Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado (salt cod in light batter) at its counter since 1860. The pincho de bacalao remains under 2 euros and the standing-room bar fills at 13:00.
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Pincho de bacalao (1.30 euros) and a cana. Cash strongly preferred.
Address: Calle de Tetuan 12, 28013 Madrid
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado in iron pans since 1924. The bar pours cana and standing-room patrons order the cod by the piece at 5 euros.
Try: Bacalao rebozado
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Closed Mondays. Cash preferred. The cana doble runs 3 euros next to the cod.
Casa Toni near Sol in Madrid is the offal-counter taberna for oreja a la plancha (grilled pig's ear, crispy and tender), with the offal canon (callos, mollejas, zarajos) served from the formica bar since the 1960s.
Try: Oreja a la plancha
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only at the standing-room bar. The oreja a la plancha (6 euros) is the headline; vermut beforehand.
Rosales on Calle Echegaray in Madrid is the standing-room tapas counter where the Basque-origin gilda (anchovy, olive, guindilla on a stick) anchors the Spanish-Northern tapas canon adopted by Madrid taberneros.
Try: Gilda tapas
Tip: Walk-in. Gilda tapas run 2 euros each; pair with vermut. The bar fills up at 20:30 weekend evenings.
Casa Revuelta off Plaza Mayor in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado in iron pans since 1924. The bar pours cana and standing-room patrons order the cod by the piece at 5 euros.
Try: Bacalao rebozado
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Closed Mondays. Cash preferred. The cana doble runs 3 euros next to the cod.
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 counter that queues onto Calle de la Madera.
Try: Croquetas de jamon
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only; arrive before 13:00 or after 16:00 to skip the queue. Docena of croquetas runs 13 euros.
Casa Amadeo Los Caracoles on Plaza Cascorro in Madrid's Lavapies has cooked the caracoles (snails in spicy chorizo broth) for the Sunday rastro crowd since 1942. The recipe still uses 12 spices.
Try: Caracoles a la madrilena
Tip: Walk-in only. Closed Mondays. Cash preferred. Racion of caracoles (12 euros) with bread; Sunday rastro hours are busiest.
Casa Toni near Sol in Madrid is the offal-counter taberna for oreja a la plancha (grilled pig's ear, crispy and tender), with the offal canon (callos, mollejas, zarajos) served from the formica bar since the 1960s.
Try: Oreja a la plancha
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only at the standing-room bar. The oreja a la plancha (6 euros) is the headline; vermut beforehand.
El Rey de Gallinejas in Madrid's Embajadores quarter is the working-quarter taberna for gallinejas (fried lamb intestine) and entresijos (fried lamb-belly fat), the offal canon that defined the Madrileno cheap eat since 1947.
Try: Gallinejas and entresijos
Tip: Walk-in only. Cash preferred. Closed Mondays. Racion of gallinejas runs 8 euros; entresijos 6 euros.
Rosales on Calle Echegaray in Madrid is the standing-room tapas counter where the Basque-origin gilda (anchovy, olive, guindilla on a stick) anchors the Spanish-Northern tapas canon adopted by Madrid taberneros.
Try: Gilda tapas
Tip: Walk-in. Gilda tapas run 2 euros each; pair with vermut. The bar fills up at 20:30 weekend evenings.
