If there is one dish on your list of foods to try in Spain, odds are it is paella. Around the world, this fabulous saffron-infused rice dish is seen as a symbol of Spain, much like flamenco or red wine. But finding good, authentic paella in Madrid can be quite a challenge!

Paella originated in the region of Valencia along the Mediterranean Sea as a lunchtime meal in the 19th century for farmers and shepherds working in the fields. Over the past 200 years, the recipe has changed and developed, with each region relying on local ingredients to make their own versions.

Today there is some debate about what counts as a “real” paella in Spain. While most people think paella is a seafood dish, to purists the only dish that can truly be called paella is the traditional Valencian recipe. Valencian paella is just a few grains of rice thick and is made with green beans, rabbit, chicken, garrafó beans (like a giant lima bean) and sometimes snails. It has no seafood at all! Others claim that if it isn’t made in the region of Valencia, it isn’t paella.

While there is no doubt that the best paella in Spain is found along the Mediterranean coast, there are plenty of fantastic restaurants in Madrid that have adopted the tradition of making great, authentic paella in Spain’s landlocked capital city.

Before we dive into where to eat the best paella in Madrid, let’s take a quick moment to talk about the word itself. Not all rice in Spain can be called paella. In fact, most of the time you won’t see the word paella on a menu! Instead, it’s just called “arroz” aka rice. Whether or not it is considered paella is largely determined by the pan it is cooked in. If it cooks in the flat, round paella pan and is only a couple grains of rice thick, then it is commonly considered paella. If it is cooked in any other pan or if the layer of rice filling the pan is very thick and fills the pan to the top, then it’s just “arroz con cosas” or rice with different ingredients! 

Best Places to Eat Paella in Madrid

While you’ll see paella on the menu at almost every restaurant in the city center, there are only a small handful of spots that are making paella the traditional way. Paella should always be cooked to order, which means it will take a good half an hour from the time you order until the dish is served. Tuck into some shared appetizers and perhaps a bottle of wine because real paella is worth the wait! Here are our tried and tested picks for the best restaurants for authentic paella in Madrid.

Best PaElla Restaurants In Madrid’s City Center

Arroceria D’stapa Madrid - €€

Just a five minute walk from the gorgeous Plaza Mayor, you will find Arroceria D’stapa. The restaurant is housed in a 200-year-old building with beautiful brick walls. In the summer, they put a few tables outside as well so you can enjoy your authentic Spanish paella in the sun!

As with all great paella restaurants, expect to wait about 30 minutes before you receive your giant pan of rice. Each plate of paella is made fresh and this labor of love takes some time to create the full depth of flavor! In order to ensure you have a table, make a reservation online before you go!

La Barraca - €€

Right off of Madrid’s main avenue, Gran Vía, and close to the beautiful Cibeles Fountain is La Barraca. The history of La Barraca goes back more than 80 years! In 1935, the Solí family moved to Madrid from Valencia, bringing their traditions and, most importantly, their delicious recipes with them. Their dishes today follow the same recipes that have been passed down through the generations, making their paella some of the best in Madrid!  

Here the specialty is rice in all its greatest Spanish forms. While the super-thin paella is most popular, they also make incredible arroz caldoso aka creamy rice served in a thick cast iron pot as well as fiduea, which is made with inch-long noodles instead of rice. 

Socarrat - €

One of the best places for paella in Madrid is Socarrat. This restaurant is so popular that it currently has locations in five different neighborhoods throughout Madrid: Malasaña, Arguelles, Chueca, Acacias and Chamberí. Socarrat prides itself on serving one of the most authentic Valencian paellas outside of Valencia. All of their locations serve lunch only and are open from 12:00 noon until 4:00 pm. 

While there are a few tables inside the restaurant, the most common way to enjoy paella from Socarrat is taking it to go! It’s common to see people carrying the giant pans of paella home for their family Sunday lunch. They also serve individual portions to go which make for a pretty incredible picnic! They have eleven different versions of paella, including a Paella of the Day, which changes everyday!

Las Cuevas del Duque - €€

Las Cuevas del Duque, a traditional restaurant in the trendy Malasaña neighborhood, is all exposed wood and brick with white washed walls and legs of jamón hanging above the bar. This restaurant is all about Spanish tradition, serving only Spanish classics made with original recipes. 

