The best tapas in Madrid are spread across several neighbourhoods rather than one street. Start in La Latina and the Literary Quarter, where Casa Lucas, Txakolina, Casa Alberto and Cervecería Alemana sit within a kilometre of each other. Then pick one detour: La Ardosa for tortilla in Malasaña, El Cisne Azul for wild mushrooms in Chueca, or Fide on Calle de Ponzano, where a canapé costs €4.00.
Plan around Monday. Casa Alberto, Taberna Antonio Sánchez, El Cisne Azul, Taberna Pedraza and Le Qualité Tasca all close that day, and El Cisne Azul shuts for the whole of August.
What are the best tapas bars in Madrid? Casa Alberto for classic Madrid plates, Casa Lucas and Txakolina on Cava Baja for pinchos and broken eggs, La Ardosa for tortilla, El Cisne Azul for mushrooms and Fide on Ponzano for €4.00 canapés. Eat at Spanish hours, from 13:00 and from 20:00, and avoid Mondays.
How tapas work in Madrid
You order at the bar, usually standing, and pay at the end. A pincho or canapé is one bite for one person; a ración is a plate to share, and many bars offer a media, half a plate. Some bars bring a small snack with your drink, but nothing obliges them to, as what a Madrid bar has to give you with a drink explains.
Ask for «agua del grifo» if you want water: Madrid tap water is safe to drink. Locals eat late. Lunch tapas start around 13:00 and evening tapas around 20:00, and arriving at 19:00 often means an empty bar with the kitchen closed. Standing at the counter, nobody expects a tip; at a table, rounding up is normal, and tipping in Madrid covers the details.
One evening, three stops
This route covers about a kilometre and works best from 20:00.
- Casa Lucas, Calle de la Cava Baja 30. Pinchos and wine by the glass; it books online only for 13:00 and 20:00, and on Wednesday it opens for dinner only.
- Txakolina, a few doors down at number 26. Broken eggs with ham for €15.90, fried cocido ravioli for €15.90 and oxtail in red wine for €25.90, on the menu Txakolina publishes. Monday to Thursday it serves dinner only, from 19:00 to 23:00, and until midnight on Thursday.
- Casa Alberto, Calle de las Huertas 18, about a 12-minute walk. A slice of tortilla for €5.50 and half a plate of ham croquettes for €7.50 in a tavern founded in 1827, according to the menu Casa Alberto publishes. The tavern closes at 23:00, Tuesday to Saturday.
Finish with a double caña at Cervecería Alemana on Plaza de Santa Ana, €3.75 inside or €4.00 on the terrace, open from noon until midnight or 1:00. The full bar-by-bar guides are tapas on Cava Baja and tapas in Huertas.
Which bar for which plan
| If you want | Go to | Area | Order | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A cheap bite standing up | Fide | Ponzano | Bonito or Russian salad canapé | €4.00 |
| Classic Madrid plates | Casa Alberto | Literary Quarter | Tortilla, croquettes, tripe | €5.50 slice |
| Tortilla and vermouth | Bodega de la Ardosa | Malasaña | Potato omelette, salmorejo | Ask at the bar |
| A local drink | Casa Camacho | Malasaña | The yayo: vermouth, gin, soda | Ask at the bar |
| Wild mushrooms | El Cisne Azul | Chueca | Seasonal mushrooms with yolk | €21.00 |
| Bravas the house bills as award-winning | Le Qualité Tasca | Ponzano | Bravas with maragata sauce | €12.50 |
| An old tavern, dog in tow | Antonio Sánchez | Lavapiés | Whatever is on at the bar | Ask at the bar |
| Tortilla near Cibeles | Taberna Pedraza | Salamanca | Betanzos-style tortilla | Ask when ordering |
La Ardosa, at Calle de Colón 13, opens from 9:00 until 2:00, and until 2:30 on Friday and Saturday, according to Turismo de Madrid. It is narrow and fills up, so go before 13:30 or mid-afternoon; Tribunal Metro (L1, L10) is about 5 minutes away. El Cisne Azul has a small tavern at Gravina 19 and a dining room at number 27, two minutes from Chueca (L5). Its seasonal mushrooms with egg yolk are €21.00, porcini with foie €24.00.
Where each bar is
Beyond the centre, Ponzano, Lavapiés and Salamanca
Calle de Ponzano in Chamberí is where Madrid goes for tapas without tourists. Fide at number 8 opens daily from 11:00, with oysters at €3.50 each, and Le Qualité Tasca at number 48 serves bravas the house bills as the «2nd best bravas in the world 2022»; it closes on Monday. The whole street is in the Ponzano tapas guide.
Taberna Antonio Sánchez, Calle Mesón de Paredes 13 in Lavapiés, calls itself Madrid’s oldest tavern, opens Tuesday to Sunday and welcomes dogs. Taberna Pedraza, Calle de Recoletos 4, is a sit-down choice near Cibeles whose Betanzos-style tortilla is singled out by the Michelin Guide; it closes on Monday and serves lunch only on Tuesday and Sunday.
What you might not like
- La Ardosa and Casa Camacho are cramped and loud at peak hours; there is little room to sit.
- El Cisne Azul and Taberna Pedraza are table-and-plate places where a dish passes €20.
- Ponzano is north of the centre, a Metro ride from Sol, so go if you plan to work along the street.
For sit-down meals beyond tapas, see where to eat in Madrid.
First night in Madrid, Cava Baja then Huertas, on foot.
FAQ about the best tapas bars in Madrid
What time do people go for tapas in Madrid?
Lunch tapas run from about 13:00 to 16:00 and evening tapas from about 20:00 to midnight. Bars such as La Ardosa open from 9:00 and Fide from 11:00 for an aperitivo, but kitchens at sit-down places like El Cisne Azul only serve from 13:00 and again from 20:00.
How much do tapas cost in Madrid?
A canapé at Fide costs €4.00 and a slice of tortilla at Casa Alberto €5.50. Plates to share run from €12.50 for the bravas at Le Qualité Tasca to €21.00 for the mushrooms with egg yolk at El Cisne Azul. Three or four plates and drinks usually feed two people.
Do you tip at tapas bars in Madrid?
Standing at the bar, no one expects a tip, even after two or three rounds. If you sit down for plates at Casa Alberto or El Cisne Azul, rounding up or leaving a few euros is normal, and the bill only comes when you ask for «la cuenta».
Which Madrid tapas bars are open on Monday?
Casa Lucas, Cervecería Alemana, La Ardosa, Casa Camacho and Fide open on Monday, and Txakolina opens for dinner. Casa Alberto, Taberna Antonio Sánchez, El Cisne Azul, Taberna Pedraza and Le Qualité Tasca are closed.