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Madrid is absolutely love at first sight for me. It’s not a city filled with heritage sites or major landmarks, which makes it perfect for spontaneous wandering without the constant urge to "see everything" and "check things off the list." It’s a vibrant city where the sun sets only around ten at night. With such long days, the locals start their day relatively late, have breakfast at 11, and from that point, they keep snacking. Throughout the day, except for a short break around three or four in the afternoon, you’ll see the cafés and tapas bars full of people. Unlike us, the Spanish typically don’t host at home but prefer to meet their friends outside. And if they can, they’ll have several gatherings in one evening. Wherever they sit, they’ll order wine or a cold beer alongside a small to medium-sized tapa. The city's atmosphere is simply addictive, and we found ourselves hopping from tapas bar to cocktail bar, feeling like authentic Madrileños for a moment.
We jumped to Madrid for a long weekend—three and a half days that left us wanting more. Madrid isn’t a city you can fully "finish," but rather a place that’s always fun to return to and explore new areas.
Food Tasting Tour with Bat-El Abir
Bat-El is an Israeli who has been living in Madrid for several years, and she has become an expert on everything related to the city, especially its food culture. Today, she offers personalized food tasting tours across the city, focusing on local cuisine. We found Bat-El through an online recommendation and booked a tour with her for the first day of our trip. During the tour, we were introduced to a variety of local dishes and the stories behind the food. We discovered how Madrid’s unique culture developed, centered around outdoor gatherings, meeting friends over food, and enjoying small tapas dishes with a cold beer or wine. I highly recommend the tour and even suggest doing it on the first day of your trip. Everything we ate during the rest of our stay was directly influenced by the information we got during the tour and Bat-El’s recommendations for special places Madrid has to offer, catering to all price levels and styles.
To contact Bat-El: https://www.instagram.com/pilpelet.madrid/
Markets
Mercado de la Paz – A covered food market, not particularly large, mostly consisting of stalls and stands with a few seating areas.
Mercado Antón Martín – A covered market with a variety of stalls and small restaurants where you can sit and eat. It’s less touristy, which in my opinion, makes it even more recommended.
Flea Market – The flea market operates on Sundays until 3:00 PM in the Lavapiés neighborhood. The graffiti tour ends right next to the market, so it’s easy to combine both activities on the same day.
Coffee and Breakfast
FELIZ COFFEE – A small spot with excellent coffee. There’s no food except for light snacks.
DABOV Specialty Coffee Spain – Excellent coffee and just coffee. No food is served.
HanSo Café – Great breakfast and high-quality coffee.
Agrado Cafe – Excellent coffee in the Lavapiés neighborhood. They also serve food, but we stopped just for coffee and a pastry, and both were fantastic. Across from the café, there’s a small artist shop that's worth visiting.
El Chiringuito Cafeteria – A small local spot with an owner who doesn’t speak a word of English. It serves classic Spanish dishes like jamón or cheese in a baguette and tortilla de patatas.
Churros at Chocolatería San Ginés – A must-visit institution in Madrid. If you want authentic churros with hot chocolate, this is the place to go. Note, the churros are delicious, but the coffee isn’t great.
Lunch & Dinner
Tapas and Cocktails at Entre Santos Madrid – Located near Plaza Chueca. They serve excellent cocktails.
Cocktail and Tapas Bar YOU&ME – Great cocktails and tasty food. Highly recommended for the evening.
Tapas Bar GatoGato – An excellent tapas bar with a rich menu featuring a variety of fish and meat dishes. Great for lunch!
Restaurant CEBO – A Michelin-starred restaurant in the heart of Madrid. You can choose from three tasting menu options. We had the classic menu, which consists of 11 courses, paired with matching wines. It was an amazing meal with several unique dishes I hadn’t encountered before. The ambiance is classic and intimate, with service to match. Highly recommended.
Marmitón Bistró – Excellent for lunch. A small and meticulous restaurant with a rich menu of fish and meat dishes.
Restaurant Sala de Despiece – Wow! This is one of the most memorable and recommended restaurants from our trip. The restaurant is designed like a butcher shop, and as soon as you walk in, you can feel the atmosphere. The menu mainly consists of fish and meat dishes, with most items arriving at the table almost ready. The finishing touches and plating are done by the waiters right in front of the diners. Beyond the visual experience, the dishes are incredibly tasty, featuring unique flavors and a presentation I’ve never seen before. I highly recommend the mussels, beef tortillas, octopus, and, of course, the famous tomato dish. Plus, the dessert is perfect!
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