Las Cuevas del Duque serves three types of Paella: mixta, which includes both meat and seafood, paella de mariscos featuring only seafood and arroz negro, a jet-black rice dyed with squid ink. Las Cuevas del Duque is on the smaller side as far as restaurants go with limited seating and is very popular, so make sure to call and make a reservation before you go!

La Paella de la Reina - €€

La Paella de la Reina opened its doors in 1989. For 30+ years, their Valencian paella has been their most sought after dish. This restaurant prides itself in following the Spanish tradition of simple recipes with high quality ingredients, allowing the rich flavor profiles to speak for themselves. This is never more true than with their paellas! 

If you are looking for variety and convenience, Paella de la Reina is a great option. It’s located just off of Gran Via in the heart of Madrid’s city center and has 15 different rice dishes on the menu. While the paellas here tend to be a bit thicker, it still makes our list of best restaurants for paella in Madrid due to central location and old school charm.

Arrocería Casa de Valencia - €€

For a truly traditional experience, head to Casa de Valencia where white tablecloths drape to the floor and the decor hasn’t changed a bit since the restaurant first opened in 1975. The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner, but it’s at lunch that their specialty rices really shine. Staying true to their name, all of the ingredients used here come straight from Valencia.

To experience an authentic paella in Madrid’s city center, check out our De Historia in La Latina: Madrid Paella, History and Tapas Tour! This tour takes you into the oldest neighborhood in the city where you’ll discover how and why Madrid was founded and the incredible tapas culture that defines the city. You’ll end the morning with at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant serving the best paella in Madrid! It’s a bold claim, but after taste testing nearly all of the city’s paellas, we can confidently say this one takes the crown!

Paella Restaurants Worth the Journey Out of Madrid’s city center

PaellaMar- €

For an informal, lively paella experience, try PaellaMar. They have 3 locations all inside traditional fresh food markets throughout Madrid. We’d recommend the location in Mercado Tirso de Molina, which is just over the river from the city center. 

This bustling market gets packed on Sunday afternoons as people flock from all corners of the city to spend the day eating and drinking at the many market stalls. Here you can see the paellas being made in pans so enormous it takes two people to lift them from the flames! At PaellaMar they serve their rices in individual portions so grab a few friends and try a few different types along with a snack or two from the other market stalls. 

Los Arroces de Segis - €€

Stepping into Los Arroces de Segis feels more like going into a remote castle from the middle ages than it does like stepping into a restaurant in a capital city. With brick walls, exposed wooden beams, a huge fireplace and wrought iron lamps, this restaurant is about as cozy as they come. 

Located near Plaza Castilla at the far north of the city, Arroces de Segis is worth the trek. All of their rices are cooked the traditional way: over open fires burning the sticks of pruned grape vines. The rice comes with a parade of starters like potato salad, roasted red peppers, homemade bread with olive oil, cured meats and cheeses. This is the type of place where lunch takes hours and no one is in a rush aka the best type of Spanish lunch spot.

Restaurante Samm - €€€

Restaurante Samm was opened in 1973 in the Chamartín neighborhood and has been serving some of the best paella in Madrid ever since! Samm is only open for lunch, a telltale sign of a great paella restaurant. This upscale option has plush comfy chairs and both indoor and patio seating. The paella here is incredible and always achieves the coveted socarrat, that crispy almost-burned layer at the bottom that marks true paella perfection. The starters are as good as the rice so be sure to come hungry!

Types of Paella and How to Order 

Paella is a word you won’t often hear used in Spain. Here, paella is just rice! In fact, the word “paella” traditionally referred to the pan it is cooked in rather than the rice itself. Nowadays, paella is most often used to describe a style of rice that is served in a large, thin metal pan and that is only one or two grains of rice thick. These are the most popular types of paella that you’ll commonly find in Madrid:

Paella Valenciana for the Traditionalist

Paella Valenciana is the original version of paella. It was invented in the 19th century by farmers and shepherds working out in the rice paddies of Valencia. The recipe includes ingredients that shepherds could find in the fields like rabbit, snails and a native style of broad bean called garrafó. They’d collect these ingredients and cook them over a campfire with rice. If you want to try paella in its original form, go for the paella valenciana. 

Paella de Mariscos for the Seafood Lover 

Being a country almost completely surrounded by water, seafood is a huge part of the diet in Spain. And when it comes to paella, everything goes when it comes to seafood! From shrimp and mussels to hake fish and squid, every restaurant will include their own mix of seafood in their paella de mariscos. 

