The Best Local Restaurants in Madrid

Sacha Restaurant serves playful dishes with a foundation in traditional Spanish cuisine, marked by Catalan and Galician influences. The menu, crafted by Sacha Hormaechea, includes fresh seafood, robust meat dishes, and tapas made with high-quality ingredients. In the summer, customers can enjoy their meals on a serene outdoor patio.

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Oliver Jansson

Food Enthusiast – Stockholm, Sweden

Playful dishes with its foundation in traditional Spanish cuisine, with Catalan and Galician influences. Sacha is a culinary icon in the vibrant city of Madrid. In a charming restaurant featuring humble wooden chairs tastefully contrasted by pristine white tablecloths, Sacha Hormaechea serves playful dishes with its foundation in traditional Spanish cuisine, with Catalan and Galician influences from his parents. Expect fresh seafood, robust meat dishes, and tapas created with simple, high-quality ingredients. In the summer you have the opportunity to sit on the peaceful outdoor patio that provides a very serene atmosphere. Don’t miss Sacha’s signature tortilla vaga if you go here!

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Offering an elegant dining experience, Desde 1911 is a restaurant that specializes in seafood. The menu is driven by the freshest catch of the day, with dishes that are simple but full of flavor. The restaurant's interior is described as understated luxurious, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere for diners to enjoy their meal.

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Tristin Farmer

Chef – Singapore , SG

Incredible seafood & sharp service Dined as a large group of chef friends and had an excellent lunch. Chef Diego cooked for us, the best possible fish and shellfish, with simple yet complex flavour profiles. Very sharp service, tableside interaction & very hospitable. Great history of the restaurant and fishmongers.

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With a unique concept of an imaginary island, ARAIA offers a blend of Mediterranean flavours in a setting that evokes a beach cave. The menu includes original dishes such as beetroot carpaccio, crispy fried calamari with aioli, spicy octopus, and a savory rice casserole with duck. Don't forget to try their lamb sish kebab and ox tail stew, both highly recommended by visitors.

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Paula Móvil

Journalist & PR – Madrid, Madrid

Mediterranean vibes on the hippest neighborhood in town Araia is conceived as an imaginary island in the middle of the Chamberí neighborhood. In a venue that resembles a beach cave, the energetic and young staff will serve some original creations such as a beetroot carpaccio (amazing!), crunchy fried calamari with aioli, a spicy octopus and a perfect rice casserole with duck. Do not miss the lamb sish kebab or the ox tail stew.

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Serving as a renowned tavern, El Doble is recognized for its unique pouring of a flawless doble. Their seafood tapas, particularly Galician mussels prepared en escabeche, gambas salad with diced onions, olive oil and sherry vinegar, and fresh anchovies cured in salt and vinegar, are also worth a try. Besides, this place showcases the art of pulling a perfect caña, or doble, adding a touch of authenticity to your dining experience.

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Anastasia Avramenko

Freelance journalist – Milan , Italy

This emblematic tavern is best known for pouring a proper doble, while their seafood tapas deserve not less attention. This is the place. El Doble. Try Madrid’s most famous tapas here: Galician mussels prepared en escabeche, gambas salad with diced onions, olive oil and sherry vinegar, boquerones en vinagre (fresh anchovies cured in salt and vinegar). In addition to that, El Double is where you’d witness the art of pulling a perfect caña, or doble.

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Serving fantastic Spanish cuisine, El Fogón de Trifón emphasizes the quality of its ingredients, offering dishes like clams from Carril, artichoke with foie gras, and cod "Cocochas" with pil-pil sauce. The cozy atmosphere makes you feel at home, and their approach to food is simple, allowing you to appreciate the main ingredient of each dish. The restaurant has been serving food lovers for over 15 years, treating customers with professionalism and a warm, welcoming approach.

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David P. Leja

@thegastrojourney – Palma, Spain

Spanish restaurant with fantastic ingredients and cooked great, with a cozy atmosphere making you feel at home. The concept reminded us a little bit of La Tasquita de Enfrente actually, with the emphasis being on the ingredients. On this occasion we went with our good friend Luis and had a nice little feast composed of the following: * Clams from Carril. * Artichoke with foie gras. * “Huevos rotos”: Fried eggs with fried potatoes and “papada ibérica” (pork jowl) and black truffle. * “Chopitos” (baby squid) with potato. * Cod “Cocochas” with pil-pil sauce. * Cheesecake with a green olive confit. A fantastic meal, not overcomplicating things and just being able to appreciate the main ingredient of each dish.

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El Pescador is known for its seafood and fish, with dishes such as big clams from Carril, red prawn from Denia, crayfish from Isla Cristina, Sole, and Sea bream. The restaurant also offers desserts like Filloas filled with custard. The restaurant operates from Monday to Saturday, offering two service periods each day, and is closed on Sundays.

