Several kitchens by the palace serve lunch only from 1pm to 4pm, which matters when your Royal Palace slot ends mid-afternoon. Around the palace, three places keep serving through the gap: Café de Oriente, open from 8.30am to midnight on weekdays, Café de los Austrias, from 9am into the early hours, and the bar at La Lonja del Mar, from midday to midnight. The nearest of all, El Anciano Rey de los Vinos, is 133 metres from the visitor entrance on Calle Bailén and closes on Tuesdays. Distances here are on foot by street from the Plaza de la Armería entrance.
El Anciano Rey de los Vinos is a tavern dating from 1909 at Calle Bailén 19, the closest place to eat to the Royal Palace entrance.
Where can I eat near the Royal Palace in Madrid? Near the Royal Palace of Madrid, El Anciano Rey de los Vinos is 133 m away and closes on Tuesdays; Casa Ciriaco, 254 m away, sells a calamari sandwich for €6; Café de Oriente, 331 m away, has a terrace open all day; and Los Arrieros, 344 m away, serves a €16.50 set lunch.
Who serves outside Spanish meal times?
Madrid lunches late and dines later. Near the palace, La Lonja del Mar’s dining room serves from 1pm to 4pm and again from 8.30pm, La Bola stops at 4pm most days and Los Arrieros closes at 5pm from Monday to Thursday. If you are hungry at 5pm or want dinner at 7pm, the choice narrows to the places below.
| Place | Open | Walk from the palace |
|---|---|---|
| Café de los Austrias, Plaza de Ramales 3 | 9am to 1am, to 2am Friday and Saturday | 293 m |
| Café de Oriente, Plaza de Oriente 2 | 8.30am to midnight weekdays, 9am to midnight weekends | 331 m |
| La Lonja del Mar bar, Plaza de Oriente 6 | Midday to midnight every day | 421 m |
| Casa Ciriaco, Calle Mayor 84 | 10am to 11pm Wednesday to Saturday, to 4pm other days | 254 m |
Taberna La Bola, the classic cocido house 639 metres away, only opens 1pm to 4pm from Sunday to Wednesday and closes at 8.30pm from Thursday to Saturday, so it is never a dinner option.
Where to eat cheaply?
- Casa Ciriaco, on Calle Mayor since 1887 and reopened in 2019, is the counter for a quick snack between sights. According to Casa Ciriaco’s bar menu, a calamari sandwich costs €6, ham croquettes €2 each and patatas bravas €7.50, VAT included. There is no set lunch, so if you want three courses sitting down, go to Los Arrieros instead.
- Los Arrieros, Calle San Nicolás 9, is the one with a published menú del día, per Los Arrieros: €16.50 with bread, a drink and dessert or coffee, €1.50 more on the terrace. It is plain Castilian home cooking, the best-value full meal here. The catch: it closes on Sundays and on 12 October 2026, and from Monday to Thursday it shuts at 5pm.
- Café de los Austrias starts at €1.70 for a café con leche, with a quiet terrace on Plaza de Ramales, good for breakfast before your palace slot.
What a Spanish set lunch includes is explained in the menú del día in Madrid, and more places for the sandwich in calamari sandwiches in Madrid.
Where for a long lunch or a view?
- Café de Oriente is the terrace with the palace façade across the square, and the Café closes at midnight every day. You come for the view; prices are not listed online, so read the menu before you sit.
- La Lonja del Mar is the seafood table, with a dining room facing the palace at 1pm to 4pm and 8.30pm to midnight. It suits a special meal; prices are given when you book.
- Taberna La Bola is where to try cocido madrileño, Madrid’s chickpea, meat and vegetable stew, on set menus from €39.90 to €47 per person. Book, and plan it as lunch. More cocido houses in cocido madrileño in Madrid.
- El Anciano Rey de los Vinos is for a vermouth and a tapa right after the visit, facing Almudena Cathedral. It lists no daily hours online, so treat it as a walk-in.
How do you get there by Metro?
Ópera is the Metro station for all of this, on lines 2 and 5 and the short Ramal shuttle; only La Bola is closer to Santo Domingo, about 300 metres away. A single Metro ticket costs €1.50 to €2.00 depending on distance, and coming straight from Barajas adds the €3 airport supplement explained in the airport Metro supplement.
What is different about the bill and booking?
Three things work differently from the UK or the US:
- Prices include VAT. What the menu says is what you pay per dish, and Casa Ciriaco prints it on its bar menu.
- Tipping is voluntary. No restaurant may add a tip by default, and a cover charge is only legal if you are told before serving, as covered in tipping in Madrid.
- Booking is for sit-down meals. El Anciano, La Lonja del Mar and Taberna La Bola take bookings, and Los Arrieros prioritises bookings for its à la carte menu; for a bar snack, just walk in.
What to see inside the palace is in the Royal Palace of Madrid, and the streets around it in Madrid de los Austrias.
Royal Palace food questions from visitors
Where can I eat near the Royal Palace in the afternoon?
Café de Oriente on Plaza de Oriente opens all day, from 8.30am on weekdays and 9am at weekends until midnight, and Café de los Austrias on Plaza de Ramales from 9am until 1am or 2am. The bar at La Lonja del Mar serves from midday to midnight.
Is there a cheap place to eat near the Royal Palace?
Yes. Casa Ciriaco, 254 metres from the palace entrance on Calle Mayor, lists a calamari sandwich at €6 and ham croquettes at €2 each on its bar menu. Los Arrieros, on Calle San Nicolás, serves a set lunch for €16.50 with bread, a drink and dessert or coffee.
What is the closest restaurant to the Royal Palace?
El Anciano Rey de los Vinos, at Calle Bailén 19, 133 metres on foot from the visitor entrance and facing Almudena Cathedral. The tavern dates from 1909 and closes on Tuesdays.
Do I need to book restaurants near the Royal Palace?
For a quick bite, no. For a sit-down meal it helps. El Anciano, La Lonja del Mar and Taberna La Bola all take bookings, and Los Arrieros says it prioritises bookings for its à la carte menu.
What is cocido and where can I try it near the Royal Palace?
Cocido madrileño is Madrid’s stew of chickpeas, meats and vegetables, served in courses. Near the palace it is the speciality of Taberna La Bola, 639 metres away at Calle de la Bola 5, on set menus from €39.90 to €47, served at lunch.
Do you tip at restaurants in Madrid?
A tip is voluntary in Spain and no restaurant may add one to the bill by default. Menu prices already include VAT, and a cover charge is only allowed if the place tells you before serving.
Near the palace, pick by the clock first and the menu second.