“The best way to know a city is to eat it.”  

– Scott Westerfield –

Madrid restaurants visited on this tapas tour:

Rosi La Loca

• Calle de Cádiz, 4, 28012 Madrid

Start off the tour with a tipple and tapas at perhaps the most colorful and fun tapas bars in Madrid, the much loved Rosi La Loca. The interior and glassware of this funky bar (just order a cocktail!) are definitely going to set your Insta feed alight so make sure you bring your camera. 

The friendly staff serves a great range of tapas dishes, from classic tapas staples such as albondigas (meatballs), Jamón ibérico, and patatas con allioli (potatoes with allioli). House specialties also include the famous paella which is a great option to share. 

Bar El Rocio

• Pje. de Mathéu, 2, 28012 Madrid

With house specialties including mussels (mejillones) and fried sardines (boquerones frito), weave your way down a small side street to discover Bar El Rocio. The small tapas bar is actually a ‘Mejilloneria’ meaning they are experts at cooking mussels, but they also have a traditional tapas counter with the various classic Spanish tapas dishes of the day on display. 

Outside, there’s a small terrace where you can enjoy a few tapas and a beer and watch the world go by. 

Las Bravas Tapas Bar

• Pje. de Mathéu, 5, 28012 Madrid

Directly across the street from bar El Rocio is the famous Las Bravas Tapas Bar. With almost 100 years of history, the tapas bar is most famous for creating the ‘Bravas’ sauce used on the popular tapas dish ‘patatas bravas’. 

The bravas sauce is used with glee at this restaurant and you can try pretty much any traditional tapas dish smothered in rich bravas sauce. Of course, the house specialty is patatas bravas, but other dishes worth sampling are the Pulpo (with or without the bravas sauce) and the Fried Calamari. 

La Casa De Abuelo

• C. de la Victoria, 12, 28012 Madrid

La Casa De Abuelo has become something of an institution when it comes to Madrid tapas bars, and the original restaurant located just below the famous Sol plaza is well over 100 years old. In keeping with the traditional style tapas bars, the interior has no seats and instead offers guests small marble podiums to enjoy their food and drinks. 

The restaurant is famous for perhaps one of Spain’s most popular tapas, Gambas al ajillo, or garlic shrimp. There are also a number of other locations within Madrid where you can try the famous dish while enjoying one of their house wines or beers. 

Taberna La Fragua de Vulcano

• C. de Álvarez Gato, 9, 28012 Madrid

Take a couple of minutes to stroll down the road to discover the colorfully decorated tapas bar and restaurant, Taberna La Fragua de Vulcano. This beautiful Madrileña tavern offers a range of classic Madrileño tapas dishes including Jamón ibérico sharing plates, Gambas al ajillo, and Tortilla Espanol. 

The ornate wooden bar and friendly staff also serve a fantastic range of authentic Madrileña-style stews such as the Gran cocido Madrileño, and the Callos a la Madrileña (a tripe stew with chickpeas). 

Revoltosa Prado

• Calle del Prado, 4, 28014 Madrid

Get your groove on at this funky industrial-chic styled tapas bar and restaurant, serving a great range of classic tapas dishes along with live music and DJs most weekends. Revoltosa Prado is the perfect place to work off the tapas tour so far, enjoy a cocktail or wine and relax in the beautiful interior. 

Chocolat 

• Calle de Sta. María, 30, 28014 Madrid

When Madrileños have a craving for something sweet, Churros con chocolate is usually the answer, and when it comes to churros, there are few Churro shops that stand out more than the iconic Chocolat. 

Located within the popular central suburb of Barrios de Las Letras, this trendy and very cozy churrería has been a Madrid favorite for many years. It’s a great way to round off a tapas tour. Make sure you order the Churros con chocolate, they are pure foodie heaven!

Check our other Madrid Tapas tours!

Madrid landmarks and highlights of each tour

So, along the way there’s a lot more than just tapas bars and restaurants! On this Central Madrid self-guided walking tours you’ll also pass by a number of Madrid’s famous landmarks. 

• Statue of the bear and the strawberry tree (El Oso y el Madroño) – Puerta del Sol
• Kilometre Zero (Kilómetro 0 de las carreteras radiales de España) – Puerta del Sol
• Tío Pepe – Iconic neon sign – Puerta del Sol