How to Do Tapas in Madrid: Best Tapas Bars and Their Unwritten Rules
Having tapas is on most everyone’s list of things to do in Madrid. But “tapas” is a word you don’t hear very often here! Going out for tapas in Madrid just means going out to eat! Tapas are really a way of eating – a lifestyle – more than a specific dish.
To tapa or tapear is the concept of meeting friends to have some drinks, which are always accompanied by some kind of food. You might have one drink or ten, eat a small snack or two full meals. The important thing is being out in the city with friends and/or family and sharing food and stories. You can’t separate socializing and food in Madrid. They always go together!
There is no better way to start at night out of tapas in Madrid than with a glass of Spanish vermouth served straight from the tap!
To really DO tapas, you need multiple restaurants in a neighborhood where you can walk from place to place, stopping for the specialty in each spot. Rather than choosing a specific restaurant for dinner in Madrid, we will more commonly choose a whole neighborhood!
Here are our picks for the best neighborhoods to have tapas in Madrid, which tapas bars to visit and what their specialties are. Scroll down to the bottom for a quick list of the unwritten rules of a Madrid tapas bar so you can be sure not to commit any tapas faux pas! And, of course, if you want to experience a tapas night out without all the planning, join us on our Madrid tapas tour!
Where to Eat Tapas in Madrid
Madrid is all about neighborhoods. Each of the city’s neighborhoods has its own vibe and is known for different types of food. When deciding where to go out for tapas in Madrid, we recommend choosing by neighborhood. Most of the areas that are best known for tapas have one or two streets where most of the tapas bars are concentrated.
To get your bearings, here is a great map of Madrid’s neighborhoods created by the Madrid tourism board
Best Tapas in the Malasaña Neighborhood
Malasaña is Madrid’s trendy neighborhood. From Spain’s first punk rock bars in the 1980s to its first specialty coffee shop to flash-in-the-pan trends like vegan donuts – if something is going to happen in Madrid, it is going to happen in Malasaña first!
But despite its trendy reputation, Malasaña is also an extremely historic neighborhood. Most of the buildings were built in the late 1800s. Steeples of centuries-old churches tower over the area’s plazas and patios. The tapas in Malasaña reflect that balance between history and modernity!
The Malasaña neighborhood is an excellent area for tapas in Madrid! Brightly colored buildings and tiled balconies line the cobblestone streets of this historic part of town.
Our favorite street to do tapas in Malasaña is Calle Palma, particularly the short stretch between Calle San Bernardo and Calle Amaniel. Nearly every doorway for 3 blocks is a fantastic tapas bar! Here are three of our favorites and what to get there.
Bodegas El Maño for patatas bravas
Any tapas bar with the word “bodega” in its name likely started off as a place that sold wine! Bodegas el Maño was first opened in the 1920s by a family from Aragon who came to Madrid to sell the wines of their region. From the tile floor to the clay wine vats behind the bar, very little has changed in the past 100 years!
While everything on the menu is delicious, the star dish at Maño is patatas bravas. Bravas are one of the most iconic tapas in Madrid and few tapas bars do them as well as Bodegas el Maño! Patatas bravas are fried potatoes topped with a slightly spicy red sauce that has been spiced with smokey paprika. At Maño they serve their bravas with an alioli garlic mayo as well. Both sauces are so good, you get small dishes with extra sauce alongside the main bowl!
Bodegas el Maño is one of the best tapas bars in Madrid! Their patatas bravas are a work of art (not to mention delicious!).
Bodegas Rivas for croquetas
This century-old tapas bar captures the true spirit of Malasaña. It is a trendy brunch spot by day and an old-school tapas bar by night! With exposed brick walls and the original metal bar, Rivas is a place where time stands still. Their menu, on the other hand, has not!
Rivas takes the classic dishes that define Madrid’s tapas scene and gives them each a hint of the international flavors that are shaping Madrid today. Their cochinita pibil croquetas are a perfect example. Chef Arturo, who is originally from Mexico, combined the comfort food of his youth (pulled pork tacos) with the comfort food of Spain (fried balls of creamy bechamel aka croquetas). The result is one of the best croquetas in Madrid!
De Vinos for wine and nibbles
This tiny, unassuming wine bar is one of those places you could easily walk right by without even noticing. If you did, you’d be missing out on one of the best wine bars in Madrid! De Vinos is run by the incredible Yolanda who curates an award-winning wine list. She scours Europe for the best small producers and serves their impossible-to-find-elsewhere wines by the glass. With dozens of options to choose from, be prepared to settle in for a couple of glasses!
Best Tapas Bars in the La Latina Neighborhood
La Latina is the oldest neighborhood in Madrid. You can even see remnants of the 12th-century city walls below the floors of some tapas bars! This neighborhood is positively buzzing on Sundays with the Rastro flea market that engulfs one half of La Latina in pop-up stalls selling everything from vintage clothes to antique furniture.
