, with white-marble counters, a focused coffee carte and a daily-changing brunch menu.
Signature drink: Cappuccino
Tip: Open daily 09:00-22:00. The brunch (15 to 24 euros) books up by 11:30 on weekends; walk-in only otherwise.
Levaduramadre on Calle Lagasca in Madrid's Salamanca is the artisan sourdough bakery chain founded in 2014, with rye, spelt and white sourdoughs, plus laminated pastries and a small cafe counter at flagship.
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 Africa and a focused subscription model.
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
Lavinia in Madrid's Salamanca is the largest wine retailer in Europe with 4,500 references in the cellar, plus a tasting bar at the back where 30 by-the-glass references pour from 10 to 22 euros.
Signature pour: Vega Sicilia Unico, by the glass
Wine focus: Spanish and international wines, 4,500 references
Food: Tasting room plates
Tip: Closed Sundays. The tasting bar (at the back) opens with the shop; the by-the-glass list rotates weekly.
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 of conservas, jamon iberico and queso.
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 and a daily-changing small-plates carte.
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.
The Room Madrid in Salamanca is the speakeasy-style cocktail bar by chef Paco Perez since 2019, in a hidden basement behind a hotel reception, with a 40-cover bar and signature mezcal-led carte.
Signature drink: Mezcal Old Fashioned
Food: Small plates
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Entry through the Hotel Aranda; reservation recommended for weekend evenings.
La Cibeles is the Madrid craft brewery founded in 2010, with the flagship Cibeles Premium Lager poured at over 100 Madrid taprooms and the brewpub-and-pizza-room at the Calle Alcantara taproom.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Walk-in. Cana of Cibeles Premium runs 3 euros; the wood-fired pizzas are the pairing carte.
Labirratorium on Calle Lagasca in Madrid's Salamanca is the craft beer reference taproom since 2014, with 25 rotating Spanish-and-international taps and a focused board of by-the-bottle imports.
Tip: Walk-in. The 60+ bottle list is the depth offer; the bar staff curate tasting paddles to taste.
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, iberico jamoneria and Galician seafood.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Casa Dani tortilla counter inside is the headline; arrive before 13:30 to skip the queue.
Platea Madrid near Plaza de Colon is the 2014-built gourmet market in the former Carlos III cinema, with 12 chef-led counters (Paco Roncero, Pepe Solla, Marcos Granda) and a top-floor cocktail bar.
Tip: Open daily. The chef-counters serve full carte; the basement Costa Brava sushi counter is the late-night option.
Apunto Centro Cultural del Gusto on Calle Hortaleza in Madrid is the cooking school and bookshop since 1999, with classes on Spanish regional cuisines, baking and the cocido madrileno workshop monthly.
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 dia stays at 13 euros for three courses.
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.
Loft 39 in Madrid's Salamanca is the design-led specialty brunch room since 2014, with white-marble counters, a focused brunch carte and a Sunday brunch buffet that fills up by 11:30.
Order: Eggs Florentine on house brioche
Tip: The brunch buffet (24 euros all-you-can-eat) Sundays only is the headline; carte brunch 15 to 22 euros daily.