10 Best Traditional Restaurants in Madrid (for real)

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There is one thing I recommend to do in Madrid, and that is to eat! Food is what brought me to write this post because of my last time I was in Madrid I tried several dishes from a lot of traditional restaurants and that made me create a list of best and must-try restaurants in Madrid. Maybe trends are shifting, and even the way I travel, but food is starting to be one of the key reasons for me to explore destinations – which I find super exciting! Do you? 

Madrid wasn’t appealing to me for a long time, mainly because I had the wrong idea that a city without a river or sea would just not work. Coming from Portugal, I never travelled much to Spain. My first trip to a Spanish city was Barcelona, and after living by the sea, Barcelona ticked all the boxes on a place I would love to live. It wasn’t until I landed in Madrid for the first time in 2022 that I realised how wrong I was! 

Madrid is a melting pot full of traditions from all over Spain and South America, huge in history while still ruled by Monarchy. Madrid’s streets are large, and the buildings are historical from the facade and well preserved. There are signs of Spain’s historical achievements everywhere you walk. 

The Best Traditional Restaurants in Madrid post was written based on the last 2 years of business trips to Madrid and locals advice, suggestions and my own experience that I wish to share with you. I anticipated that when I went for the first time to Madrid I was a bit taken by surprise with the amount of delicious food, so please, dive along if you are interested in experiencing Spanish Traditional dishes and other mouth-watering foods in Madrid! 

Understanding the areas of Madrid 

Madrid has several areas and depending on which you will find different types of specialities for example, around Bairro de La Latina you will find traditional tapas infused with South American food with bars staying open until quite late.

Greater Madrid is huge, but the city centre is divided into 6 main neighbourhoods when it comes to food: 

Chueca – LGBTQ+ neighbourhood with quick eateries and very lively at night; 

Malasaña a great place to explore restaurants from all over the world with great rooftops; 

Lavapiés which is vibing street art and foods from every corner in the world; 

La Latina the small tapas before the night out; 

Las Letras the best place to eat good traditional Spanish food from all over the country, the perfect place for Flamenco restaurants and shows and 

Ópera has amazing restaurant options. The area has little hidden gems as well as more tourist places. There is a place for everyone. 

To explore all these main 6 areas add Salamanca and Retiro neighbourhoods to your list, the best place to stay close to all neighbourhoods is Gran Via which is a busy high street crossing the Madrid centre and connecting the majority of the main hubs. 

Let’s talk about the best traditional restaurants in Madrid and where to find them

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I leave here the restaurants in a map so you can get there on the go:

1. La casa del Abuelo

If you are looking for traditional, historical yummy tapas, look no further! La Casa del Abuelo is an institution. La Casa del Abuelo is not a place to eat large meals, rather is for having great appetisers. It is the No 1 for Gambas, so if you head there you know what you must request. Its gambas are cooked to perfection in a simple yet delicious garlic, olive oil and red pepper sauce. Make sure you ask for some bread because you won’t stop cleaning its sauce. You will get to see locals having their chats – a small glass of wine that is only $2.50.  

This traditional restaurant in the centre of Madrid lasted 118 years, and it all started with the owner wanting to bring the best sweet wine to the capital. Today it is still run by the family, which is now in its 4th generation. So, if you have to eat something in Madrid, you know what to do: Gambas en La Casa del Abuelo!

2. Juana La Loca 

For many, Ruana La Loca is the best traditional restaurant in Madrid, for me it is up there, more than anything it is the best traditional tapas restaurant in Madrid for sure! It is located in the La Latina neighbourhood and Madrid. Juana La Loca has been offering pintxos (tapas) to its people for more than 20 years and it is the pioneer in respecting the flavours and traditional recipes of its kind. 

Juana La Loca brings to Madrid years of tradition from the Basque country on small sides quite literally! If you want something different than pintxos make sure to try the Tuna Tartare with incredible pearl onion, the right level of moist and freshness. The tortilla is as delicious as advertised, full of flavour and with the right balance of eggs and potato – super yum! 

For those who don’t know, truffle is life for me. If you are like me, definitely have a try of the Eggs with truffle. I am a bit picky when it comes to eggs. For years I didn’t eat them, and then since 2018, I started eating them only scrambled. Although I still ask the eggs to be well cooked (not too runny) Juana La Loca is one of the only traditional restaurants where eating tortillas and eggs with truffles makes sense to me.

3. El Buye  

If you are a steak lover, don’t even look anywhere else. El Buye is a traditional restaurant for meat lovers. There is one menu, and people go there for beef en la plancha (steak in the grill), but is not a traditional grill, you cook your meat on a hot clay plate! The whole experience is fantastic. 

Eating at El Buye is my tradition, it is the second time I have been there and I make an exception to eat meat. They have vegetarian options too. The starters are tasty as well, and I would definitely recommend the gambas, and also the tuna tomato salad. The tuna and tomato salad is an interesting dish, the tuna is so yummy and fresh that the first time I tried it the texture was like chicken! 

Going into the main dish of the experience at El Buye: el steak. Served on a sharing plate, they serve you a lot of thin-cut meat that is perfect to grill on the hot plate. I love it because my favourite meat is Brazilian Picanha which is also a very thin cut of meat. The meat comes with fries and salad. 