Most people will tell you to go to the street Cava Baja for tapas in the La Latina neighborhood. Cava Baja is one of the most famous streets for tapas in Madrid! Here at Walk and Eat we prefer the little neighborhood watering holes where gossiping grandmas sit next to groups of neighbors with their shopping bags from the neighborhood market tucked under the bar.
For those kinds of tapas bars, head to Calle Calatrava, just behind Mercado de la Cebada. Be sure to skim through the Unwritten Rules of Madrid Tapas Bars so you can blend in with the neighbors! INSERT LINK TO HEADING
Almacen de Vinos for cheese and wine
Almacen de Vinos is a no-frills historic tapas bar in Madrid that specializes in Spanish cheese and wine!
Huge ceramic tinajas, aka clay wine vats, tower over the tiny tables and stools at Almacen de Vinos. Those giant vats are why this place is still known as the “Wine Pantry”! They serve two things here: wine and cheese. In the summer, if you’re lucky, they might make you a tomato salad from the basket of garden-fresh tomatoes sitting on the bar like a living still life painting.
Choose 1 cheese (they don’t do mixed cheese boards) and a bottle of wine and enjoy the simplicity of how grapes and milk have overcome their own mortality to create two of the most delicious things on earth!
La Gildería for vermouth and pickled things
One of the newest additions to Calle Calatrava, La Gildería has quickly become one of the best tapas bars in Madrid! The specialty here is in the name. Gildas are pickled skewers. The classic gilda features an olive, a pickled piparra pepper and a salt-cured anchovy. While you can find the classic gildas in tapas bars all across Madrid, at the Gildería they do up to a dozen versions of these bite-sized pickled skewers!
The best pairing with all things pickled is a glass of craft Spanish vermouth. Here in Madrid, vermouth is served straight with an ice cube and perhaps a wedge of orange or an olive. At La Gildería they have vermouth on tap as well as half a dozen bottles from all over the country!
La Gildería specializes in pickled skewers like these! Gildas are one of the trendiest tapas in Madrid right now.
Los Tiernos for potato salad
While Los Tiernos is not on Calle Calatrava, it is worth the two-block walk! This bustling tapas bar has a fantastic menu of classic Madrid tapas. Choosing one specialty is hard, but the dish we can’t go without getting is the ensaladilla aka potato salad. The ensaladilla here is homemade and is served with extra pickled peppers for good measure!
Runners up for must-try tapas at Los Tiernos are their palitos de berenjena, fried strips of eggplant topped with wholegrain honey mustard, and what they call “Pulp Fiction,” grilled octopus with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted garlic.
Best Tapas in the Chamberí neighborhood
Chamberí is just north of the city center. This residential neighborhood is known for its impressive apartment buildings and quiet, tree-lined plazas. It is also home to a street that is so synonymous with tapas in Madrid that going out for tapas on Calle Ponzano comes with its own hashtag: #Ponzaning.
Calle Ponzano is lined on both sides with some of the best tapas bars in Madrid. Follow the crowds and order what they’re having! Ponzano stays up late so is also a great area for copas (mixed drinks) and cocktails until 2 am.
El Doble for beer and seafood
Pouring a caña, the tiny glass of beer that is most popular in Madrid, is a true art. The bowtie-wearing barmen at El Doble are true caña artists!
Perhaps it is the bright fluorescent lights that make both the beer and the seafood taste so good here. Or maybe it’s because El Doble has served this exact menu in this exact spot for nearly 40 years. Whatever the reason, El Doble is the ideal starting point for a marathon evening of eating and drinking. Pair your caña with a plate of pickled anchovies, a tin of mussels in spiced escabeche sauce or a heaping saucer of grilled shrimp.
Taberna Averías for wine and rabo de toro empanada
Whether you’re looking for an easy-drinking glass of rosé or one of Spain’s most celebrated Rioja Reservas, Taberna Averías has a wine list that pleases all palates. Most of the list is written in chalk over the span of an entire wall. Our recommendation? Head straight to the bar, tell the bartender what kind of wine you typically like and see what they recommend!
The food menu is short, which is a good thing. Be sure to try the empanada de rabo de toro, slow-cooked oxtail stuffed into two sheets of savory pastry. It is without a doubt one of the best tapas in Madrid!
Vagalume for blood sausage
Vagalume on a Saturday night is what doing tapas in Madrid is all about. It is often standing room only. Heaping plates of food balance precariously on narrow strips of bar or atop high stools while big groups of friends gather around with forks and wine glasses in hand.
The food here is straightforward and focuses on the classics. Their crispy medallions of morcilla de Burgos aka Burgos-style blood sausage are some of the best in town!
Blood sausage (aka morcilla) is a delicious tapa in Madrid! Taste these fancy medallions with parmesan chips at Vagalume, a classic tapas bar on Calle Ponzano.
Best Tapas Bars in the Literary Quarter
The Literary Quarter (also called Huertas or Barrio de las Letras) is right in the heart of central Madrid. With the Prado Museum on one side, Plaza Santa Ana on the other and Gran Vía drawing its northern border, you’ll almost certainly find yourself in the Literary Quarter at some point during your time in Madrid. We can only hope that you are hungry!
