Maria Canales
Updated Friday, February 16, 2024-00:05
Return to the gastronomic world without leaving Madrid (I)
For a few years now, in Madrid it has been possible to enjoy bits of any corner of the world through gastronomy. The capital's enormous international culinary offering makes it quite accessible for the public to taste typical dishes from other latitudes that range from a German-style roast knuckle or a Swiss
fondue
to a Sicilian caponata, a Mexican birria, a Korean bibimbap or a chicken. to Indian gold, among many others. The difficult thing in this case is choosing.
In this second installment of our gastronomic tour of the world without leaving Madrid, the route focuses on all types of restaurants representative of European and Asian countries. We propose some of the best.
EUROPE
Sausages and sauerkraut from Leiner Haus
GERMANY.
Although it varies greatly by region, German cuisine is known throughout the world for its baked knuckle, sauerkraut (lacto-fermented white cabbage), schnitzel and, above all, sausages. All of this and much more can be enjoyed at
Krüger
(Princesa, 5), an authentic German brewery, with long wooden tables that brings all its products directly from Germany. The red herring salads or the classic potato salad, the authentic German pretzel, the beef
goulash
or the typical bratwurst are accompanied on the menu, of course, by a wide variety of craft beers. It also has a menu of the day during the week (13.90 euros). Two other restaurants that transport diners to the German country in the capital are
Fass
(Rodríguez Marín, 84), a rustic dining room with an extensive menu of specialties such as crispy roast knuckle, grilled sausages, spinach strudel... and draft beer (it also has four tasting menus from 44.50 euros), and
Leiner Haus
(Ballesta, 18), with its wide variety of sausages, stews and apflestrudle, the dessert par excellence.
FRANCE
. The Frenchman Sébastien Leparoux opened what would be known as the great French house in Madrid in the Las Tablas neighborhood in 2008, but moved to the center in 2020.
Brasserie Lafayette
(Recaredo, 2), with a Repsol sun, is a sophisticated dining room with a covered terrace that follows the classic Gallic recipes but with avant-garde and highly technical touches. The menu does not lack oysters, onion soup, foie gras with kumquat chocolate, a selection of Gallic cheeses, ratatouille with light parmentier, duck magret, snails... Its winery stands out with a wide variety of French wines (from 50 euros). The elegant
Le Bistroman Atelier
(Amnistía, 10), in the Madrid of the Austrias, is decorated in the purest Provençal style and offers a careful and traditional offer of French dishes based on classic recipes updated with products of both French and local origin. Gastronomic menu of 10 passes (85 euros). To treat yourself to the best crepes,
Mademoiselle
(San Bernardo, 120). There are all kinds, sweet and savory, as well as other proposals such as galettes, salads, cheese boards, omelettes... (classic crepes, from 4.50 euros).
Brasserie Lafayette Champagne Pâté
GREECE
.
Kritikos
(San Gregorio, 11) is considered one of the best Greek restaurants in Madrid for its traditional cuisine. With a simple and informal decoration, among its local specialties there is no shortage of the best of Greek gastronomy to share, such as melitzanosalata (eggplant cream with pita bread), baked feta cheese, Greek dumplings, moussaka, gyros, suvlakis (meat with vegetables and dressings in a pita bread) or the typical Greek salad (from 30 euros).
Periplo
(Modesto Lafuente, 4) is a simple family business with a wide variety of typical homemade dishes. Reservations are recommended (from 20 euros). The
Egeo
tavern (San Carlos, 17) claims to have been the first place in Spain specialized in suvlakis. Its proposals, prepared daily and at "home", also include salads, moussakas, empanadas... It has several menus (from 12.90 euros).
Kritikos Greek Salad.
ITALY
. Restaurants specializing in Italian cuisine proliferate in the city, from simple pizzerias to exclusive and more sophisticated establishments. Among the latter is
Noi
(Recoletos, 6), which is defined as "an encounter between tradition and Italian contemporaneity." On the menu (22 dishes), from artisanal pastas to meats and fish prepared with the mastery of chef Gianni Pinto. The Sicilian caponata (Italian ratatouille), the parmigiana or the cappellacci are essential (average price, 70 euros). The modern and minimalist
Pante
(Villanueva, 21) presents dishes inspired by traditional seasonal Italian cuisine with a Sicilian touch, specifically from Pantelleria. The menu highlights the carpaccios (mushrooms, sea bass veal...), the Sicilian caponata, the pizzettas and their fresh pasta (from 40 euros).
Pante plate.
