The places in Madrid the guidebooks miss.
The places in Madrid the guidebooks miss. locals-only counters, after-hours rooms and the spots tourists walk past.
Casa Macareno is a Lavapies counter taberna with 90 percent locals; croquetas, callos and a cana run under 12 euros. Closed Mondays, cash preferred.
Why locals love it: Cheap working-quarter taberna with 90 percent locals; counter-only and outside the centre tourist corridor, but the croquetas rival any Salamanca address.
Tip: Walk-in only. Closed Mondays. Cash preferred. Croquetas, callos and a cana for under 12 euros at the counter.
Bar Trafalgar in Chamberi serves the citys reference Madrid tortilla, sliced thick and runny at 13:00 sharp; a second batch comes out at 14:30 daily.
Why locals love it: Pricey carte, no Plaza de Olavide signage, but the kitchen serves the city's reference Madrid tortilla, sliced thick and runny in the centre at 13:00 sharp.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Tortilla at 13:00; the second batch comes out at 14:30. The slice runs 6 euros at the counter.
Bodega de los Secretos in Madrid: tasting menu room. 17th-century wine cellar dug under a Madrid street, with the dining room arranged across 12.
Why locals love it: 17th-century wine cellar dug under a Madrid street, with the dining room arranged across 12 stone-vaulted alcoves and a focused Castilian carte that few tourists find.
Tip: Book a week ahead for the corner alcove. Tasting menu 65 euros; carte 45 to 60 euros per head. Closed Sundays.
Tres por Cuatro is a small 24-cover Chamberi taberna behind an unmarked door; tortilla de bacalao and a daily market pizarra anchor the local carte.
Why locals love it: Small Chamberi taberna behind an unmarked door, no signage, 24-cover dining room, the tortilla de bacalao and the daily-changing market pizarra anchor the local-only carte.
Tip: Book five days ahead for weekend lunch. Closed Sundays. The tortilla de bacalao and the daily fish are the headlines.
Casa Pepe de la Plaza is a Plaza Cebada working taberna with a 1956 zinc bar; callos a la madrilena in clay pots and vermut de grifo at 3 euros.
Why locals love it: Plaza Cebada working-quarter taberna locals send first-time visitors to; bullfighting prints on the wall, callos in clay pots and a 1956 zinc bar.
Tip: Walk-in. Cash preferred. Closed Wednesdays. The callos a la madrilena and the vermut de grifo are the working-day order.
Casa Salvador, a 1941 Chueca taberna off Gran Via, slow-cooks rabo de toro for four hours; the dining room is hung with bullfighting prints.
Why locals love it: Checkered-tablecloth, taurine-themed taberna in Chueca since 1941, on a side street off Gran Via, with rabo de toro slow-cooked four hours and a dining room hung with bullfighting.
Tip: Book ahead for weekend lunch. The rabo de toro (22 euros) and the merluza rebozada are the headline plates; closed Sundays.
Taberna La Chata on Cava Baja keeps a green-tiled facade and a back dining room; vermut de grifo 3 euros and rabo de toro 18 since the 1980s.
Why locals love it: Cava Baja taberna behind the green-tiled facade locals walk past for the tourist circuit.
Tip: Walk-in for the bar; the back dining room takes reservations. Vermut de grifo 3 euros; rabo de toro 18.
Casa Ricardo is a 1947 Chueca taberna with original tile walls; callos at 9 euros, patatas bravas at 5, cana at 2.50. Closed Tuesdays, cash preferred.
Why locals love it: Chueca neighbourhood taberna that escaped the gentrification wave; 1947-founded, original tile walls, callos and patatas bravas at counter prices, a 14-seat dining room.
Tip: Walk-in. Cash preferred. Closed Tuesdays. Callos 9 euros, bravas 5, cana 2.50.
Garelos is a Centro Galician taberna serving pulpo a la gallega cooked over copper pots; Albarino by the bottle, lacon con grelos in season here.
Why locals love it: Galician taberna in Madrid's Centro with no English signage; pulpo a la gallega cooked the canonical Galician way over copper pots.
Tip: Walk-in or book. Closed Sundays. Pulpo a la gallega 18 euros; bottle of Albarino 18 to 25 is the canonical pair.