Almendro 13
A rustic, always-heaving La Latina taberna doing simple Andalusian plates – huevos rotos, roscas stuffed with cured meats, fino sherry from the barrel. No reservations, so put your name down and wait with a drink.
Madrid
Cafe Comercial
Madrid’s oldest cafe, opened in 1887 and beautifully revived – marble tables, tall windows and a literary-tertulia past. Come for breakfast churros, a vermouth or a leisurely coffee in a proper grande-cafe setting.
La Casa del Abuelo
A century-old taberna dedicated to the prawn – gambas al ajillo sizzling in garlic oil and gambas a la plancha – washed down with their own sweet red wine. Tiny, always packed and gloriously unchanged.
Bodega de la Ardosa
A gorgeous 1892 bodega in Malasana, tiled and barrel-lined, pouring vermouth on tap alongside famous croquetas, salmorejo and tortilla. The quintessential Madrid vermut-and-tapas stop.
Juana La Loca
A buzzy La Latina pintxos bar where locals come for what many call Madrid’s best tortilla – gooey, with sweet caramelised onion – alongside creative, beautifully-topped bites. Elbow in at the bar.
Casa Revuelta
A tiny, old-school taberna near Plaza Mayor with one legendary dish: tajadas de bacalao – boneless fried salt cod in a feather-light batter. Order it with a cana, standing at the marble bar. Cash, and go at lunch.
Casa Lucio
A Madrid institution on Cava Baja, famous above all for its huevos rotos – fried eggs broken over crisp potatoes and jamon – served to royalty, celebrities and locals alike. Simple, perfect, and you’ll need to book.
El Rastro
Madrid’s sprawling Sunday-morning flea market, tumbling down the streets of La Latina – antiques, vintage, junk and treasure. Haggle a little, then dissolve into the neighbourhood’s tapas bars for the classic Sunday vermouth.
Malasana
The city’s coolest barrio – birthplace of the 80s Movida, now a warren of vintage shops, indie cafes, vermouth bars and buzzing nightlife around Plaza del Dos de Mayo. Madrid’s creative, youthful heart.
Gran Via
Madrid’s show-stopping early-20th-century boulevard, lined with ornate belle-epoque buildings, theatres and the famous Metropolis dome. Walk it at dusk when the lights come on – Madrid’s own Broadway.