Category
Gastronomy
56 articles
GastronomyWhere to eat in Las Rozas Madrid, Village and beyond
Where to eat in Las Rozas on a shopping day: inside the Village, Cristina Oria takes no bookings, so you queue, and a terrace table adds 10 percent to the bill at all three restaurants there. A cheaper weekday lunch is the set menú del día at Saona, 14.99 euros, or the dish of the day at Sputnik for 11.50 euros. On Sunday evening, Sputnik's kitchen serves until 21:30.
GastronomyRestaurants in Majadahonda, Madrid, menus and Sunday hours
Where to eat in Majadahonda, and when: kitchens keep Spanish hours, with lunch from about 13:00 and dinner later in the evening. On Sunday the steak houses close after lunch, on Monday Onneca and El Viejo Fogón stay shut, and on Wednesday As de Bastos rests. The same set lunch also costs more on a terrace, and the grills charge bread per person, which is not a tip.
GastronomySet lunch in Alcalá de Henares Madrid, prices and terraces
Looking for a set lunch in Alcalá de Henares? Twelve places in and around the old town publish a weekday menú del día, from 14.50 euros at Francesco's to 18.50 euros at the Casino, nearly all with a starter, a main, a drink and dessert or coffee. The catch is the terrace, which adds 10 percent at six of them, and the holiday rule: most do not serve the menu on public holidays.
GastronomyTapas in Alcalá de Henares Madrid, where a drink gets food
Tapas in Alcalá de Henares often come free with your drink, but not everywhere. El Griffo del Bras includes a tapa with every soft drink, wine or beer and charges 2.50 euros for an extra one, and the Índalo chain lets you pick a tapa with each drink at its four bars. Here is how to order, what it costs and which listed bar has closed.
GastronomyWhere to eat in Alcalá de Henares Madrid, lunch to roast
Where to eat in Alcalá de Henares on a day trip from Madrid? Most restaurants sit within a few hundred metres of Plaza de Cervantes, and the choice is really about format: a weekday set lunch from 14.50 euros, plates to share, or roast suckling pig on the main square. Here is what each place costs, which ones open on Monday and Sunday evening, and the local dessert to try.
GastronomyAlcobendas street market Madrid, Monday mornings by metro
When is the Alcobendas street market? Every Monday morning, with around 70 stalls of fruit, clothes, shoes, flowers and hardware in the car park of the Ciudad Deportiva Valdelasfuentes, 88 metres from Manuel de Falla metro station. For local cheese and vegetables, the producers' market runs on the second Sunday of each month, and neighbouring Sanse holds its market on Wednesdays.
GastronomySet lunch in Alcobendas Madrid, prices and what is included
Looking for a set lunch menu in Alcobendas? Matica's menú del día includes a drink and dessert or coffee, the Arrocería Formentera posts each week's dishes with a date, and Sakura does a Japanese version with a drink. Weekend menus cost more: El Atajo and Yomild charge several euros extra on Saturdays and Sundays, and Amarras only sells special menus for two or more.
GastronomyWhere to eat in Alcobendas Madrid, from set lunch to steak
Where to eat in Alcobendas, whether you are in town for a meeting or a museum: a three-course set lunch with bread for 14 euros beside the metro, a Basque grill two minutes from La Moraleja station, and the steakhouses and late-opening taverns of La Moraleja, which are a long walk from any metro stop. A'Kangas prices its rib steak by the kilo; Taberna de la Moraleja serves until 2:30 at weekends.
GastronomyWhere to eat in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid, and when
Where should you eat in San Sebastián de los Reyes, the Madrid suburb next to The Style Outlets? Pick the dish first and then check the day, because the day rules out more places than the price. Tejas Verdes and De Pingo are shut on Mondays, El Vidueño on Sundays. For a Sunday dinner, Kanbun serves until 11.30pm and Chalito until midnight.
GastronomySet lunch menu in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid
Looking for a set lunch menu in San Sebastián de los Reyes, the Madrid suburb by The Style Outlets, not the Basque city? Choose by how you want to finish. If dessert or coffee matters, Alcalá is the better deal; if a drink is enough, Kanbun costs less. On Saturdays the only posted price is Alcalá’s, €29.50, and its weekday half menu is €13.