La Piperna
(Infanta Mercedes, 98), located in Casa Palacio del Marqués de la Vera, is a traditional Italian restaurant with fresh seasonal products: meats, fish, vegetables... The pastas are made by hand and most of the ingredients arrive directly from Italy (from 40 euros). The legendary and century-old establishment
Café Barbieri
(Ave María, 45), which closed in 2021, will reopen in 2022, renovated and converted into a traditional Italian cuisine restaurant based on the product brought from the transalpine country. Among its essentials: the caponata, the vitello tonnato, the eggplant lasagna, the classic pastas (pesto, carbonara, from the garden) and stuffed and the pizzas, Veronese style (thin and crispy dough). A new pizza temple that is already successful in Barcelona has just been installed in Madrid. It is
Parking Pizza
(Pº de la Castellana, 89), which offers in its menu just over 10 crispy pizzas thanks to a long-fermented dough made in a wood-fired oven and in full view of diners. Among them, the margarita and the black truffle with fontina cheese, egg and parmesan are the
bestsellers
. Pastas, salads and desserts complete the offer (from 20 euros).
Pizza from Parking Pizza.
PORTUGAL
. One of the places to treat yourself to cod is
Tras os Montes
(Senda del Infante, 28), a fish temple par excellence in Portugal, which incorporates it in more than 25 classic and innovative homemade recipes, such as cod croquettes, Roasted pepper salad with cod, golden cod, baked or creamed, among others. In addition, there is a wide variety of starters and other traditional Portuguese stews, as well as an extensive wine list, with more than 200 references (from 40 euros).
Piri Piri
(López de Hoyos, 127) specializes in "frango", or what is the same, roasted Portuguese chicken, which is marinated in Portuguese spices so that it is impregnated with flavor and aromas for 24 hours and bathed in sauce of piri piri (pepper) before grilling it on Marabou charcoal.
Fondue from La Fondue de Tell.
SWISS
. To enjoy authentic Swiss raclettes and fondues, there is
La Fondue de Tell
(Divino Pastor, 12), a small place decorated with lots of wood and an Alpine atmosphere that offers them in up to 11 versions, from the traditional one for dipping bread in cheese to the fondue bourguignonne with diced meat or the chinoise, served with potatoes, rice and homemade sauces. It is recommended to accompany them with white wine (from 16 euros). Another piece of the Swiss country in Madrid is in
El Chalé Suizo
(Carretera de Madrid a Burgos, km 14, Alcobendas)
ASIA
Little Dragon Pork Bao.
In the last 20 years, there has been a real
boom
in Asian restaurants of all kinds in the capital. The latest trend is sushi bars, specialized in the famous Japanese snack, which also coexist with other spaces that offer a mix of dishes from China, Thailand, Japan or Vietnam on their menus. We go through some.
CHINA.
The mythical
Happy Buddha
(Tudescos, 5) is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Madrid, the first to bring the exoticism and food of the Asian country to the capital after opening its doors in 1974. Now renamed as The Happy Buddha 1974 and after a Complete renovation of image and menu, the establishment offers authentic Chinese cuisine in a
street food
version based on grandmother's recipes brought directly from China. So don't expect three delicious rice or spring rolls, but rather won tong soup, lemon chicken, "good memories" rice, authentic lacquered duck, yam with shrimp, oyster sauce and Sichuan pepper. or the dim sum. There are also two tasting menus and an executive menu during the week (from 15 euros). Specializing in dumplings,
Little Dragon
(Reyes, 11) is a casual restaurant where these bites, of which there is a wide variety, are made by hand daily. Highlights include xiaolongbao, served in steamers, shenjiangbao and wonton. There are many more options, such as their artisan noodles, their salads or the typical Shanghai dish: zhu bai fan, fried rice with egg and spring onion with a breaded pork cutlet (from 6.50 euros for a portion of dumplings).
Bo Li.
It hasn't even been open for a year and
Bao Li
(Jovellanos, 5), from the China Crown Group, has become one of the most special (and exclusive) Chinese restaurants in Madrid specializing in Cantonese cuisine. It offers updated traditional recipes of dishes little known in these parts, such as king crab rice cannelloni with ginger sauce, caramelized black cod with vegetables or abalone millefeuille at low temperature in its juice (average price 80 euros). Also specialized in Cantonese cuisine is
Don Lay
(Castelló, 117). His strong points: dumplings, fish and seafood. Its extensive wine list stands out (from 40 euros). It has a Chinese Bar, an informal space with its own menu with a wide variety of dim sums and cocktails.
KOREA
. Located on the second floor of the Barceló market,
Mama Uma
(Barceló, 6) is a tiny place (only three tables) where you can taste artisanal homemade Korean food. Its menu is small and focuses on bibimbap (bowls of rice accompanied by vegetables, pickles and beef or mushrooms), farm-raised fried chicken with different sauces and mandu dumplings (handmade and steamed Korean dumplings). They have delivery and collection service (from 12.50 euros). Authentic Korean cuisine without fusions at
Arisu
(Av. del General Perón calle posterior, posterior, 6), with kimchi (fermented Chinese cabbage) as one of its main ingredients and present in several dishes. It has a menu of the day for 13.95 euros. Also informal is
Midang
(San Antonio, 6), a small corner specializing in grilled meats, kimchi, bulgogi (marinated shredded meat), bibimbap and noodles (from 20 euros).
Cooked octopus with typical Korean Arisu sauce.