This is the quintessential type of paella that you’ve likely seen before with shell-on shrimp and mussels. Unless you can peel a shrimp with a knife and fork (as many Spaniards can!), you’ll have to get your hands dirty to fully enjoy this classic style of paella. 

Arroz Negro for the Bold

Arroz Negro aka “black rice” is a traditional rice dish that originated in the regions of Cataluña and Valencia. This paella includes peeled prawns and squid. But what elevates it to a new level of flavor is squid ink! The ink not only dyes the rice jet black but it adds a rich umami flavor! This unique version of paella will make you feel like you are at the seaside and it is definitely one of the best versions of paella in Madrid.

Paella Mixta for the Indecisive

Paella Mixta truly is the paella for the indecisive, because it has a little bit of everything. Typically it includes chicken, mussels, prawns and vegetables. This recipe can change based on the restaurant or what ingredients are available at that specific time of year. 

Arroz del Senyoret for the Gentleman

Arroz del Senyoret, which literally translates to “gentleman’s rice,” is typically made with shrimp, squid, mussels and a variety of white fish like swordfish or monkfish. It gets its name from the word for young gentlemen in Valencian: senyorets. 

The story goes that the Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla asked for his shrimp to be peeled before they were added to his paella so he didn’t have to get his hands dirty peeling them. Thus “gentleman’s rice” was born!  If you are a seafood lover but prefer clean hands Arroz del Senyoret is for you. Quick tip: some restaurants call this type of peeled seafood rice arroz a banda.

Avoid these Common Paella Mistakes

Never Eat Paella for Dinner

Here in Spain lunch is the main meal of the day and as paella is such a filling dish it is relegated exclusively to the lunch menu. In fact, many of the best paella restaurants don’t even open for dinner! As it is 90% rice,  paella can be very heavy to eat at the Spanish dinner hour, which, remember, starts at the earliest at 9:00 pm! Instead it is meant to be enjoyed throughout the long Spanish lunch hour, or rather hours, with plenty of time to digest before going to bed.

Avoid Restaurants with Many Pictures of Paella Out Front

As paella is one of the most famous dishes in Spain, it makes the top of many visitors’ lists of must-trys while in Madrid. And the many restaurants in Madrid’s city center that cater to specifically to people visiting know this. You’ll often see huge banners with pictures of paella hanging outside the restaurant door or a 6-foot-tall poster with 5 or more photos of the restaurant’s various paellas. Consider these a red flag! Most of these restaurants don’t make their rice fresh to order and instead serve re-headed, pre-made versions. 

Always ask for aioli 

One of the best accompaniments to paella is aioli. This garlicky mayonnaise is often homemade at the best paella restaurants. The creamy, garlic tang cuts through the richness of the rice and elevates paella to simply the next level.

Never Skip the “Socarrat” 

Paella is usually served to the table in the iconic round, flat pan it is cooked in. Typically a waiter will serve each diner their first helping and then leave the pan for you to continue to enjoy (aka to scrape clean!). Don’t sleep on the socarrat! Socarrat is the magical crust that forms between the rice and the pan on a perfectly cooked paella.

Socarrat is extremely difficult to achieve and is a true sign of a great paella chef. Take a spoon and literally scrape the bottom and edges of the pan. These crunchy bits are one of the true pleasures of Spanish eating and are packed with the deep flavors of the rich stock used to make the rice!

Be Wary of Paella for One

Nearly every good paella restaurant in Madrid and across Spain will require a minimum of two people to order the same type of paella. There are various reasons for this with the main one being that the time and effort needed to make a proper paella isn’t worth it for just one serving! The exception to this rule is if you are ordering paella at a market, such is the case at PaellaMar. There they make enormous paellas and scrape out single servings from one large pan. 

Paella portions are usually very generous, so if you’re in a bigger group be sure to ask your waiter how many servings he recommends. It will often be one or two less than the number of people! For example, if there are 5 people eating paella, you’ll generally want to order 4 servings. 

Looking for more paella tips? Join us on our De Historia in La Latina: Madrid Paella, History and Tapas Tour! This tour explores the historic La Latina neighborhood where you’ll discover the story of Madrid while strolling its oldest streets and plazas. Along the way you’ll taste the authentic tapas that have shaped the city before sitting down to a paella lunch at the best (and hardest to find!) paella restaurant in town.