GastronomyTapas bars in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid, by plan
Tapas bars in San Sebastián de los Reyes, the outlet town north of the capital, sorted by what you want from the night. A round of torreznos costs €16 and spicy pig’s ear €20 at the Ibérico dinner spot; at the Irish pub on José Murado, half a Guinness is €3, a spirit and mixer €7, and there are darts. The 2024 tapa trail prize went to Taberna El Foro.
GastronomyCafés and brunch in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid
Cafés and brunch in San Sebastián de los Reyes, picked by what you need from the morning. If you want eggs Benedict, sourdough or spelt toast and pancakes, Café & Té; for a cheap bowl, BunBun’s Mini costs €4.90 with three toppings; and before the outlet shops, The Chatter Café has a daily home-style lunch and free wifi on its terrace.
GastronomyChurros, Cakes and Ice Cream in Sanse, Madrid
Looking for churros in San Sebastián de los Reyes, the Madrid suburb everyone calls Sanse, not the Basque city? Churrería Siglo XIX is the early riser, handy before a day at the outlet or Plaza Norte 2, and it delivers through Glovo. Postremente bakes 8-to-10-slice cakes from €27 to order, the roscón de Reyes is ordered from local bakers, and Tino’s serves waffles with syrup at €3 through winter.
GastronomyBreakfast before a Real Madrid match near the Bernabéu
Looking for breakfast or brunch before a Real Madrid match? Eggocéntrico, a three-minute walk from the Bernabéu, serves eggs all day and has an English menu. If kick-off is after its closing time, it stays open until the match starts with drinks and cookies, while the stadium food hall shuts two and a half hours before. Weekday lunch combos start at €13.90. On a big match day, book online.
GastronomyBest Cheesecake in Madrid, Where to Eat It or Take It Home
Where is the best cheesecake in Madrid? Paipái's won the city's 2026 contest at €7.50 a slice, Luna & Wanda sells slices for €5.90 in four shops open daily and Bascake makes a gluten-free whole cake for €36. Álex Cordobés on Calle de Velázquez sells whole cakes to take away. Eat it for dessert, grab a slice or carry a whole one back to your hotel.
GastronomyBest Brunch in Madrid, Where to Go and When to Book
Where to brunch in Madrid this Sunday? The InterContinental buffet costs €94 with cava and starts at 1.30pm, NuBel at the Reina Sofía serves a sharing brunch for €38, and Federal lets you walk in from 9am. El Jardín de Diana pours unlimited cava on a rooftop above Gran Vía. Pick the format and the hour, and know when you need to book a table. On a Tuesday, skip NuBel, which closes that day.
GastronomyBest Tapas Bars in Madrid, Where to Go and What to Order
Where should you go for tapas in Madrid? Casa Alberto for a €5.50 tortilla pincho, El Cisne Azul for wild mushrooms with egg yolk and Fide on Ponzano for a €4 canapé. In Malasaña, Casa Camacho pours the yayo, vermouth topped with gin and soda. Five of the eleven bars shut on Mondays, so check before you go, then learn how ordering at the counter actually works.
GastronomyRomantic Restaurants in Madrid, Where to Book for Two
Which romantic restaurant in Madrid should you book? Bodega de los Secretos seats couples in 17th-century cellar niches with a €52 menu Monday to Thursday, Café de Oriente faces the Royal Palace and Ramón Freixa serves ten diners with two Michelin stars. Botín, the world's oldest restaurant, comes to about €62 to €90 for two without wine. Pick the night first, then the mood.
GastronomyBest Breakfast in Madrid, From Tomato Toast to Eggs
Not sure what breakfast in Madrid looks like? Locals stand at the bar with coffee and tomato toast, for €5.20 at Café Comercial, while a seated full breakfast facing the Royal Palace costs €16 at Café de Oriente. For hot chocolate and churros, San Ginés is the classic, and a flat white at Misión Café is €3.80. Here is what to order, when each café opens and how to ask for it in Spanish.
GastronomyTraditional Food in Madrid, What to Try and Where
What should you eat in Madrid, and which dishes are offal? A €4 calamari sandwich at La Ideal is the easy start, cocido is a three-course chickpea stew from about €26, and gallinejas and pig's ear are for adventurous eaters. Near Sol, Casa Labra fries soldaditos de Pavía, battered strips of salt cod. Here is what each dish is before you order it, and where to try it.
