Catalan, paella€€centro
Los Patos in Madrid has cooked Valencian paella and Catalan arroces in wide flat pans over a wood fire, with the duck a la naranja that gave the room its name as the headline dish since 1976.
Signature: Paella valenciana, Arroz negro, Pato a la naranja
Order: The paella valenciana (minimum two people, 35 euros per head) cooked to order and the pato a la naranja.
Tip: Paella cooked to order requires 35 to 40 minutes; order at the start of the meal. Book a week ahead for weekend lunch.
Seafood, mariscos€€€salamanca
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.
Castilian asador€€la-latina
Casa Paco off Plaza Puerta Cerrada in Madrid's La Latina is the 1933 asador that pioneered the cast-iron skillet chuleton service: meat is sealed at the front of the room, then finished in the oven.
Signature: Chuleton de ternera, Cochinillo, Callos
Order: The chuleton de ternera for two (450g per person, 28 euros per head) and the callos in winter.
Tip: Walk-in only at lunch; reservation taken for dinner. The downstairs dining room is the wood-panelled original.
Tortilla specialist, taberna€salamanca
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.
Croqueta specialist, taberna€malasana
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.
Signature: Croquetas de jamon, Croquetas de boletus, Cana
Order: A docena (12 croquetas, mixed flavours) for 13 euros, plus a cana and a vermut at the bar.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 13:00 or after 16:00 to skip the queue. Cash strongly preferred at the bar.
Madrileno taberna€€lavapies
Taberna Antonio Sanchez on Calle Meson de Paredes in Madrid's Lavapies has run since 1830, with bull-fighting paintings on the wall, the rabo de toro on the menu and the original zinc bar untouched.
Signature: Rabo de toro, Callos a la madrilena, Vino de Pitarra
Order: The rabo de toro with patatas and the callos a la madrilena. A jug of Vino de Pitarra to share.
Tip: Closed Sunday evenings and Mondays. Book three days ahead for the dining room; the bar takes walk-ins.
