Here they eat (some of) the best potato tortillas in Madrid

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Curd or juicy, fried or cooked potato, with onion or without onion, innovative or traditional.

On paper, it is a humble and simple dish: beaten egg, potatoes, olive oil and salt.

But getting your point perfect requires science and skill.

For this reason, when it is achieved, it becomes a morsel of the gods worthy of having its own International Day, on

.

Its origin is not very clear, it is disputed in Navarra and Badajoz.

There is no doubt that it is one of the most emblematic dishes of Spanish food.

To celebrate, we review our favorites from Madrid.

Martinuca

More than 1,000 weekly orders at home have made it possible for this company to open its first physical space in the capital now, less than two years after it was founded.

Barquillo 11 is the place chosen by this company to dispatch the potato omelette which, as Víctor Naranjo, its top manager, points out, "is made from Grandma Martina's recipe."

The options are various.

In addition to without and with onion, there are with onion confit, sobrassada or with finely chopped pieces of Joselito pork with paprika, salt and garlic.

In all cases, the ingredients with which they are made are fresh, local and organic.

Prices range between 19.90 and 26.90 euros.

In the central location, breakfasts, meals,

snacks and dinners combining the concept of specialty cafeteria and Spanish tavern.

Where: Barquillo, 11.

Pedraza Tavern

Carmen Carro

has turned the tortilla from Betanzos (A Coruña) into the star dish of this eatery in the Barrio de Salamanca.

"You can prepare an omelette more or less curdled, with onion, with vegetables... As you like, but the one from Betanzos, no; you have to do it that way," says Carro.

The ratio between the egg (from a young hen) and the potato must be exact to achieve the required juiciness.

And to beat them, a fork, no spoon.

"Because you have to wrap them and not air them," says Carro, who makes an average of 50 tortillas a day.

Address: Recoletos, 4.

colossal

The bar in the Barrio de Salamanca has a potato omelette with poached onion, not confit.

Its price, 3.50 euros per skewer and 20 euros complete.

A proposal that this restaurant displays with pride and that usually draws a large audience every day into a space managed by the brothers Ricardo and Mané Romero.

Address: José Ortega y Gasset, 67.

Gabino's Tortillas

The tortillas that

made in La Ancha on Calle de Velázquez in the 1960s became a classic in the Salamanca neighborhood for many people from Madrid.

Tortillas with tripe, with clams, traditional... 40 years later

(Fismuler, Armando, Hijos de Tomás...) created in Chamberí "a new restaurant concept based on those same quality principles followed by Gabino and that later led La Ancha to be a well-known and appreciated site".

In it,

He has made his idea of ​​creating a place to put into practice the new techniques of modern cooking in dishes of great tradition, such as the tortilla, come true.

On the menu, the traditional one is called Velazqueña (with eggs and potatoes, very juicy), but they can also be ordered in garlic soup, stewed with tripe, truffled, black, magical cod, with Galician octopus and potato chips with salmorejo.

Always, yes, served in a clay pot.

Address: Rafael Calvo, 20.

La Ardosa Winery

Originally, this tavern in the Malasaña neighborhood -which opened its doors in 1892- served bulk wine from the Toledo region from which it takes its name, brandy and sarsaparilla.

In the 1970s,

transformed it into a brewery and installed the first Guinness fountain in Madrid.

Located at Colón, 13, among its tapas and portions, with delicacies such as honeyed croquettes, fried eggplants or Barbate mojama, there is always room for tortillas, just as Concepción Marfil, Monje's wife, began to make it in

. : five medium monalisa potatoes, seven eggs, half a large onion, extra virgin olive oil and salt.

A very juicy version

, also available without onion.

It is served on skewers, but if you want it whole, you can order it to pick up and also at home.

Address: Colon, 13.

The Ling

The Cañadio group has three La Maruca stores in the capital on López de Hoyos, Velázquez and Castellana streets.

Three spaces where you can try a Santander-style potato omelette, which has become a flagship product and is prepared with a very fine crust.

With a creamy, melting, sticky and slippery texture, it stands out for its sweet touch due to the lively and long frying of the potato and onion, which caramelizes it and accentuates its character.

The ingredients are roasted and the result is a brownish hue.

In addition, it rests for five minutes, which homogenises both its appearance and its qualities.

The price of the skewer is 4.50 euros and a tortilla consists of 8 skewers.

It can be ordered at the three stores of La Maruca and others that make up the Cañadio group: Cañadio Madrid, La Primera and Gran Café Santander.

Addresses: Velázquez, 54;

Crazy Joan

Two decades after its opening, in this charming place in La Latina, next to the Mercado de la Cebada, it maintains its commitment to "authentic cuisine, without artifice, that respects the product and values ​​it."

In it, the

tortilla is religion.

They cook it with little curd, following the designs set by

, director and creator of the restaurant,

that gives it a sweet touch that changes its level and fits perfectly with its gastronomic offer "of Basque inspiration and essence of the world".

Address: Plaza de Puerta de Moros, 4.

Arganda's grill

The culinary ideas of

, trained in emblematic places such as Porto Novo and hotels such as Melía,

and

, promoters of this house, are simple and clear: food without fireworks, traditional recipes with two protagonists,

.

The fish and shellfish come from two Galician markets, the cattle are from Leon and Galicia and the vegetables come from their own garden in neighboring Orusco.

Their tortilla is "for real", juicy and flavorful.

Address: Avenida de Madrid, 47, Arganda del Rey.

Sylkar

With six eggs, poached in "good" olive oil, cooked round and round and with a very juicy flavor when it reaches the customer.

This is how Alfredo García, responsible together with his sister Carmen, describes the potato omelette that has become the "flagship of the local menu for 53 years".

A successful proposal that can be ordered in skewer format (4 euros), complete at the bar (18.90 euros), at the table (22.90 euros) or to take home (16.90 euros).

Options with and without onion made in a restaurant of "artisanal and home cooking" as they like to say.

Address: Espronceda, 17.

Tatel

The place located on Paseo de la Castellana has a proposal on its menu that is as demanded as the truffled omelette.

Masterfully flipped in the air and little curdled, its special characteristic is its intense truffle aroma and being filled with a potato foam.

Its price is 19 euros and, as its managers point out, it has become one of the favorite preparations for those who pass through this place "from a traditional but infallible recipe that serves to hit any meal."

Address: Paseo de la Castellana, 36.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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