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David P. Leja

@thegastrojourney – Palma, Spain

THE place for seafood and fish in Madrid. This is THE place for seafood and fish in Madrid. It was four of us and we didn’t overcomplicate things, we mainly ordered grilled simple and delicious seafood and fish: * “Almejas gordas”(Big clams) from Carril. * Red prawn from Denia. * “Cigalitas” (crayfish) from Isla Cristina. * “Lenguado” (Sole). * “Besugo” (Sea bream). * Filloas filled with custard. Definitely one of the places we’ve most enjoyed in the city, and your place to go if you are craving some good seafood or fish.

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With a casual vibe and no-frills approach, Fide Calle is a standing-only counter that serves great local beer and first-rate tapas-style snacks. The menu is rich in seafood, brought in every week from the Galician town of Cambado, offering delicacies such as grilled prawns, pulpit camariñas, crabs, barnacles, and shrimp. Their selection of anchovies, served on toasted bread, is also worth noting, making this place perfect for a quick snack or a 'beer & bite' before dinner.

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David J Constable

Writer & Underwear Model – London, UK

Standing-only counter with great local beer and first-rate tapas-style snacking One of man’s greatest achievements was putting an anchovy on some toasted bread and boy, do they have a fantastic selection of anchovies here! The vibe is incredibly casual with no-frills, just good cold beer and excellent slider foods - grilled seafood, grilled prawns, pulpit camariñas, crabs, barnacles, shrimp (the seafood brought in every week from the Galician town of Cambado). Also worth noting that it is a bar serving food, so its standing only. Perfect for snacks or a quick ‘beer & bite’ before dinner.

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Fismuler is known for its simple, straightforward cooking style that emphasizes high-quality ingredients and enhanced flavors. The restaurant offers a range of dishes, from lettuce buds from their own garden topped with 24-month Comté, to artichoke rice with flamed snails, and an omelette featuring potato, onion, fried green peppers, and Carrasco Iberico chorizo. The cooking style is stripped back to simplicity, allowing the ingredients to be the star of each dish.

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David J Constable

Writer & Underwear Model – London, UK

Simple, to-the-point cooking: showing off first rate produce and ramping up the flavours. A brilliant lunch at Fismuler from chef Patxi Zumarraga. Simple, to-the-point cooking: showing off first rate produce and ramping up the flavours. This is my favourite sort of place, advocating a stripped back simplicity, and pushing ingredients to the fore. There’s a lettuce bud from the restaurant’s garden, crowned with shavings of 24-month Comté; Navarrese white asparagus with champagne cream; Figueres onion soup with ‘cod’s guts & egg yolk; artichoke rice with flamed snails; a San Roman schnitzel with egg & black truffle; pickled wild boar with foie gras & spring vegetables; and the best damn omelette I’ve ever had - with potato, onion, fried green peppers & Carrasco Iberico chorizo.

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Immerse yourself in a culinary journey at Lhardy Restaurante, a place that has been serving exquisite food since 1839. This establishment is known for its commitment to high-quality ingredients and time-honored recipes, making it a landmark among Spanish restaurants. With its refined dining rooms that bear witness to the country's culinary history, Lhardy offers a unique blend of aristocratic ambiance and the finest European cuisine.

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Mario Sandoval

Michelin Star Chef-Coque – Madrid, Spain

It is an ode to the product, a tribute to the centenary recipes in one of the oldest and most emblematic restaurants of Madrid and Spain

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Sobrino de Botín, established in 1725, holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world. The restaurant is renowned for its traditional cuisine, particularly its roast suckling pig and lamb, slowly cooked in a wood oven that has been burning for over 300 years. In addition to these specialties, visitors can also enjoy a variety of other dishes such as fresh sole, clams, Castilian soup, and refreshing gazpacho, among other delicacies.

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Phil Rosenthal

Host, Somebody Feed Phil – L.A., United States

The wood oven has never gone out in 300 years. One bite of their roast suckling pig and you understand why. Botín in Madrid is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world. The wood oven has never gone out in 300 years. One bite of their roast suckling pig and you understand why.

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Serving classic Spanish cuisine, Taberna Laredo is known for its fresh fish, seafood, and a welcoming atmosphere. The menu features a variety of dishes, with the potato and artichoke tortilla being a particular favorite among guests. The restaurant operates on a first-come, first-serve basis, making it a perfect destination for spontaneous dining plans.

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David P. Leja

@thegastrojourney – Palma, Spain

Classic Spanish cuisine with really good produce, fresh fish and seafood and just an overall great atmosphere. On this occasion we ordered the following: * Potato and artichoke “tortilla”. * “Coquinas” (clams). * Grilled “Virrey” (Red Bream). * “Torrijas”. The tortilla was our favorite, but we really enjoyed everything. A place to return, and perfect for a day where you don’t have a reservation, given they go on a first come first serve basis.

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