Spanish€€chuecaMon-Sat 13:30-16:00; Tue-Thu also 20:30-23:00; Sun closed; Easter closed
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.
Spanish€€la-latinaMon,Thu-Sun 13:00-17:00, 20:30-00:30; Tue-Wed 20:30-00:30
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.
Spanish€€chuecaTue-Sat 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:30; Sun-Mon 13:00-16:00
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.
Spanish€€centro
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.
Spanish€€lavapiesMon 12:30-17:00; Tue-Sun 12:30-01:30
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.
Spanish€€chamberiSun-Thu 13:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 13:00-02:30
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.