Skip the terraces on Plaza Mayor and walk a few minutes off the square. The side streets towards La Latina and Sol hold tabernas and counters that have fed Madrid for generations. Think of a calamari roll eaten standing, battered cod across a marble bar, churros dipped in thick chocolate, lamb from a wood oven and cocido cooked in clay pots. Below are our picks, each with its walking time from the square.
The short list
9 places, in the order they appear below.
- 1La CampanaBocadillo de calamares, standingWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 2 min
- 2Casa RevueltaBattered cod, cash onlyWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 3 min
- 3Chocolateria San GinesChurros, porras and chocolateWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 3 min
- 4Casa LabraFried cod and bacalao croquettesWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 5 min
- 5Taberna Antonio SanchezVermut and rabo de toroWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 9 min
- 6Bar SanturceGrilled sardines after the RastroWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 11 min
- 7Casa LucioHuevos rotos with jamónWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 7 min
- 8La Posada de la VillaLamb from the wood ovenWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 5 min
- 9La BolaCocido madrileño at lunchWalk from Plaza Mayor: about 10 min
Where can you get a quick bite right by Plaza Mayor?
The quickest good food near the square comes from counters that have done one thing for decades. Within three minutes of Plaza Mayor you can eat a hot calamari sandwich standing in the street, a piece of battered cod at a crowded marble bar, or churros and chocolate in a green and marble room. Each makes a short stop between sights.
La Campana, on Calle de Botoneras, has fried squid since the late nineteenth century. The bocadillo de calamares arrives hot and crisp in a soft roll. Eat it standing, plain or with a squeeze of lemon, or add a touch of alioli. The queue moves fast.
La Campana
Hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–23:00 · Thu closed · Fri–Sun 10:00–23:00
Address: C. de Botoneras, 6, Centro, 28012 Madrid
The owner of Casa Revuelta, a taberna in the Austrias quarter, debones each piece of cod by hand, and the recipe has stayed the same since the 1960s. Order the bacalao rebozado or the soldaditos de Pavía. Bring cash, because cards are not accepted. On Sunday, arrive at midday, before the Rastro crowd packs the counter three deep.
Casa Revuelta
Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–16:00, 19:00–23:00 · Fri 12:00–16:00, 19:00–23:30 · Sat 12:00–16:00, 18:30–23:30 · Sun 12:00–16:00
Address: C. de Cuchilleros, 10, Centro, 28005 Madrid
At six in the morning, at the end of a night out, the green and marble room of Chocolatería San Ginés is mostly madrileños. Churros and porras have come out of this passage off Calle Arenal since 1894, and thick hot chocolate here is a Madrid ritual at any hour. Dip porras instead of churros if you want more crunch.
Chocolateria San Gines
Hours: Open 24 hours
Address: Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5, Centro, 28013 Madrid
Which historic tapas bars near Plaza Mayor are worth the queue?
The old standing bars around Sol, Lavapiés and the Rastro keep Madrid’s tapas tradition going. Expect cod at a zinc counter, rabo de toro under a mounted bull’s head, and sardines grilled over coals with the smoke drifting out into the street.
The Spanish socialist party was founded in the room at Casa Labra, a bar near Puerta del Sol open since 1860. Cod and bacalao croquettes still pass across its tiny zinc counter. Queue at the side counter for a tajada of fried cod, a couple of croquettes and a small beer. There’s a quieter dining room behind.
Casa Labra
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–15:30, 18:30–23:30
Address: C. de Tetuán, 12, Centro, 28013 Madrid
Taberna Antonio Sánchez is often called the oldest taberna in Madrid. The front room has a dark wood bar and tiled walls, with a taxidermied bull’s head looking down. Start with a vermut at the bar, then order the rabo de toro. The kitchen also sends out callos and, in season, torrijas. Old regulars drink alongside younger ones.
Taberna Antonio Sanchez
Hours: Mon–Sat 13:00–17:00, 20:00–00:00 · Sun 13:00–17:00
Address: C. del Mesón de Paredes, 13, Centro, 28012 Madrid
Bar Santurce is tiny, an old bar by the Rastro flea market. On Sunday mornings, shoppers from the market queue down the street for a plate of sardinas a la plancha and a caña.
Bar Santurce
Hours: Mon–Tue closed · Wed–Sat 12:00–16:00 · Sun 09:30–16:00
Address: Plaza del Gral. Vara de Rey, 14, Centro, 28005 Madrid
Where can you have a proper sit-down lunch near Plaza Mayor?
For a long meal at a table, walk five to ten minutes towards Cava Baja and the Royal Palace. Three old dining rooms there have each made their name on one dish: huevos rotos with jamón, lamb roasted in a wood oven, and cocido madrileño cooked slowly in clay pots. Pick one, plan the day around it and arrive hungry.
Casa Lucio, on Cava Baja, is known for huevos rotos: fried eggs broken over potatoes and good olive oil. Nearly everyone orders them. Ask for a layer of jamón on top. The dining rooms run deep into the building, under wood beams and between tiled walls.
Casa Lucio
Hours: Mon–Sun 13:00–16:00, 20:00–23:00
Address: C. de la Cava Baja, 35, Centro, 28005 Madrid
La Posada de la Villa, a rambling seventeenth-century inn on the same street, roasts lamb and suckling pig in a wood-fired oven. The cordero asado comes out crisp and tender. Cocido appears at lunch. Ask for the upstairs room.
La Posada de la Villa
Hours: Mon–Sat 12:45–15:45, 19:45–23:45 · Sun 12:45–15:45
Address: C. de la Cava Baja, 9, Centro, 28005 Madrid
La Bola, near the Royal Palace, has cooked the same cocido madrileño for six generations of one family. Each pot simmers over charcoal, and the stew is served in three courses, starting with broth and noodles. They serve lunch only, so phone a day ahead and ask them to hold a pot for you.
La Bola
Hours: Mon–Wed 13:00–16:00 · Thu–Sat 12:00–20:30 · Sun 13:00–16:00
Address: C. de la Bola, 5, Centro, 28013 Madrid
How far is each place from Plaza Mayor?
Everything on our list is within an eleven-minute walk of the square, so two or three stops fit easily into an afternoon or evening. The table gives the approximate walking time from Plaza Mayor and what each place does best. Use it to pair a quick counter with a longer meal at a table.
Book the sit-down places ahead, La Bola above all, and carry cash for Casa Revuelta. The counters work well between sights. Start with a calamari roll, move on to cod or sardines, and finish with churros. None of it is far from the square.
