According to legend, its origin dates back to the 16th century, when Tatar horsemen placed beef under their saddles to bleed and tenderize while riding.

According to other sources, it is one more contribution from the father of modern cuisine, the Frenchman Auguste Escoffier, who incorporated the traditional tartar sauce to the then-called American beef steak.

Be that as it may, the steak tartare is one of the most universal dishes out there and has legions of followers.

The recipe is not fixed, but it should always include raw beef (generally sirloin, although lately more flavorful cuts are being used, such as chop, hip or picaña), minced with a knife and seasoned with some (or all) of the following ingredients: raw egg, capers, pepper, onion, salt, Worcestershire sauce (Perrins), mustard or even anchovies and liqueurs.

And, of course, never lack that joy that Tabasco gives you.

Here are some of the best that can be had in Madrid.

La Taberna de Elia

(Vía de las Dos Castillas, 23, Pozuelo de Alarcón. Phone: 616 878 287).

The Romanian Catalian Aurelian's steakhouse has become, on its own merits, the best in the Community of Madrid, both for the handling of the grill and for the quality of the meats it delivers.

Apart from the steaks (and a mythical ratatouille), their steak tartare enjoys deserved fame: prepared with the hip of a ripened cow, it is an explosion of flavor and is presented with various mustards, with different degrees of power, as a garnish so that the diner plays with them.

The Gamella.

La Gamella

(Alfonso XII, 4. Phone: 915 324 509).

The Hispanic-American restaurant founded by Dick Stephens is about to turn 40.

And there it is, in its privileged location in front of the Retiro, offering the same star dish with which it started in 1982, the steak tartare al bourbon, to which a drizzle of Jack Daniel's adds a genuine American flavor.

There is also the option of the traditional, which they call

French,

or, for the more restless, the

Trio de tartares (Around the world in three tartares, France, USA and Japan)

, which includes the two mentioned plus another with soy.

Vinegar Brothers.

Hermanos Vinagre

(Narváez, 58. Tlf .: 915 391 169. Gravina, 17. Tlf .: 915 249 131).

In the two places of illusory tapas run by the brothers Carlos and Enrique Valentí, devoted mainly to artisanal pickles prepared by themselves, there is also a very powerful steak tartare, whose raw material is a very ripened beef picaña whose seasoning does not tremble. hand when adding spice.

Askuabarra.

Askuabarra

(Arlabán, 7. Phone: 915 937 507).

Endorsed by its success in the Valencian Community, the Gadea family landed in the capital in 2014. Their proposal, the same one that had given them so many successes in their region of origin: take maximum care of the product, with special attention to meat.

And, within these, the steak tartare stands out, with cutlet meat, less tender than the sirloin but more tasty and cut into pieces with a lot of bite.

You can order a whole or half portion.

Papua.

Papúa

(Plaza de Colón 4. Phone: 915 766 897).

Opened in the fall of 2020 and with a notable investment in its exotic décor,

Papua

is on the list of restaurants to see and be seen, although its gastronomic ambitions are above average.

Of course, one of the most popular dishes in this type of place, the steak tartare, could not be missing from its menu.

Named

Jules Verne

in honor of the eponymous restaurant of the Eiffel Tower, it is prepared with the hips of matured Galician blonde cow from Cárnicas Lyo and its peculiarity is that it incorporates aromas of vine shoots.

Lakasa.

Lakasa

(Diego de Ordás Discoverer Square, 1. Phone: 915 338 715).

Old Galician beef tenderloin, free-range egg and the mixture of two tabascos (the classic red and a green jalapeño) are the keys to César Martín's steak tartare, one of the most addicted in the Villa and Corte.

Usually, he finishes it off himself on a cart in full view of the customer, quite a spectacle.

It only has one but: it is only available at lunches on Monday, Friday and Saturday.

Lafayette.

Lafayette

(Recaredo, 2. Phone: 912 606 912).

If there is a country in the world where steak tartare is almost a religion.

that is undoubtedly France.

No self-respecting brasserie dispenses with this dish on its menu and

Lafayette

, Sebastian Leparoux's brasserie from Madrid, was not going to be less.

With beef and a point of happiness to the taste of the client, the preparation could not be more canonical so that the diner feels like in Paris (without confining) ... something to which an interesting list of Gallic wines also contributes.

Álbora.

Álbora

(Jorge Juan, 33. Phone: 917 816 197).

For more than obvious reasons, being one of its owners José Gómez, from Jamones Joselito, pork is the undisputed star in this restaurant, but this does not prevent an orthodox beef tenderloin steak tartare also having its place which is accompanied with various types of chips.

By the way, since we are talking about

Álbora

: one day, those responsible for Michelin will explain why it is the only restaurant in Spain that has had the star withdrawn by decision of the inspectors in the year of the pandemic ...

Horcher.

Horcher

(Alfonso XII, 6. Phone: 915 220 731).

Even if it's only because it was one of the first steak tartares to be served in Madrid, back in the 70s, you have to try

Horcher's

at least once in your life.

The old beef tenderloin cut at the moment and seasoned with a special sauce of the house is finished off, like almost everything in this restaurant (undisputed epitome of luxury), by the waiters in the same room.

To accompany, never miss the soufflé legs.

Lavinia.

Lavinia

(José Ortega y Gasset, 16. Phone: 914 260 599).

Open only for lunch service, the bistro of the largest wine store in Spain offers a menu based on raw materials to accompany any of its more than 4,000 oenological references, priced at store prices and without added corkscrew.

Among the dishes offered by chef Toni García, an impeccable classic French style sirloin steak tartare (including old mustard) tuned in Spanish with a few drops of oloroso.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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