Cylinders of cold bechamel rich with diced jamón ibérico, breadcrumbed and deep-fried to a crackling shell. Madrid's most-ordered tapa, the test of any tasca.
Spanish croquetas evolved from French croquettes brought to Madrid courts in the 19th century; Spanish cooks deepened the bechamel and folded in ham, the bones from which give a long-simmered stock. Javier Bonet's Sala de Despiece in Chamberi (originally on Ponzano, moved to Alonso Cano in 2024) helped redefine the modern small-batch Madrid tapa; older tabernas at Casa Mariano, La Tape and dozens of vermuterias serve the canonical bar croqueta daily.
3 editor picks for Croquetas de jamón in Madrid, ranked by editorial score. All Madrid signature dishes · Croquetas de jamón across every city.
Sala de Despiece ★ 4.4
chamberi · Calle Alonso Cano 28, 28003 Madrid
Sala de Despiece in Madrid's Chamberi runs the room like a butcher's counter: stainless steel benches, white tiles and the meat carved in front of you.
La Tape ★ 4.2
chamberi · Calle de San Bernardo 88, 28015 Madrid
La Tape on Calle San Bernardo in Madrid is the wine-bar-and-tapas room since 2015, with 80 by-the-glass references, a focused daily-changing tapas pizarra.
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.