Madrid’s best food & drink

Pop into any tapas bar and you’ll see hams hanging from the ceiling, reflecting one local speciality – jamon. Don’t miss the finest, melt-in-your-mouth jamon Iberico de bellota (Iberian acorn-fed ham).

Beyond pork, Madrid’s favourite tapas dishes include soldadito de bacalao (salt cod fritters), tortilla (thick potato omelette), fried and salted padron peppers, hot garlic shrimp, saucy patatas bravas, and boquerones (pickled anchovies). Tuck in with a local beer, wine, sidra (Spanish cider) or vermouth straight from the barrel. Draft Vermouth, particularly before lunch, is a civilised custom that everyone should try.

Lastly, seek out the city’s rustic classics: suckling pig, callos a la madrilena (stewed tripe) and cocido madrileno (a meat and vegetable stew, served in three stages).

Also see our round-up of traditional Spanish foods you must try in Spain.

Madrid’s restaurant scene is incredibly dynamic right now. While traditional restaurants (mesones) still roast pork and lamb in wood-fired ovens, young chefs from all over Spain are creating some of the most innovative cuisine in the world, turning the capital into a foodie mecca to equal San Sebastian and Barcelona; at time of writing, Madrid has 21 Michelin-starred restaurants.

Madrid has more bars per capita than any city in Europe Locals love alternating old-school tapas joints with gastrobars and rooftop cocktail bars, while sipping wines from different Spanish regions by the glass.

Although well inland, Madrid is also home to the world’s largest seafood market after Tokyo, MercaMadrid.