The quality of the meat is great and perhaps the best meat in Madrid (okay, hold on!) I would have to have tried all the thousands of restaurants in Madrid to make this affirmation, but based on my last 3 visits I joined their 360 reviews stating the same. Their meat has barely any fat which makes it perfect to cook. This is another place that I 100% recommend making a reservation. Every time I have been at El Buye the place was very full and I was glad I had it booked. 

4. Los Huevos de Lucio

Los Huevos de Lucio belongs to Casa Lucio and has been feeding people for 50 years. If you ask anyone from Spain for a good restaurant in Madrid, most likely they will point to Casa Lucio famous for its incredible Huevos (eggs). 

Its story is very cute and worth being told, the owner Lucio started to work in the restaurant at 12 years old and later on bought the place, renaming it. Casa Lucio is way more than just a modern institution, it is a boy’s dream that came true! 

Casa Lucio started to attract famous people from all over the world to try its Huevos, so much so that the owner, Lucio, decided to open another restaurant called Los Huevos de Lucio. Guess what the speciality is? – no brainer, Huevos Rotos, Huevos a la Lucio, huevos and more huevos. 

The menu is appealing with a lot of choices and you have to pre-book a table, especially during the weekend. Everyone that comes to Madrid wants a bit of Lucio’s eggs! 

The restaurant has an amazing atmosphere, the food is amazing, fresh, well prepared, great presentation and the service is outstanding. 

Must-try starters: Ramon Iberico, croquettes and manchego cheese

For mains: Los huevos de Lucio classic or with bacon. The eggs are served runny with traditional and hand-cut potatoes. 

Codfish bites with truffled flavoured mashed potatoes. Now let me be very honest. I love codfish. Coming from Portugal, cod (Bacalhau) is my tradition. Huevos de Lucio showed me that good cod can be eaten outside Portugal. Of course, the truffle-flavoured mash was just wow! 

If you are after a traditional Madrid-style dish, then you there, choose the tripe stew. 

5. Casa Botin

I love calling establishment institutions ahah! but they are! 

Casa Botin is the oldest restaurant in the world – and it even has received a Guinness World Record! Casa Botin has been serving traditional Spanish dishes since 1725, but the building has existed since 1590! 

This is a must-try when in Madrid although the food is not so much my style I am still very glad I have been there to sit and witness how this place kept for so long its traditional features. 

They are famous for suckling pig and lamb which unfortunately aren’t my favourite meats at all, but I still enjoyed the place and its history! 

The traditional restaurant offers also the possibility of having a tour of the place and then a meal – why not consider it? 

6. Casa Alberto 

If you like to travel back in time, have good traditional food and be involved with the local culture then Casa Alberto might also be a good shout for you. Like any traditional Spanish restaurant, you can expect to see on the menu the tortillas, tapas, croquettes. But what this place has best it’s the service and the beers. Maybe a combination of all. 

I tried the Patatas Bravas which were perfect! I struggle with spicy food and they made sure it wasn’t too hot. The Sardines were also very tasty, not too dry and not too fatty either. But what made it utterly mouthwatering was the chicken with the stuffed peppers.

Another place where you should book a table. 

7. Casa Paco

I mentioned that I am not a fan of eggs, but I understand that you might be. Above I already offered some tortilla suggestions and now I am sharing with you what I call the King of Tortillas in Madrid. Casa Paco opened its doors in 1954. After more than 60+ years, for sure they know what they are about!

The team is very attentive and friendly and when it is not busy they can cook more of the eggs in the tortilla if you are like me and don’t like them runny. Of course, there are other traditional dishes that you can ask. I ordered the goat’s cheese, oxtail and chorizo tortilla and it was to die for. They also do tapas and steak. Their menu isn’t huge and has a lot of other dishes. They are experts in tortillas and they offer 20 different variations of the Tortilla which accommodates all tastes. 

8. Zerain Restaurante Asador – Sidrería Vasca

Zerain is a traditional restaurant from the Basque country, northern Spain. When I mentioned that in Madrid you can find traditional restaurants from all over Spain, this is what I meant. 

Traditionally cooked, the Zerain Restaurant offers the famous Txuleton as their speciality, cooked in local cider. Maybe you are wondering what this traditional txuleton is? A txuleton is the ribs of beef, but not just any standard cut of steak. The Basque country traditionally has a homestay cow and when the cow is ready to retire they use this well-aged meat as their local traditional dish. One thing is right, Zerain offers delightful, scrumptious and delicious traditional Basque country dishes! 

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Other must-try restaurants in Madrid

The following places are not musts but yes restaurants that offer traditional cuisine or experience. It can be that the decor is still very much antique, or that is part of local recommendations but I have never been. So, if you happen to try any and would like to provide your opinion, let me know! 

9. Restaurante La Catedral

If you like old buildings full of characteristics then visit La Catedral. I was recommended this place to witness unique venues. The staff looked very busy and judging by the reviews, peak periods might cause some delays with food but still great to check.

10. San Ginés 

All the streets of Madrid lead us to San Gines, the best chocolatier in Madrid. If Casa del Abuelo is an institution for gambas then San Gines is an institution for churros, but not any churros, CHOCOLATE churros.  

Is your mouth watering already? Okay let me try to explain: The chocolate is shiny and warm and perfectly poured in a cup and then on the other hand you get thin sugary churros perfect size to dunk in chocolate. 

I am confidente that you have everything you need for an amazing foodie couple of days in Madrid! If you have any other places that I should try please share in the comments!

Safe travels !

Miri x

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