GastronomyRestaurants with a View in Madrid, Prices and How to Book
Where can you eat with a view in Madrid? Café de Oriente faces the Royal Palace for €45 to €60 a head, Picalagartos serves a €42 set lunch above Gran Vía and the Gourmet Experience food hall at Callao costs nothing to enter. Ginkgo, high above Plaza de España, suits a casual lunch followed by drinks on the terrace. See what each table looks at and time your booking for sunset.
GastronomyVermouth in Madrid, the Best Taverns for Vermut on Tap
Where to drink vermouth on tap in Madrid after the Sunday Rastro? Bodegas Alfaro and El Boquerón in Lavapiés stay open, La Ardosa pours from 9am every day and Casa Alberto sells its own vermouth at €13.50 a bottle. On Sundays Bodegas Alfaro stays open from 1pm to 10pm, the longest hours in the area. Learn how la hora del vermut works and what to eat with your glass.
GastronomyBest Croquetas in Madrid, From the 2026 Winner to 1860 Bars
Hunting for the best croquetas in Madrid? The 2026 Madrid Fusión champion is sold by the piece at Salino for €2.90, so you can try it without ordering a plate, while Casa Labra and Lhardy keep the old-school salt-cod and cocido ones near Sol. Arzábal only serves half plates at €9, so it suits two people sharing. Here is how to order the right size and what each bar charges.
GastronomyChristmas Dinner in Madrid, Where to Book on 24, 25 and 31
Christmas dinner in Madrid works on a different calendar. The big meal is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day lunch is the hard one to find, and New Year's Eve is a set menu paid in advance. 2026 menus start at 70 euros a head with wine included, and the New Year's Eve sittings listed here start at 9pm.
GastronomyRoscón de Reyes in Madrid, Where to Buy and Order It
Roscón de Reyes in Madrid, which one to get and when to order it. For the right size, Casa Mira offers six weights and cream adds 32 to 47 percent to the plain price; for custard, truffle or home delivery, El Riojano. Without an order, by the 5th it is easy to miss the size you wanted.
GastronomyTurrón in Madrid, Where to Buy It and Which One to Try
Where to buy turrón in Madrid, and which kind to pick if you have never tried it. Hard Alicante has whole almonds, soft Jijona is ground almond, and Casa Mira cuts both to order from €18 by Puerta del Sol. El Riojano sells artisan bars from €13.50 and opens 9am to 9pm every day of the week.
GastronomyBest Tortilla in Madrid, Where to Eat Spanish Omelette
Looking for the best tortilla in Madrid? It depends on how you like it. For the runny national champion at a table you can book, there are two dining rooms; for onion, a breakfast slice or a whole one to take away, a market counter; and if you would rather not book, six walk-in bars cover the centre.
GastronomyCalamari Sandwich in Madrid, Where to Get One
Calamari sandwich in Madrid, which bar to pick and how to order at the counter. Casa Rúa has tables upstairs, and one of the two bars on Calle de Postas is always open. La Ideal also serves a €7 plate of calamari without bread, and the Plaza Mayor bars run with no afternoon break, so a mid-afternoon sandwich works when restaurants are shut.
GastronomyCalle Ponzano Madrid, Tapas Bars and Opening Hours
Calle Ponzano tapas bars make a crawl with a local crowd rather than tour groups. Here is which counter suits a standing beer, a booked dinner or a late finish, how Spanish meal times shape the evening, and how to ride there from Sol on Line 1 for a €1.50 single.
GastronomyCallos in Madrid, Where to Try the Tripe Stew
Callos in Madrid, where to try the tripe stew without wasting a meal on it. Start with a €14 half portion at the bar, and know that only one house cooks on Sunday evening. The 2026 world champion, El del Medio in Chamartín, cooks Monday to Friday only, and Taberna Pedraza and Casa Alberto both close on Mondays.
GastronomyCava Baja Tapas in Madrid, Which Bars and What to Order
Cava Baja tapas in Madrid, which bar suits a standing crawl, a sit-down lunch or a Rastro Sunday, what to order in each, and why 4pm is the wrong time to arrive. The Rastro flea market packs up at 3pm, so a Sunday lunch here follows it naturally, and Taberna Almendro 13 adds fried aubergine with salmorejo to the round.
