Thanksgiving in Madrid: Best Restaurants for an American or Spanish Feast!
While Thanksgiving is not a traditional holiday in Spain, eating an epic meal with friends and family is about as Spanish as it gets! Whether you are looking to celebrate Thanksgiving in Madrid with the classic American feast or you want to go with a traditional Spanish celebration meal, here are our picks for the best places to enjoy this all-American holiday in Madrid!
Even in Madrid, you can celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional American feast! Margit celebrates at Carmencita every year with friends. Be sure to try the cranberry bellinis (Margit’s favorite!).
Practical Tips
Reserve in Advance
As there are only a handful of restaurants in Madrid that serve a special Thanksgiving menu, they book up fast! Be sure to make your reservation in advance so you can get one of the very limited tables.
Be Aware of Time Limits
With demand so high at the restaurants that do the best Thanksgiving feasts, many put a time limit on how long you can have your table. They often give you 1.5 - 2 hours to tuck into you celebratory meal and will tell you when booking about this time limit. If there is no mention of the time limit on the booking website, be sure to ask when you arrive to avoid feeling rushed!
Embrace the Unconventional
Many of the Thanksgiving menus in Madrid look a bit different from the spread you might see in the United States. Even today sourcing ingredients like tinned pumpkin, cranberries and even a whole turkey can be tricky as none of those things are used in traditional Spanish cooking.
Chefs throughout the city have gotten creative in how they craft their Thanksgiving menus. Many feature a fusion of both traditional American dishes and recipes from wherever the restaurant’s chef hails from (think English Yorkshire puddings or Brazilian beef or turkey waffles!).
American-Style Thanksgiving in Madrid
Carmencita
Carmencita is Madrid’s most popular spot for a true American Thanksgiving dinner. The owner, Marianne, is half Spanish, half Swiss and grew up in the U.S. state of Arizona! She is the queen of brunch in Madrid, with 4 locations serving some of the best brunches in town (jugs of mimosas and all!).
For Thanksgiving every year she and her chefs pull out all the stops. There is the requisite turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce but also green beans, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie! All the recipes are Marianne’s mom’s. But most importantly, it is bottomless! All you can eat. All you can drink.
Not feeling like heading out, you can order your Thanksgiving feast in advance ready to eat and enjoy at home!
When: November 22 - 26. Lunch and Dinner.
Where: Carmencita is serving Thanksgiving at 2 of their locations:
Carmencita Malasaña: Calle San Vicente Ferrer, 57
Carmencita La Latina: Calle Cava Alta, 32
The James Joyce Irish Pub
I know what you’re thinking, American style Thanksgiving dinner in an Irish Pub?! Trust us when we say that they have been doing this tradition for years (as well as their weekly Sunday roast dinners) and have got it down to a pretty fine art.
With a choice of 3 appetizers, 3 mains and 2 desserts, you can get your pumpkin fix during every course. This is by far the most varied menu we’ve seen that can cater for everyone in the family.
When: November 23 and 24. Only for dinner.
Where: James Joyce: Calle Alcalá, 59
Hotel Urso
Feeling a little fancy? Wander over to the Hotel Urso and enjoy Thanksgiving lunch or dinner in the gorgeous URSO conservatory prepared by chef Antonio del Álamo. The traditional turkey meal is paired with wines from the United States selected by their sommelier.
Want to celebrate privately? You can also reserve one of their private rooms for your Thanksgiving feast. The historic rooms are specially decorated for the occasion.
When: November 23. Lunch and Dinner.
Where: Hotel Urso: Calle Mejía Lequerica, 8
Trikki Cuisine
Who needs to go to New Orleans when you can get southern comfort food right here in Madrid?! Honoring Cajun & Creole cuisine, you’ll find that this Thanksgiving meal has a little more flavor and kick.
Enjoy four courses including cajun dirty rice & a sweet potato marshmallow treat, plus turkey, pumpkin soup and pie.
When: November 23. Lunch and Dinner.
