Callos a la madrileña is a slow-cooked stew of beef tripe with chorizo, black pudding, ham and paprika, according to the Comunidad de Madrid. For a first try, order it as a half portion, media ración, at a tavern bar: €14 at Taberna Pedraza, near Plaza de Colón, or €17 at Casa Alberto in the Barrio de las Letras. Timing matters more than for most dishes, because Madrid kitchens close between lunch and dinner. Lhardy, by Puerta del Sol, serves Sunday lunch only, and Los Galayos, by Plaza Mayor, is the one house here still cooking on a Sunday evening, until 11.30pm. Its kitchen runs non-stop from 11.30am.
Where can you eat callos in Madrid? Callos is easiest to try as a €14 half portion at Taberna Pedraza or a €22 plate at Lhardy, near Puerta del Sol. The 2026 world champion, El del Medio in Chamartín, opens Monday to Friday only. The catch is Sunday evening, when of these houses only Los Galayos, by Plaza Mayor, still serves.
Is callos worth ordering if you have never had tripe?
It is worth it if you eat offal or want to taste Madrid’s tavern cooking beyond tapas. It is a rich, heavy stew, soft and sticky from the trotter and snout, and one full plate is a meal.
- Skip it if gelatinous textures or offal put you off. Madrid’s other famous stew, with chickpeas and meats, is in cocido madrileño in Madrid.
- Start small. At the bar, say una media ración de callos. A ración is the full plate. At Casa Alberto the half costs €17 at the bar, and the dining room only does the full plate for €26.50.
- Share it. A full plate between two works as a starter before something lighter.
What time do Madrid restaurants serve callos?
Lunch runs from about 1pm to 4pm and dinner from about 8pm, with kitchens closed in between at most of these houses. Sunday is the tricky day: most serve lunch and then shut.
On weekdays the picture is easier. Taberna Pedraza and Casa Alberto close on Mondays, El del Medio at weekends, and Zalacaín on Sundays and for all of August. Casa Mortero serves lunch from 1.15pm to 4pm and dinner from 8.15pm to 11.30pm but does not list a closing day, so ask when you book.
Which house suits your plan?
Six of the eight houses are in the centre, between Cava Baja and Calle de Recoletos, so where you are staying can settle it.
- Staying around Plaza Mayor or Sol → Los Galayos, Calle de Botoneras 5, with callos at €19.90 in the dining room and, according to Los Galayos, a kitchen open without a break every day. Lhardy, on Carrera de San Jerónimo, charges €22 in a dining room that dates its origins to 1839.
- Near the Prado or Huertas → Casa Alberto for the bar half portion, or Casa Mortero, behind the Spanish parliament, whose €19 callos come with trotter, snout and cecina. The surrounding bars are in Huertas tapas in Madrid.
- On a tight budget → Taberna Pedraza, Calle de Recoletos 4: €14 for the half, €21 for the plate on its September menu.
- A special dinner → Zalacaín, about 2.7 km north of Sol near Gregorio Marañón Metro: €37 for the callos plus €9 for bread and appetiser.
- An evening on Cava Baja → Posada de la Villa lists callos among its starters without a price online, so ask at the table. The street is covered in La Latina, and Plaza Mayor in Madrid de los Austrias.
Is the 2026 world champion worth the trip to Chamartín?
Yes, if you are in Madrid on a weekday and care about the dish. El del Medio, in an alley off Calle Costa Rica 28, won the ninth World Callos Championship on 14 June 2026 in Zamora. Chef Alberto González won with dark tripe not whitened with soda, León chorizo and Asturian compango.
It is about 5.3 km north of Sol, and the kitchen serves Monday to Friday only, 1.30pm to 3.45pm and 8.45pm to 10.30pm. The price is not online, so ask when you book.
The easy way there is Metro Line 8, the airport line: Colombia station is about 410 metres on foot. That makes it a fair lunch on the day you fly in or out. The €3 airport supplement on single tickets is explained in the Madrid airport Metro supplement.
Do you need to book, and should you tip?
Book for the dining rooms, especially El del Medio and Zalacaín, which both take reservations. A bar half portion needs no booking. Tipping is optional, and how much locals leave is in tipping in Madrid. What a bar owes you with a drink is in free tapas in Madrid.
| House | Callos | Closed | Nearest Metro on foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zalacaín | €37 plus €9 bread | Sunday, all August | Gregorio Marañón, 370 m |
| El del Medio | Ask when booking | Saturday, Sunday | Colombia, 410 m |
| Posada de la Villa | Ask at the table | Sunday evening | La Latina, 195 m |
| Lhardy | €22 | Sunday evening | Sol, 160 m |
| Casa Mortero | €19 | Ask when booking | Banco de España, 370 m |
| Los Galayos | €19.90 in the dining room | Open every day | Sol, 340 m |
| Casa Alberto | €17 half, €25 plate at the bar, €26.50 dining room | Monday, Sunday evening | Antón Martín, 225 m |
| Taberna Pedraza | €14 half, €21 plate | Monday, plus Tuesday and Sunday evenings | Colón, 450 m |
More areas and Spanish meal times are in where to eat in Madrid.
Frequently asked questions about eating callos in Madrid
What is callos a la madrileña?
A slow-cooked Madrid stew of beef tripe with chorizo, black pudding, ham and paprika, as the Comunidad de Madrid describes it. Los Galayos and Casa Mortero add trotter and snout, and Casa Mortero also adds well-cured beef, or cecina.
How do you order a small portion of callos in Madrid?
Ask for media ración de callos at the bar. Taberna Pedraza on Calle Recoletos serves a half portion for €14 and the bar at Casa Alberto on Calle de las Huertas for €17. Both are shut on Mondays, and the Casa Alberto dining room only serves the full plate.
Which restaurant won the 2026 callos world championship?
El del Medio, at Calle Costa Rica 28 in Chamartín, whose chef Alberto González won the ninth World Callos Championship on 14 June 2026 in Zamora. The kitchen opens Monday to Friday only, and the price is not online, so ask when booking.
Where can I eat callos in Madrid on a Sunday evening?
Los Galayos on Calle Botoneras, by Plaza Mayor, whose kitchen runs from 11.30am to 11.30pm every day. Lhardy, Posada de la Villa, Taberna Pedraza and Casa Alberto only serve Sunday lunch, and El del Medio and Zalacaín are closed.
Do I need to tip after eating callos in Madrid?
No. Tipping is voluntary in Spain and a restaurant may not add it to the bill by default. A cover charge is allowed only if the venue announces it before serving.
Try callos as a half portion at the bar first; plan the full plate around Madrid’s kitchen hours.