A tortilla de patatas is Spain’s potato omelette, and in Madrid the argument about the best one now has an official answer: the 2025 national championship at Alicante Gastronómica went to La Falda, whose runny Betanzos-style tortilla costs €18 at its branches in Chamberí and Lavapiés. The other deciding question is onion. Casa Dani in the Mercado de la Paz asks you whether you want it with or without, from 7am, and won a national title of its own in 2019. Pez Tortilla runs six bars that take no bookings, and La Ardosa, a tavern since 1892, makes it all day.
La Falda is a Madrid tavern with branches in Chamberí and Lavapiés whose Betanzos-style tortilla was named Spain’s best in 2025.
Where is the best tortilla in Madrid? The best tortilla in Spain for 2025, per the Alicante Gastronómica championship, is La Falda’s runny Betanzos style, €18 in Chamberí and Lavapiés. Casa Dani in the Mercado de la Paz serves it with or without onion from 7am, and Pez Tortilla has 6 Madrid bars that take no bookings.
How do you order tortilla at a Madrid bar?
Three words cover most of it. A pincho is a single slice, usually eaten at the bar with a drink; a media is half a tortilla and an entera the whole thing, which is what you take to a picnic or back to the flat. Casa Dani lists all three on its menu, and La Ardosa cuts its tortillas into four portions.
Then comes texture. Poco cuajada means barely set, with a soft, runny centre, the Galician Betanzos style that La Falda serves and that Pez Tortilla also claims for its menu. If runny egg is not for you, ask for it bien cuajada, well set, before you order. Onion is the last choice: con cebolla or sin cebolla, and at Casa Dani you are simply asked.
Which tortilla bar suits your plan?
| You want | Go to | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| An old tavern | La Ardosa, Calle de Colón 13 | Made all day, open since 1892 | No hours or prices online |
| Flavours, no booking | Pez Tortilla, six bars | Classic plus four flavoured versions | Walk-in only, so you may wait |
| Onion choice, breakfast | Casa Dani, Mercado de la Paz | Opens at 7am, whole ones to go | Shuts at 8pm, some branches close Sundays |
| The champion, runny | La Falda, Lavapiés or Chamberí | €18 on the menu, online booking | Not for people who like it firm |
- La Falda is worth it if you want the champion and a proper sit-down meal. Order the Betanzos tortilla at €18; the menu does not say whether that is a portion or a whole one, so ask. The version with chorizo and turnip greens is €19.50 and, per La Falda, won Alicante Gastronómica’s first «tortilla with…» championship in 2023. The Lavapiés branch is the easy one from a central hotel; see what the Lavapiés neighbourhood is like.
- For breakfast and take-away, Casa Dani is the pick: open Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm and Saturday 7am to 5pm, with a slice-of-tortilla breakfast until 11am. It fits Madrid breakfast hours far better than dinner, and the market itself follows Madrid’s municipal market hours.
- Pez Tortilla is for flavours and for not planning ahead: the classic, plus asparagus with shimeji, black pudding, sun-dried tomato with parmesan and basil, and brie with truffle and ham. Pick the bar by area: Cava Baja 42 on the Cava Baja tapas street, Espoz y Mina 13 near the Huertas tapas bars, or Calle del Pez 36 in Malasaña.
- La Ardosa is for the setting as much as the food: according to La Ardosa’s own site, the tortilla is made continuously as the slices sell, in a four-portion format.
The championship runs again in October 2026 at Alicante Gastronómica, so the title could move to another kitchen this autumn.
Can you book, and do you need to tip?
Of the four, only La Falda offers online booking, for both branches; its opening hours are not on its website, so check them when you book. Pez Tortilla is strictly walk-in; if one bar is full, the «Cara B» at Calle del Pez 7 is on the same street. At Casa Dani and La Ardosa you order at the counter.
Tipping works differently from the US: no law in Spain requires a tip and no bar may add one to the bill by default, as explained in how much to tip in Madrid. And if you over-order at La Falda, Spanish law now lets you take leftovers home.
Which Metro stop is closest to each bar?
Noviciado is on Line 2, Lavapiés on Line 3, Iglesia and Ríos Rosas on Line 1, La Latina on Line 5, Serrano on Line 4, Sol on Lines 1, 2 and 3, and Tribunal on Lines 1 and 10.
From the airport, Metro Line 8 takes you into town and connects with the rest of the network; the Barajas stations add a €3 supplement to a single ticket of €1.50 to €2.00 or to the €7.30 ten-trip card, as detailed in the airport Metro supplement, and the ten-trip card is the one worth buying if you plan several of these bars.
Tortilla is served from the morning at Casa Dani and through the day at the bars, which helps when Spanish lunch and dinner run later than you are used to.
If tortilla is part of a food crawl, huevos rotos in Madrid sit on the same La Latina streets as Pez Tortilla’s Cava Baja bar.
Madrid tortilla questions from visitors
Where is the best tortilla in Madrid?
The winner of the 2025 Spanish Potato Omelette Championship, held at Alicante Gastronómica, was La Falda in Chamberí. Its runny Betanzos-style tortilla costs €18 on the menu at both its branches, Espronceda 17 in Chamberí and Miguel Servet 4 in Lavapiés.
What does poco cuajada mean?
Poco cuajada means barely set, so the egg in the middle of the tortilla stays soft and runny. The Betanzos style from Galicia is made this way, and in Madrid La Falda and Pez Tortilla both describe their tortillas as poco cuajada. Ask for bien cuajada if you prefer it firm.
Can I get tortilla for breakfast in Madrid?
Yes. Casa Dani in the Mercado de la Paz, Calle Ayala 28, opens at 7am on weekdays and Saturdays and serves breakfast with a slice of tortilla until 11am. You can order it with or without onion, as a slice, a half or a whole one.
Do I need to book for tortilla in Madrid?
At La Falda, booking online helps, since both branches take reservations. Pez Tortilla takes no bookings and serves on a first-come basis at its six Madrid bars. At Casa Dani and La Ardosa you order at the bar.
Can I buy a whole tortilla to take away in Madrid?
Yes, at the take-away shop that Casa Dani runs inside the Mercado de la Paz, open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 5pm on Saturday. You choose with or without onion, and the price is given at the counter.
Book La Falda for runny, wake early for Casa Dani, and just walk into Pez Tortilla.