What do we remember about a trip? The accommodation? The means of transport we used? Usually yes, but only if they were really terrible. There is another thing we always remember, but in a positive way: the food. From the sandwich to the coffee taken in an unknown café; eating is one of those things that allows us to determine the success or otherwise of our stay. If you think of Rome, a cappuccino taken in a bar in the centre cannot fail to come to mind, or fried food bought in some typical place in the alleys of the historic centre. This is why it is essential to know where, how and what you must eat if you are planning a trip to Madrid! We can give you some tips to make it unforgettable. Whether it is the classic evening'aperitif', or a breakfast of churros, here you will find the 10 things you absolutely must eat in Madrid.
SEE ALSO: What to see in Madrid
1 - Cocido madrileño
Cocido is one of the most significant dishes of madrid cuisine. It is a stew of meat, vegetables and sausages that is served in three stages (also called tres vuelcos): first you eat the soup, then the chickpeas with vegetables and finally the meat. More than a typical dish, it is a true institution of Madrid cuisine.
Recommended for: lunch or dinner, but especially in winter
Average cost: €25
Main ingredients: beef, chickpeas, sausages, vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cabbage)
2 - Bocadillos de Calamares
This is one of the most popular dishes in Madrid cuisine. These are sandwiches filled with fried squid. They can be found almost everywhere in the city. In bars and kiosks, they are one of the most popular dishes for a quick, tasty and affordable meal.
Recommended for: snack, lunch
Average cost: €3
Main ingredients: bread, squid, lemon or mayonnaise
3 - Churros y Chocolate
Churros are sweets known all over the world by now. Fried and sugar-coated, here in Madrid they are served with hot chocolate to drink between bites or to dip the Churros in. Try them for a Madrid-proof breakfast or as a sweet and satisfying snack.
Recommended for: breakfast and snack
Average cost: €3
Main ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, chocolate, milk
4 - Pinchos
Photo by flydime. Pinchos are 'appetisers' that are served during an aperitif. They are slices of bread topped with cheese, sausages, fish, etc. As tradition dictates, the pinchos are held together by a toothpick, which allows you to eat them without worrying about the topping falling all over.
Recommended for: aperitif
Average cost: €1.50
Main ingredients: bread, cold cuts, cheese, peppers, olives
5 - Tapas
Tapas are not an actual dish, but a collection of several dishes in small format that are served as an accompaniment to beer.
Just like pinchos, they are small samples of different dishes that are eaten strictly standing up as a'stopper' (hence the name) during one beer drink and another. If you go to Madrid, you cannot fail to taste this dish, which is typical not only of Madrid cuisine, but also of the Madrid way of life.
SEE ALSO: THE BEST TAPAS BARS IN BARCELONA
Recommended for: aperitifs
Average cost: €1.50
Main ingredients: bread, cheese, prawns, potatoes, onion, sausages
6 - Andalusian Gazpacho
This is a rather unusual dish. Gazpacho is a tomato-based soup that is served cold and usually accompanied with bread croutons. If you are not used to it, it is very easy to dislike it at first taste, but if you are in Madrid you must try it at least once.
Recommended at: lunch
Average cost: €4
Main ingredients: tomato, onion, peppers
7 - Caracoles a la Madrilena
Photo by Nacho Facello. Now we come to something really special, the caracoles. These are snails cooked and seasoned with a very tasty sauce of garlic, tomato and chilli.
If you have never eaten snails it might not exactly be the dish for you, but a chance should always be given, also because it is one of Madrid's typical dishes.
Recommended: dinner
Average cost: €9
Main ingredients: snails, hot sauce, garlic, tomato
8 - Tortilla
In Italy we would call it'omelette with potatoes', but it is much more than that. It is one of the typical dishes of Spanish cuisine and is served anywhere and in any way, even as a 'topping' for tapas and pinchos. Versatile, tasty and easy to prepare, the tortilla allows you to be on the safe side if you don't know what to eat.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €4
Main ingredients: eggs, potatoes
9 - Bocadillos de jamon
These are sandwiches filled with the typical Spanish ham, so popular with meat lovers. They are served during aperitifs, between tapas and pinchos but can be enjoyed at any time of day.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €1.50
Main ingredients: bread, jamon
10 - Chocinillo asado
Another typical Madrid dish is the chocinillo asado. This is a whole suckling pig that is slowly roasted until fully cooked. Recommended for meat lovers, it is said to be a real delicacy
Recommended for: dinner
Average cost: €20
Main ingredients: suckling pig
Where to eat in Madrid: best restaurants, typical places and street food
Madrid is one of Europe's liveliest culinary capitals. A crossroads of past and present cultures that have also influenced its cuisine. But this culture is not only tapas e tortillas.
If you go into a grocery shop, you can taste typical quesos with excellent cold cuts such as pata negra and hamon serrano.
The restaurants are lively and noisy and the markets are full of smells and colours. Don't miss the famous San Miguel market or those of San Fernando and Antón Martín, just a few hundred metres from each other. An unavoidable ritual that no Madrilenian can resist is 'tapear', or'ir de tapas', or spending the evening going from one bar to another to sip a good drink accompanied by tapas of various kinds.
For Madrileños, eating is one of life's indispensable pleasures, a social moment.
Here are the best places to eat in Madrid.
1 - Vinitus Gran Vía Madrid
Description: fashionable restaurant offering typical dishes, including a very long list of tapas, prepared on sight and at modest prices.
Speciality: croquettes, grilled cuttlefish, fried fish
Average price: from €18.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
2 - Ciudad de Tui
Description: typical restaurant in the city centre specialised in paella and fish dishes.
Speciality: paella
Average price: from €20,00 per person
Address: Get directions - Website
3 - Cebu
Description: elegant, upmarket restaurant specialising in creative cuisine. It offers tasting menus of small 10 courses consisting of typical products but cooked and assembled in a creative and contemporary way.
Speciality: tasting menu of creative dishes
Average price: from €150.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Website
4 - Entre Santos Madrid
Description: restaurant-bar, run only by young people, in the heart of Chueca where you can dine on simple dishes or have an aperitif or spend the after-dinner
Speciality: various cocktails, risottos, bravas potatoes
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Website
5 - Taberna Más Al Sur
Description: very small place in the Embajadores neighbourhood where you can enjoy paella but also other typical fish dishes at very reasonable prices.
Speciality: paella, octopus, grilled chipirones
Average price: from €12.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
