Do you want to try the best dishes in Madrid? In ForMadridLovers we help you to choose the best ones. This city has a great gastronomy that you will love. We help you with a list of dishes that you must order if you are going to eat out if you are going to eat out.
Traditional dishes from Madrid
Madrid is home to food from all regions of Spain and much of the rest of the world, but we can't forget the local classics.
The capital of Spain is a melting pot of typical foods from all regions of the country. Andalusian bars with great gazpacho and salmorejo sit alongside Galician restaurants that advertise dishes full of pulpo a feira (Galician-style octopus). It is possible to eat your way around Spain without leaving Madrid.
No trip to the Spanish capital would be complete without sampling at least some of these typical Madrid foods.
Madrilenian stew
As the weather cools, the smell of this slow-cooked pork stew begins to waft through the streets of Madrid. Cocido madrileño is the definition of Spanish comfort food, but not for the faint of heart (or stomach).
The most common version of this traditional Spanish stew usually consists of a savory broth filled with vegetables, chickpeas, chorizo and pork. The stew simmers for over four hours, creating a mixture of heavenly and robust flavors that make it the ideal cure for Madrid's winter weather.
The typical way to eat cocido madrileño is in two or three courses. Once the chickpeas, meats and vegetables are cooked, the broth is separated and used to make a soup with small noodles. This steaming soup becomes the first course.
The rest of the tasty ingredients are served as the main course, often in two rounds. Chickpeas and vegetables come first, followed by meat stewed to perfection.
Broken eggs
Traditional Spanish cuisine is very much meat and potatoes. Nowhere is this fact more deliciously displayed than in a steaming plate of huevos rotos , which literally translates as "broken eggs".
This typical Madrid dish is a plate of potatoes freshly fried in Spanish olive oil and seasoned with sea salt. The potatoes are topped with perfect over-easy eggs. Depending on where you go, you'll either break the yolks with the crispy edge of a piece of bread or your server will break them, often at the table.
You can find some of the best huevos rotos in town at Taberna Los Huevos de Lucio , one of the many excellent places to eat in the La Latina district.
Calamari Sandwich
No trip to Madrid is complete without trying the city's most famous sandwich: the bocadillo de calamares or fried squid sandwich.
The most basic (and most traditional) calamari bocadillo consists of fresh, crusty bread loaded with squid rings dipped in flour and fried, and nothing else. Some Spaniards top off the two-ingredient creation with tomato puree and paprika or homemade garlic mayonnaise. For the full experience, be sure to wash down your sandwich with a cold glass of beer.
The many side streets surrounding Madrid's grand Plaza Mayor are home to some of the city's most famous calamari sandwich bars. (Yes, you can find good food near tourist attractions!) Our favorite is La Campana ( Calle de Botoneras, 6 ).
Tripe a la madrileña
Callos (tripe) is another of Madrid's most typical meals during the winter. Usually served in a clay dish, it consists of strips of beef tripe (stomach), chunks of chorizo and slices of blood sausage (morcilla). Many versions add paprika for flavor, resulting in a reddish-brown color.
This smoky, savory stew has been a popular cold-weather dish in the bars and taverns of Spain for hundreds of years, with the earliest known recipes for callos dating back to the 16th century! Today, it can be found in most bars and restaurants in the capital during the winter months.
Churros with chocolate
Churros are a staple of Madrid's nightlife and a must for partygoers returning home during the early hours of the morning. For non-night owls in Madrid, churros with a cup of steaming hot, thick chocolate are a common snack for the 18:00 merienda, and are even occasionally consumed for breakfast!
The most famous place to get a plateful of churros - or their thicker, richer cousin, porras - is San Ginés, where locals and visitors alike have been devouring the fried sweet for over 100 years. We also love the homemade porras and churros at Bar Chocolat , one of our food tour partners in the Huertas neighborhood.
Grilled Ear
When in Spain, eat like the Spanish do! And in this case, that includes pig's ear.
A popular dish among the locals, oreja is typically only for the most daring foreign travelers. Ereja a la plancha, literally "grilled ear," is typically served as a ración, or large portion, and eaten with toothpicks. It is often sprinkled with salt or paprika and occasionally with freshly squeezed lemon.
Unlike other parts of Spain where the oreja is almost always served alone, in Madrid you can often find bits of bacon or mushrooms mixed in with the dish.
Tortilla skewer
Tortilla de patatas is a staple of Spanish cuisine and one of the most typical foods in Madrid. Here in the capital, the enormous diversity of this simple dish is on prominent display.
There's a tortilla de patatas for everyone, no matter what your tastes. Some are heaps of eggs and potatoes that have to be scooped up with bread. Others are firm slices containing everything from caramelized onions to mushrooms, sausage and peppers.
Croquettes
No list of Madrid's most typical foods would be complete without croquetasCrispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, Spanish croquetas can be filled with just about any tasty option you can imagine. We're partial to ham croquettes (and even include the recipe in our cookbook), other delicious options include mushrooms, chicken, salted cod and even peas and mint.
Gambas al ajillo
Many first-time visitors to Madrid may be surprised to learn that fresh seafood is plentiful here. Isn't Madrid as landlocked as a city can be?Indeed it is, but as the seat of Spanish royalty, the capital has long benefited from special roads and train lines built for the specific purpose of bringing in fresh seafood from the coast. And gambas al ajillo, fresh shrimp sautéed in a sizzling garlic sauce, might be one of our favorite ways to eat them.
Invented after the Spanish Civil War at the classic tapas bar La Casa del Abuelo, gambas al ajillo have become popular all over Spain. But there's no better place to try them than the bar where it all began, preferably with a glass of their famous house wine.
Pisto
It's no secret that Spain is a meat-loving country. With so many menu options revolving around different styles of pork or seafood, it would be easy to assume that vegetables are lacking.But there are some great plant-based foods in Madrid; you just need to know how to look for them. And one of our all-time favourites is pisto manchego.
Consisting of vegetables simmered for hours, ratatouille is often considered a Spanish answer to ratatouille. It's the perfect dish to warm up on a cold day, and even carnivores will appreciate the depth of flavour it offers.
If you follow a vegan diet, be aware that ratatouille is occasionally served with a fried egg on top. Be sure to specify that you'd like yours "sin huevo, por favor".
Deviled eggs
Many people have eaten deviled eggs, but have you ever eaten deviled eggs Spanish style?Deviled eggs are a staple during the Christmas season in Spain, and you'll also find them as an option in many tapas bars in Madrid. The traditional filling is tuna and red pepper mixed with egg yolk, but this is one of those dishes where it's very easy to incorporate your own touch.