INDIA
. Set in a train station,
Tandoori Station
(Ortega y Gasset, 89) is considered one of the best Indians in Madrid. Traditional dishes where spices rule, especially curry, aromatic plants, nuts... The
Chetak Express
tasting menu includes tandoori chicken, lamb curry, basmati rice with cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and saffron and Indian bread filled with cream cheese (42.55 euros). Curry stars in the recipes at the sophisticated
Benares
(Zurbano, 5), a haute Indian cuisine restaurant with luxurious decoration and a garden with a swimming pool. Chef Luis Ojeda prepares dishes with traditional recipes from the country with the most current techniques. Among some of the most original, aloo tikki (potato cakes stuffed with pea accompanied by mint chutney, tamarind and raita), curry of roasted baby octopuses paired in a tandoor and in coconut milk curry or Kashmiri-style lamb curry flavored with green cardamom, star anise and coriander. It has a tasting menu of eight courses (from 85 euros). The decoration, full of plants, lamps and Indian works of art, stands out at
Purnima Indian Cuisine
(Goya, 110), whose menu includes samosas, curries in all intensities of spiciness and meats cooked in a tandoor oven. It has an outdoor terrace and a tasting menu for 40 euros.
Poornima dishes.
IRAN
. Iranian food in Madrid is represented at
Banibanoo
(Mártires Concepcionistas, 19), a place with grandmother's homemade recipes that transport the diner to Tehran itself. It opened in 2015 with Banafsheh Farhangmehr, which still brings ingredients and spices from Iran. Beet hummus, Persian rice, mint couscous, stews, creams, eggplant and meatball with walnut and plum are some of the most emblematic dishes. They also serve breakfast (from 20 euros).
Salads from the Iranian Banibanoo.
JAPAN.
Japanese cuisine is the one that is having the greatest projection in Madrid lately. Exclusive restaurants, sushi bars and internationally award-winning restaurants proliferate in the city. With four locations in the capital,
99 Sushi Bar
(Padre Damián, 23) has become a benchmark for Japanese haute cuisine with its most classic and traditional dishes fused with other more avant-garde and innovative ones. Tempuras, sushi makis, cold and warm nigiris, Alaskan black cod, wild boar gyozas and their tartares triumph on the menu (from 85 euros). In a spectacular 800 square meter establishment, the refined
Umiko
(Los Madrazo, 6) offers the best of Japanese cuisine fused with Peruvian, Thai, Mexican and even Madrid cuisine by chefs Juan Alcaide and Pablo Álvaro . Among their proposals are the nigiris with koshihikari rice: the
socarrat
with white prawn from Huelva or the
Madrid
tuna tataki with pickled sauce (average price: 90 euros).
Sushi platter from 99 Sushi Bar.
Another essential place to enjoy sushi (and more affordable) is
Nomo Braganza
(Bárbara de Braganza, 8). A wide variety of makis and nigiris are prepared daily there, which can also be enjoyed on tasting trays. The menu is completed by gyozas, rice and noodles, grilled meats and tempuras, miso soup... (from 45 euros).
LEBANON
. Characterized by a mix of Mediterranean and Eastern cuisine, it is not yet a very well-known cuisine among Madrid residents, but the few Lebanese restaurants in the capital have a loyal following. One of the busiest is
Mune
(Pelayo, 57), in the heart of Chueca, which opened three years ago. Its decoration, aromas and atmosphere transport the diner to Beirut, in addition to its menu, made up of traditional recipes with ingredients brought from the country. Hummus, tabbouleh, falafel, rakayek (phyllo dough and cheese rolls), beet salad, grilled sirloin, chicken or lamb skewers, roasted eggplant cream with tahini or Lebanese pizza are some of the recommended dishes (from 30 euros).
Mune rakayek dish.
THAILAND.
Many discovered Thai cuisine in Madrid thanks to the legendary Thai Garden, a spectacular place that opened in the late 90s in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood and which immediately became a fashionable place. After several changes in location, name, investors and even business closure,
Thai Garden
(Añastro, 48) reopened a couple of years ago with the help of the Thai Emotion group to continue being the benchmark for haute cuisine in the country in the capital. Poh pia (Thai Garden style spring rolls), kung kiam (prawn tails coated in wheat flour, grated coconut and sesame seeds), the famous pad thai and khao and other traditional delicacies fill the restaurant's extensive menu. It has a tasting menu for 38 euros. Another Thai restaurant, considered by many the best in the capital, is
Thaidy Madrid
(Jorge Juan, 54). In the elegant establishment, classic dishes from the country are served, such as duck, one of the most popular, in any of its seven versions (from 35 euros).
Pad Thai from Thai Garden.
VIETNAM.
Opened in 2019,
District 1
(Delicias 24) is a small and simple place serving homemade Vietnamese recipes, including empanadas, stuffed rolls, baos, crispy wheat or rice noodles, their soups or rice dishes. jasmine. It is recommended to order the wide variety of dishes to share (from 20 euros).