GastronomyHuertas Tapas Madrid, Which Bar to Pick and What to Order
Huertas tapas in Madrid, bar by bar. Which of six Barrio de las Letras bars fits sherry, vermouth with toast, cheese and ham or a proper sit-down plate, how a media differs from a ración, and why a €7 calamari sandwich at Casa Alberto is the cheapest filling order on the street. Plus the Monday trap.
GastronomyHuevos Rotos Madrid, Where to Eat Them and Prices
Where to eat huevos rotos in Madrid depends on when you are hungry. Casa Lucio on Cava Baja is the classic sit-down plate, its sister house across the street is cheaper and has a bar, and El Fontán near Sol keeps its kitchen going through the 4pm to 8pm gap when Cava Baja stops serving.
GastronomyMadrid Food Markets Beyond San Miguel, Which to Choose
Looking for a Madrid food market that is not San Miguel? Pick it by the hour you want to eat. San Antón in Chueca serves until midnight below its rooftop terrace, San Ildefonso in Malasaña stays open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, and La Chispería in the Chamberí market keeps going until 2am.
GastronomyRestaurants Near Bernabeu Stadium Madrid, Match Day Guide
Restaurants near Bernabeu stadium, and which one suits a tour day, a match night or a table facing the pitch. The stadium runs five places to eat, from two pitch-view dining rooms to a food hall of about twenty stalls, and on match days only a booked table or the bar across the street is safe. Before a late kick-off, Eggocéntrico, three minutes away, stays open until the match starts.
GastronomyRestaurants Near Royal Palace Madrid, Hours and Booking
Looking for restaurants near the Royal Palace in Madrid that feed you when you are actually hungry? Seven places within a 650-metre walk, sorted by the hours they keep, from all-day terraces on Plaza de Oriente to a cocido house that stops serving mid-afternoon, plus when to book and what the bill looks like.
GastronomyUsera Chinatown Madrid, Where to Eat and What to Order
Usera Chinatown in Madrid, and where to eat once you step off the Metro. Pick by craving, not by ranking. Hong Kong 70 is the easy first Cantonese roast with an English photo menu, Guo Rong the seafood table you book at weekends, and Lao Tou the place for Wenzhou dishes you rarely meet abroad.
GastronomyBreakfast in Madrid, What Time and Where
Breakfast is the one Madrid meal with no fixed hour, which is exactly why it works when the rest of the day does not. Lunch does not begin until about 2pm and dinner not before 9pm, but a counter will pour coffee at 8am and a chocolatería such as San Ginés, open since 1894, runs into the small hours.
GastronomyEating Out with Kids in Madrid, Hours and Rights
The difficulty of eating out with children in Madrid is the clock rather than the venue. Lunch does not start until about 2pm and dinner until 9pm, leaving a gap of up to six hours after breakfast. What every venue must give you is the 14 allergens before you order and free tap water at €0.00.
GastronomyFree Tapas in Madrid, What a Bar Owes You
No bar in Madrid has to give you a tapa with your drink, and if it is not advertised on the board there is nothing to claim. Two other things are compulsory and almost nobody asks for them, free tap water and being told you may take your leftovers home, required by Ley 1/2025 of 1 April.
GastronomyGluten Free Madrid, What Restaurants Must Tell You
Every bar and restaurant is required to declare 14 allergens before you order, and cereals containing gluten head the list. Spanish food information law imposes it with no exemption for size or type of service, so the question has an answer in writing before you sit. Water is free at €0.00, lunch starts about 2pm and dinner about 9pm.
GastronomyMichelin Stars Madrid, How Many and Which Ones
The 2026 edition leaves Madrid as the Spanish city with the most starred restaurants, 31 in all, arranged in a pyramid that narrows sharply at the top. There is 1 with three stars, DiverXO, 6 with two and 24 with one, so the real choosing happens on the bottom tier, where the odds of a table are different too.
GastronomyTipping in Madrid, How Much and Whether You Must
No law in Spain requires a tip and no venue may add one to the bill by default. What a place can charge is a cover, but only if it says so before serving. The menu price already includes VAT, and since Ley 1/2025 the venue must also tell you leftovers can go home with you, and water is free.
