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Amazonico 

Opened by restaurateurs Sandro Silva and Marta Seco of Ten Con Ten and El Paraguas, Amazonico has been drawing Madrid's trendiest crowds since its inception in 2016.  Guests come in off the manicured Salamanca street and are immediately immersed in a jungle-like environment with leaves adorning the ceiling. The menu is eclectic, featuring grilled meats that are presented on a spit, as well as a good mix of Indian, Asian, and South American inspired flavors (including a sushi bar). Once you have thoroughly sampled the carefully curated menu, head downstairs to the clandestine jazz club for a night cap.

Editors' Picks
Bar at Bar Tomate, Madrid, Spain

Bar Tomate

The wildly successful Barcelona restaurant group Tragaluz has brought its magic to Madrid. Bar Tomate’s pale wooden floors and rough-hewn tables are brought to life by bright plastic chairs and creative lighting fixtures hanging from a metallic ceiling. The playful furnishings square with a casual menu best enjoyed at lunch or for a relaxed dinner shared among friends. Classic tapas like jamon iberico, sardines on grilled bread and fried artichokes can be ordered all day. Pizzas from the wood fired oven and heartier dishes like bacalao or beef tenderloin are reserved for lunch or dinner, which is available until midnight anyway.

Bar at Bazaar, Madrid, Spain

Bazaar

Just around the corner from the Mercado San Anton in the trendy Chueca neighborhood is a lively modern brasserie called Bazaar with excellent farm fresh food.

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Exterior View - Café Gijón, Madrid, Spain

Café Gijón

Most travelers remember Gijón for its picturesque terrace along the Paseo de Recoletos, but the café also has a fascinating literary history. In its heyday, it hosted frequent tertulias, informal discussion groups in which the day’s leading thinkers and artists, including Federico Garcia Lorca, Orson Welles, Salvador Dalí and even Mata Hari, gathered to debate politics and philosophy. Although Gijón’s modern-day customers tend to be local businessmen and tourists rather than literati, it is still a nice place to sip an espresso – but there are better places to have a meal.

glass case of oranges and cakes on the end of a chic diner bar

Café Murillo

Café Murillo is an excellent place to stop for lunch before or after an edifying few hours in the Prado or a walk in the Retiro Park.
Exterior View - Casa Lucio, Madrid, Spain

Casa Lucio

In business since 1974, this revered tavern near the Plaza Mayor draws a regular crowd of locals and the occasional visit from royalty and visiting dignitaries. Although the bar, hung with drying ham hocks, is a fun place for an aperitif, the elegant cuisine served in the traditional dining rooms is the real draw. In the upstairs and downstairs spaces, beamed ceilings, whitewashed walls and tiled floors combine with formal tablecloths and heavy silver to create a cozy yet refined atmosphere, comfortable for lunch with friends but also appropriate for a business meal. Attentive tuxedo-clad waiters help newbies navigate the menu, but your best guide may be the well-coiffed matrons, who trot out their best jewels to enjoy a midday bottle of Rioja and the house specialty huevos estrellados – eggs served over fried potatoes and tender solomillo steak. The chefs at Casa Lucio make an art form of this rustic dish, and no visitor to Madrid should miss it.

Editors' Picks
Bar at Cisne Azul, Madrid, Spain

Cisne Azul

Mushroom lovers cannot miss this famous temple to mushrooms. The restaurant and bar nearby are not fancy (linoleum floors and pizza parlor like ambiance) but the chef Julian Pulido is known as an absolute wizard when it comes to preparing mushrooms. He prepares the best of what is in season as well as excellent burgers.

Bar at El Escondite de Villanueva, Madrid, Spain

El Escondite de Villanueva

This popular neighborhood bistro serves small bites like ham croquetas and chicken tacos as well as hamburgers and sandwiches. The dining room has a refined but laid-back atmosphere and attracts lots of families early and hipsters late. The original idea was to create a hangout for the locals, and that vibe remains.

glossy wooden pastry shop exterior

El Riojano

Dating back to 1855, El Riojano was founded by the royal family's pastry chef and is a beautiful pastry shop with cases of delicious treats.

El Ventorrillo

Break up a day of sightseeing between the Royal Palace and Old Quarter with a stop at El Ventorrillo, located just next door to Corral de la Moriera. Great for an afternoon tea or glass of wine (skip the food), El Ventorrillo offers a lovely terrace with sweeping vistas over Calle Segovia and the countryside below and a pretty vantage point from which to take in the city’s Catedral de la Almudena. A stop here is a great way to inject a dose of tranquility into what can be a crowded day in the city.

Dinning Area at Estado Puro, Madrid, Spain

Estado Puro

Travelers tired of the traditional tapas bars paneled in dark wood and hung with ham hocks will appreciate this airy café’s fresh take on Spanish cuisine. Conveniently located blocks from the city’s museums, Estado Puro is modern and hip, with colorful Pop Art murals. The arched ceiling is dramatically covered with 1,000 of the combs flamenco dancers wear in their hair. Diners can sit inside on cherry-red bar stools at high tables or, in warm weather, on the large outdoor patio with views of the Neptune Fountain and Plaza Cánovas. Estado Puro serves an updated version of traditional hot and cold tapas, from perfectly fried croquettes presented as elegantly as sashimi and foie gras sandwiched between crisp toast to fresh salads, a rarity in Madrid. Perfect for a quick lunch, the eatery also makes an ideal stop for an afternoon glass of wine between the Prado and the Thyssen.