Where: Trikki Cuisine: Calle Santa Engracia, 109
Mazal Bagels
Have you ever tried stuffing made from bagels? We bet you haven’t, but we can tell you it's just as good if not better! Mazal Bagels is Madrid’s go-to spot for New York Style bagels, refillable coffee on tap and homemade pies galore. This year, they are preparing a special Thanksgiving meal, bagel style!
Enjoy a three-course meal complete with soul-warming squash soup, turkey and all the trimmings followed by their famous pumpkin pie. The meal also includes a welcome glass of sparkling cava as well as beer, wine or a soft drink.
When: November 22 and 23. Dinner only.
Where: Mazal Bagels: Calle de Bretón de los Herreros, 35
Spanish Restaurants for an Epic Thanksgiving in Madrid
The cocido Madrileño at Malacatín is a classic Spanish feasts! It is the perfect traditional Spanish meal to celebrate Thanksgiving in Madrid.
Malacatín for Cocido
In Madrid, meals don’t get more celebratory than “cocido Madrileño”. This three-course stew is one of the most iconic dishes in the city. The meal begins with the “caldo” aka hot broth with short noodles - think spaghetti that’s only 1-inch long. Be sure to ask for “guindillas” aka pickled peppers to slice into the broth! The zingy tang of the peppers and vinegar cut beautifully through the richness of the broth.
The second course is the vegetable course consisting of large platters of chickpeas served alongside cooked carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Last comes the meats. Chorizo (paprika-spiced pork sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), a quarter of a chicken, tocino (pork belly), beef and pork shoulder are all heaped onto platters for the final course.
Our favorite spot in town for cocido is Malacatín, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with gorgeous tiled walls that has been a staple of the La Latina neighborhood for more than a century!
Where: Malacatín: Calle Ruda, 5
Casa Salvador for Rabo de Toro
We don’t have a Spanish grandmother, but we do have Casa Salvador. This “casa de comidas” aka House of Food has been serving the classics of Spanish cuisine – just like the owner’s grandmother made them – since the 1940s.
The walls are covered with paintings, photos and drawings of some of the most iconic bullfighting moments, and the specialty of the house sticks with that theme! Their Rabo de Toro, aka stewed bull’s tail, is some of the best in the city. The beef is cooked slowly for hours in a homemade sauce of red wine and vegetables. Think of it like the Spanish version of braised short ribs!
We visit this traditional Madrid restaurant on our De Jaleo: Evening of Tapas and Flamenco experience. For more details of this private-only tour, complete our Private Tour Request Form!
Where: Casa Salvador: Calle Barbieri, 12
D'Stapa for Paella
Rice might not be a traditional Thanksgiving food, but there are few better ways to celebrate in Spain than with a paella. Madrid notoriously has more bad paella than good, so be sure to get your iconic Spanish rice from a restaurant that specializes in it!
Our favorite spot for paella in Madrid is D’Stapa. Every paella is cooked to order in well-worn, giant paella pans. The rice is only a few grains thick and almost always achieves the coveted “socarrat” that defines a perfectly cooked paella.
For more paella tips and restaurant recommendations check out our paella article: The Best Paella in Madrid: Top 9 Restaurants and Common Paella Mistakes to Avoid!
Where: D’Stapa: Calle Segovia, 8
Zerain for Basque Steak and Cider
The Basque Country in northern Spain is famous for its sidrerias, or cider houses. Zerain is one of the only places in Madrid where you can experience this incredible Basque tradition! This family-run restaurant is nestled into an old printing house in Madrid’s Literary Quarter. Drink hard apple cider straight from the barrel alongside fire-grilled steaks, cod omelets and other hearty, traditional dishes from northern Spain.
Where: Zerain: Calle Quevedo, 3
Author Bio
Valentina Ruffoni is a Brit who has lived in Madrid for over 7 years. She started the Eat Out Madrid Facebook group after feeling overwhelmed with the amount of choice in the city and needed some help finding the best places to eat and drink! Eat Out Madrid is an English community of over 10,000 food lovers on the search for the best places to eat and drink in the capital. Get recommendations and share your favorite spots online and meet others at Eat Out Madrid events!