15 cheap eats rooms in Madrid, editor-picked. the best low-budget rooms in Madrid — the places editors actually return to. All Madrid food.
Casa Dani ★ 4.6
salamanca · Calle Ayala 28, 28001 Madrid
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.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or expect a queue. Cash preferred at the bar; card accepted in the dining room.
Casa Julio ★ 4.5
malasana · Calle de la Madera 37, 28004 Madrid
Casa Julio in Madrid's Malasana has fried the city's most-talked-about croquetas since 1921, with rotating fillings (jamon, boletus, espinacas con queso) and a queue that snakes onto Calle de la Madera.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:00 or after 16:00 to skip the queue. Cash strongly preferred at the bar.
Casa Labra ★ 4.5
centro · Calle de Tetuan 12, 28013 Madrid
Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado in iron pans since 1860; the PSOE was founded upstairs in 1879. The cod is still the headline counter order.
Tip: Walk-in only at the bar; the inside dining room takes reservations for lunch. Cash strongly preferred.
Casa Revuelta ★ 4.4
centro · Calle Latoneros 3, 28012 Madrid
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado (battered cod) to standing-room counters since 1924. The bar pours cana and the tapas plates are 4 to 8 euros.
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar fills up after 13:00. Order at the counter; cash is the default though card now accepted.
Casa Camacho ★ 4.4
malasana · Calle de San Andres 4, 28004 Madrid
Casa Camacho in Madrid's Malasana has poured the yayo (vermut with gin and seltzer, served from height) since 1928. The 95-year-old taberna runs on cash, formica tables and standing-room only.
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only. Closed Sundays. The bar is tiny; arrive before 13:30 or after 21:30 to find space.
Casa Amadeo Los Caracoles ★ 4.4
lavapies · Plaza de Cascorro 18, 28005 Madrid
Casa Amadeo Los Caracoles on Plaza Cascorro in Madrid's Lavapies has cooked the caracoles (snails in spicy chorizo broth) for a Sunday rastro crowd since 1942. Three generations still run it.
Tip: Walk-in only Sundays during the rastro market; very busy after 12:00. Closed Mondays. Cash preferred at the bar.
Bodega de la Ardosa ★ 4.4
malasana · Calle de Colon 13, 28004 Madrid
Bodega de la Ardosa in Madrid's Malasana has poured the vermut de grifo since 1892 from the 30-foot zinc bar, with salmorejo, tortilla de patatas and the antique mosaic tile floor still original.
Tip: Walk-in only; the back room takes 8 people max. The historic main bar fills up at 13:00; cash preferred.
Casa Mingo ★ 4.3
centro · Paseo de la Florida 34, 28008 Madrid
Casa Mingo on Paseo de la Florida in Madrid is the Asturian sidreria since 1888, serving roast chicken and natural cider poured from height, next to Goya's San Antonio chapel.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:30 or after 22:00 to skip the queue. Pollo and a bottle of sidra for 18 euros per person.
El Doble ★ 4.3
salamanca · Calle de Ponzano 58, 28003 Madrid
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.
Tip: Walk-in only. Standing room at the bar. Cash strongly preferred. The terrace is on weekends only.
Casa Toni ★ 4.2
centro · Calle de la Cruz 14, 28012 Madrid
Casa Toni near Sol in Madrid's Centro is the old-Madrid taberna for the offal canon: callos, oreja, mollejas and zarajos served from the formica counter to a midday vermut crowd since the 1960s.
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar fills up at 13:00. Cash strongly preferred; the formica counter has no card terminal until 2024.
Casa de las Tortillas ★ 4.1
centro · Calle de la Cruz 17, 28012 Madrid
Casa de las Tortillas in Madrid's Centro serves 20 variants of tortilla de patatas, from classic con cebolla to chorizo, blood-sausage and pimientos del piquillo, sliced thick at the counter.
Tip: Walk-in only; the counter fills up by 13:30. Cash preferred at the bar; card terminal in the dining room.
El Tigre ★ 4.0
chueca · Calle de las Infantas 23, 28004 Madrid
El Tigre in Madrid's Chueca pours large jars of cana and serves free heaped plates of patatas bravas, croquetas, jamon and bocadillos with every drink, in a standing-room three-bar arrangement since 2003.
Tip: Cash only. The original bar at number 23 is the loudest; the satellite at number 30 is calmer. No table service.
Bar La Ideal ★ 4.0
centro · Calle Botoneras 4, 28012 Madrid
Bar La Ideal off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is one of the bocadillo de calamares counters that built the local lunch tradition, with battered squid rings on a fresh roll and a cana for under 8 euros.
Tip: Walk-in only; the bar gets busy at 13:00. Cash strongly preferred at the bar; the dining room takes card.
Casa Mariano ★ 4.0
la-latina · Cava Baja 23, 28005 Madrid
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.
Tip: Walk-in only Sundays during the vermut crawl; the bar is full by 13:30. Cash preferred. Closed Mondays.
Casa Puerto Rico ★ 4.0
centro · Calle Postas 14, 28012 Madrid
Casa Puerto Rico off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is one of the Centro counters serving bocadillo de calamares to a midday crowd, with squid rings fried in a small kitchen behind the standing-room bar.
Tip: Walk-in only; standing room at the bar. Cash preferred. Open daily including Sundays through the rastro hours.