Dinning Area at La Cocina de San Anton, Madrid, Spain

La Cocina de San Anton

A great spot for enjoying good weather and the bounty of Madrid is on the roof of the Mercado de San Anton. The refurbished market in the heart of the Chueca neighborhood includes the rooftop restaurant La Cocina de San Anton, which is run by Cinco Jotas. His promise is to deliver the best farm fresh ingredients in the heart of Madrid, and it is all the more fun sitting outside at the tables on the terrace when the sun shines.

Food at La Pizzateca,  Madrid, Spain

La Pizzateca

Artisanal pizzas in classic Roman or Neapolitan combinations, such as tutti funghi or capriciosa, are sure to satisfy the appetites of anyone in your family. Vegetarian and vegan pizzas are also available, but, alas, no gluten-free ones as yet. The kids will be especially pleased with the nutellina pizza for dessert.

 

Dinning Area at La Trainera , Madrid, Spain

La Trainera

Landlocked Madrid is nevertheless known for fantastic seafood, thanks to daily shipments from Spain’s 3,000-plus miles of coastline. The classic spot to sample this fare is La Trainera, a sprawling, 300-seat marisquería in the posh Salamanca neighborhood. The menu features everything from huge scallops baked in the shell to seven types of lobster to percebes, a rare barnacle considered by many (including this writer) to be the ultimate delicacy. Basically, if it swims and is worth eating, La Trainera serves it. The paneled dining rooms are consistently packed with well-heeled locals happy to pay the exorbitant prices to savor the city’s best seafood. A few bottles of chilled Albariño, a fruity Galician wine frequently paired with shellfish, helps cushion the shock of the multi-hundred-euro bill.

Spaniards tend to dress for both lunch and dinner, and local businessmen appear in finely tailored suits, so to avoid standing out like a sore American thumb, consider sporting a business-casual look. La Trainera isn’t formal, however, and the atmosphere is warm and festive, fueled by all the Albariño. Children are welcome, but keep in mind that no meat, apart from the standard jamón ibérico, is served, so picky eaters looking for chicken fingers will be disappointed.

Lateral

A well-known spot for lunch of chic Madrilenos, Lateral sits in the popular Plaza de Santa Ana and serves great tapas in a low-key dining room or al fresco on a lovely terrace on the square. Surrounded by more touristic lunch spots, this is a great choice in the historical center for lunch in a stylish atmosphere.

Interiors at Platea, Madrid, Spain

Platea

The food hall revolution continues to evolve in Spain. The culinary country first transformed their antiquated neighborhood markets into elegant food halls like Mercado San Miguel. The latest iteration, though, takes the glamour a step further with Platea; once the most stylish movie theater in Madrid, it has now been transformed into a five-level temple to cuisine. In the basement are food stalls (Japanese, Mexican and more) and gourmet cookware outlets; on the main floor are counters where you can order oysters and champagne or wine and tapas and bring them to cocktail tables. Another level up is the cocktail bar, and a movie screen still hangs over the old stage, and concerts, entertainment and vintage movies provide a festive atmosphere. Don’t miss the pastries at Mama Framboise.

Editors' Picks

Rocambolesc

This colorful dessert stand in Mercado de San Miguel is run by the world-famous pastry chef Jordi Roca of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona (you may recognize him from Chef’s Table Pastry). The treats are innovative and delicious—from the creative ice pops shaped like animals and body parts to the unique flavors of frozen yogurt and ice cream. Rocambolesc is the perfect place to stop for an afternoon treat.

Dinning Area at Tatel, Madrid, Spain

Tatel

The biggest restaurant news in Madrid is the opening of the joint venture of Spanish superstars Rafael Nadal, Pau Gasol, Enrique Iglesias and others who have teamed up to create what they hope will be the ultimate watering hole to represent the Spanish good life around the globe. The global celebrities wisely partnered with the successful beach club owners behind Blue Marlin and Ushuaia of Ibiza. With a stylish, clubby atmosphere (leather banquettes, fireplace nooks and modern Spanish art), Tatel has only been open since May and already reservations take weeks to secure. The chef serves traditional Spanish classics like gazpacho and jamon Serrano and there are plans to export the brand to Ibiza and Miami this year and possibly Mexico and London next.

Editors' Picks
Ambience - Trattoria Pulcinella, Madrid, Spain

Trattoria Pulcinella

From the portraits of family members that line the walls to the Italian patrons, this casual pizzeria offers a slice of Italy in Spain. Pizzas are topped with fresh mozzarella flown in from Italy, and all are perfect for a night away from tapas.

Restaurant  Interiors - Ultramarinos Quintin, Madrid, Spain

Ultramarinos Quintin

This new hot spot in Madrid is referred to as simply Quintin, and as the latest venture of the team behind the runaway restaurant successes El Paraguas and Ten Con Ten, it is no surprise that it is packed for lunch and dinner. Set in a former corner grocery, the owners paid homage to the location’s history by keeping some of the produce displays, and a ham station that resembles a butcher’s counter greets diners. The focus is on the freshest local ingredients, and the scene buzzes with happy regulars. Reservations recommended.

Editors' Picks
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Vi Cool

Spain’s superstar chef Sergi Arola celebrates delicious food and a fun atmosphere in his Vi Cool restaurants. This second one to open in Madrid sits in the chic shopping neighborhood of Salamanca and has a funky cave-like atmosphere. The menu features tapas and pizzas that are perfect for families or friends looking for a relaxed atmosphere.

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