GastronomyVegan in Madrid, What the Word Means on a Menu
Gluten sits on the list of 14 allergens every venue must declare before you order, but vegan has no legal definition anywhere in the European Union. Regulation 1169/2011 promised one and the implementing act never arrived, so each kitchen defines the word for itself and nothing binds it.
GastronomyChocolate and Churros in Madrid, Where and When
The Chocolatería San Ginés warns on its own website that the prices, menus and products it publishes are valid only for the main premises in the alley, and that they may differ at its other locations and franchises. The historic one is at Pasadizo de San Ginés 5, trading since 1894.
GastronomyCocido Madrileño in Madrid, Where to Eat It and Prices
Cocido madrileño is a chickpea stew served in rounds rather than on one plate, and the two century-old houses that own the dish charge around €26 and €39.90 for it. One of them serves it at dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, the other shuts at 8.30pm, and both of them need a booking.
GastronomyMadrid Municipal Markets, Opening Hours and Which
The 46 markets in Madrid's municipal network are neighbourhood grocery markets, not the food halls that share the same word. They shut in the middle of the afternoon, they are under no obligation to open on a Sunday, and since October 2024 each stall inside can keep hours of its own.
GastronomyMenú del Día in Madrid, What It Includes and Rules
Spain's set lunch looks like an institution and stopped being a legal one in 2010, when Real Decreto 39/2010 repealed the 1965 rule that forced restaurants to serve it. Only 3 regions kept the obligation, and Madrid is not among them, so what lands on the table is custom rather than law.
GastronomyMercado de San Miguel Madrid, Hours and What It Is
More than 20 counters, over 7 million visitors a year and a licence to trade until 1am on a Saturday. None of that belongs to the city's grocery network, and the iron-and-glass hall beside the Plaza Mayor is a privately run food hall that happens to keep the word market in its name.
GastronomyWhere to Eat in Madrid, Areas, Prices and Hours
Madrid eats lunch at 2pm and dinner at 9pm, two to three hours later than most visitors expect, and the kitchens are built around that. A century-old house can shut at half past eight, the pavement terrace at midnight and the room inside at 2am, each hour set by a different authority.
GastronomyWhere to Have Dinner in Madrid and at What Time
Botín serves straight through from 13:00 to 23:30 and the Mercado de San Miguel runs to midnight, while the Taberna La Bola shuts at 20:30 even on its longest day. The terrace and the dining room of the same restaurant close two hours apart in winter, because a different administration sets each clock.
GastronomyMistura Ice Cream Madrid, Shops, Flavours and Price
Mistura works one batch at a time, twenty litres each, with a base of fresh milk, cream and sugars for some flavours and plain water for the vegan ones, which is why its vegan counter runs to fruit. It has 6 shops, all inside the centre, the first opened in June 2013 on Calle de Augusto Figueroa.
GastronomyPalazzo Ice Cream Madrid, Shops and Opening Hours
The branch on Puerta del Sol sells exactly what the one in Carabanchel sells, because one workshop supplies all thirteen every morning. Four sit in the tourist centre, at Puerta del Sol 11, Calle del Carmen 27, Gran Vía 56 and Bailén 11, and two stand outside the city altogether.
GastronomyWhat to Eat in Madrid, Dishes and Where to Find Them
Churros at four in the morning, cocido at midday and suckling pig until half past eleven. Three dishes and four century-old houses, because the cocido has two. Botín is of 1725, Taberna La Bola of 1870 with menus from €39.90 to €47, San Ginés of 1894 and never shuts, and Malacatín of 1895.
GastronomyRoyal Kitchen Madrid Palace Tour, Tickets and Price
The Royal Kitchen is a separate 45-minute guided tour with its own door and its own clock, at €8 a head, and anyone entitled to free Palace entry still pays it, because the money covers the guide. Combined with the Palace it is €24 full and €12 reduced, one of two different €24 tickets on sale.
GastronomyMadrid Terrace Closing Times by Season
Ordenanza 7/2025 split the year in two and set three closing times. From 1 November to 14 March every terrace shuts at 00:00, and from 15 March to 31 October at 1:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 1:30 on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of a holiday. It covers the tables outside, not the room inside.