Calle Jesus is an excellent destination for early-afternoon tapas. Starting around noon, the tapas bars lining this beautiful and historic street start opening their windows and setting out their high tables. By 1pm there won’t be a free stool in sight!
La Dolores for beer and tomato salad
With impressive tile mosaics lining the exterior, La Dolores is not only one of the tastiest tapas bars on Calle Jesus, it is also one of the most beautiful. This emblematic corner has appeared in countless Spanish TV series for a reason! Stand outside at one of the window ledges if the weather is nice or duck inside and squeeze up to the bar for a quick caña.
The bar is lined with display cases showing off some of the most iconic tapas in Madrid. In the summer the tomato salad is unbeatable. When tomatoes go out of season in late September, opt for a plate of pickled anchovies (boquerones) or treat yourself to a ración of cured Iberian ham that is sliced to order!
Los Gatos for tostas
Los Gatos is the place in Madrid for tostas. These open-faced sandwiches feature everything from caramelized onion and goat cheese to garlicky imitation baby eels. All of the tostas are displayed on the bar so it is easy to point to what you want!
Pair your tosta with the local lager beer, Mahou, or go for a vermouth on tap. Be warned: Los Gatos serves the biggest glass of vermouth in town
Los Gatos specializes in tostas aka open-faced sandwiches. Alongside a huge glass of vermouth, these tostas are the perfect start to any tapas tour in Madrid!
Taberna de la Elisa for garlic shrimp
Taberna Elisa is one block up from Calle Jesus. With gorgeous painted tile walls and a wooden bar so old that the name plaques of regulars from a century ago are just starting to rub off, you know the tapas here are classics.
If you are feeling adventurous, try a traditional Madrid tapa like mollejas (sweet breads), oreja (grilled pig ear) or callos (tripe). Taberna Elisa does offal better than anywhere else in the neighborhood! For a tapa that isn’t quite as out there, try the gambones rojos al ajillo or red prawns cooked in garlicky olive oil.
Unwritten Rules of Doing Tapas in Madrid
What Are Tapas?
The concept of tapas varies widely from city to city! In Seville, a tapa is the smallest size of dish you can order on a menu. In the Basque Country, they don’t use the word “tapas” at all! Up there it is all about the “pintxos.”
Here in Madrid we talk about tapa the noun and tapa the verb. The tapa, as a noun, is a little bit of free food that comes with your drink. Usually it is a small bowl of olives or potato chips. To tapa, as a verb, means going from tapas bar to tapas bar having the specialty dish at each one.
A night of tapas in Madrid usually goes something like this: pop into a tapas bar and order a drink. See if you are served a free tapa to accompany the drink. Then order the dish or two that the bar specializes in. Once you’ve finished there, stroll over to the next tapas bar and start all over again! Most tapas nights out involve 3-4 stops. At most places you’ll either be standing or sitting on stools as the idea isn’t to spend all evening there.
The “tapa” in Madrid is usually a small dish of olives, potato chips or pickled skewers like these that you get for free after ordering a drink.
When to Eat Tapas in Madrid
Lunch and dinner tend to be later in Madrid than in almost anywhere else in the world! If you are going out for tapas at lunchtime, plan to start around 1:00 pm. Most kitchens will be open from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm.
If you are doing tapas for dinner, don’t start before 8:00 pm! Most of the best tapas bars in Madrid won’t open until 8:00 pm. If they are open earlier, you’ll likely only be able to order the olives, pickled skewers and potato salads that are displayed on the bar. The full menu won’t be available until the kitchen opens for dinner at 8:00 pm!
The most common times to have tapas in Madrid are in the evenings for dinner or at midday on the weekends. On weekdays, most people have a menu del dia for lunch rather than doing tapas.
How to Order Tapas in Madrid
While most tapas bars in Madrid have an extensive menu with a dozen or more dishes, they typically specialize in just one or two things. To figure out what the specialty of the bar is, ask the bartender or waiter “Que es la especialidad aquí?” You can also just order a small drink (a caña of tap beer or a glass of wine) and while you sip your first drink, look around at what everyone else there is eating. Don’t be shy to just order what they are having!
Tapas in Madrid are meant to be shared! You often have the option of ordering a full “ración” aka a large plate or a “media ración”, a half size. The rule of thumb is to order the same number of raciones as there are people in your group. They’ll serve all the dishes in the middle of the table family style. It is the best way to be able to try lots of different things!
Tapas in Madrid are almost always served family style like this! They are meant to be shared!
If you want to experience an authentic tapas night out, join us on our 5-star tapas tour in Madrid! On our De Tapas in Malasaña: Evening Wine and Tapas Tour we visit 4 spectacular tapas bars in the Malasaña neighborhood. You’ll get to try the specialty at each spot while meeting the owners and hearing their amazing stories. We have the smallest maximum group size of any public tapas tour in Madrid with only 8 guests per tour!
We also offer private tapas tours in Madrid designed for just your group or family. Get in touch for all the details of our private tours for families, couples or large groups!