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.