Madrid is well known for being a city full of monuments. From visiting the Royal Palace or some of the best museums in the world like El Prado to taking a stroll around Retiro Park, there’s plenty to see and do. With so much sightseeing you are bound to get hungry. Sure there’s always some restaurant nearby offering typical Spanish food but you don’t want to end up in a touristy restaurant with disappointing and overpriced food. To help you avoid this mistake, today I bring you my foodie guide to the best places to eat near Madrid’s top attractions.
THE ROYAL PALACE
Cafe de Oriente & La Botilleria de Oriente are timeless, there’s a mixture of modern and traditional decor with uniformed staff that will make you feel like you are in a luxury restaurant without having to spend a fortune.
Mercado de San Miguel is the best place to try tapas. However, you won’t find average tapas here, think more like “upscale tapas”. The place tends to be crowded but it’s worth it.
PUERTA DEL SOL & PLAZA MAYOR
I’d say San Gines is a tourist attraction more than a place to eat. Tourists and locals go to this place for the best chocolate con churros in town.
MUSEUMS
Mr Frank is like half way between Puerta del Sol and two of the most famous museums in Madrid: El Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza. This restaurant offers unique dishes inspired by trips all around the world. The restaurant is divided in two areas: one looks like a wine cellar and the other has a rustic decor that makes you feel at home.
GRAN VIA
El Jardin de Salvador Bachiller and El Invernadero de Salvador Bachiller have a similar menu but different atmospheres. The first is a rooftop and the second one a basement. The decor in both is based on nature with flowers and plants all around. Their specialties are brunch, natural fruit juices and cocktails.
Gourmet Experience El Corte Ingles. On the 9th floor of Spain’s most famous department store in Gran Via you will find a mixture of gourmet food store and food market. You can buy products or eat tapas, pizza or gelato with a view.
PLAZA DE ESPAÑA
Cafe Mür is the cutest coffee shop and cocktail bar. The decor is a mixture of rustic and industrial with elements that contribute to create a cozy atmosphere like Chester sofas, vintage cushions, a chimney and wooden beams. The menu includes a selection of salads, bagels and their famous homemade cakes.
CHUECA
Chueca is the gay neighborhood in Madrid and has some of the best decorated eateries and cafes in the capital of Spain. Frida is one of the most popular among locals. They offer creative cuisine, taking care of every detail regarding both their food and the decor. Be sure to make reservations or you will have to go somewhere else.
If I fancy a burger when I’m in the area, I go to Anauco Gourmet. Apart from the delicious food I love the fact that you can choose the size of your burger.
Mercado San Anton is foodie paradise. The first floor focuses on perishable food, the second one on take-away food and on the third floor you’ll find Cocina de San Anton, a restaurant where customers can eat their goods bought on the first floor, cooked for a supplement of 4€. There’s also a menu and a great selection of cocktails.
EL RETIRO PARK
El Perro y la Galleta is one of the most intagrammable places in Madrid and has delicious reasonably-priced food too. What’s not to like?
Atlantico Taberna offers a mixture of tradition and trendiness. When you walk into this Galician restaurant you feel like you have been transported to the seaside.
SERRANO
If you have some time to go shopping be sure to visit Serrano (a.k.a. the golden mile) and nearby streets. The biggest Zara and Mango shops in the country are waiting for you along with luxury brands like Chanel, Dior or LV. There are plenty of restaurants around but my favorite are the following:
Cafe Colon a luxury restaurant for a luxury neighborhood. A great option to give yourself a treat. Very close to Cafe Colon you can find La Habanera. I have to say that the decor here is better than the food but it’s so beautiful it will make your jaw drop when you walk in. If you want to see where all the pretty people in Madrid hang out, go to this Caribbean inspired restaurant.
What amazed me the most about Ultramarinos Quintin was the quality of their products. Every single ingredient of the dishes we ordered tasted like heaven. It’s pricey but this is one of my favorite places to celebrate a special occasion. On Puigcerda street you’ll find the cutest restaurants lined up, the tricky thing will be to pick just one!
Because of my love for food, I’m on a crusade to try all the amazing restaurants and cafes Madrid has to offer. In order to share my adventure, I’ve created a new Instagram account @madrid4foodies. Follow it if you want to keep updated and see the best restaurants in Madrid.
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FALL TRAVEL COMPANIONS
A very nice post with great spots! Happy Monday xx
https://4highheelsfans.wordpress.com/2018/09/07/vezelay/
This post had my mouth watering 🙂 Looks like such a beautiful place, and so many sweet places around!
~Lor
Bookmarking-I'm pretty sure that I'm heading to spain in two years!
Wow, this sounds like an amazing place to visit!
Soo many fun places! I need to go back – I've been once but it was on a cruise so it was a day excursion and we didn't get to see half of what I would of liked to there!
I went to Madrid last year. It’s such a lovely place to go to.
What gorgeous photos! Must visit.
I want to dive into that chocolate pot! Thanks for the guide – really useful! xx
I'd love to go one day! I'll be using this post as a guide!
You really can't run out of amazing things to see in Madrid. Such a gorgeous city, and you have such a lovely guide here dear! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
I need to go back to Madrid!! These pictures are beautiful 😀 Also your outfit in El Retiro Park is really cute x
Jenny | http://www.localleo.co.uk
The food in Madrid was amazing – I'll check these places out when I return one day! #FarawayFiles
I maybe shouldn't have read this post when my tummy was already rumbling because now I am salivating!!
This is a great informative post for anyone heading to Madrid who doesn't want to stick to the tourist trail when it comes to eating.
I love the look of Frida in Chueca, it looks super cool.
Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes
What a great idea for a post! Sightseeing and walking around museums always makes me hungry. It's so much nicer making a virtue out of that and going somewhere where you know you're going to get great food. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
Madrid is such a beautiful City and this is a fab idea for a post and a great resource for anyone heading to Madrid. Thanks for linking up to Monday Escapes
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks, Mrs S 🙂
Thanks, Jenny 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Clare 🙂
I love the food in Madrid too 😉 so many options, right?
Thanks for your lovely comment, Daisy!
Thanks, Corinne! So glad you find it useful 🙂
Thanks so much, Jess!
Thanks for your sweet comment, Maria 🙂
Thanks a lot!
Glad you liked it!
I know the feeling! I was in a cruise around the Greek Islands and we spent such little time on each of them
Thanks!
Great! So glad this is useful for you 🙂
Yes! You should come to Madrid some time, you'd love it.
BTW, Lor, I can't find your blog's URL and I'd like to pop by 🙂