21 Best Restaurants in Madrid

"A tapas bar is usually known for one or two specialties, but here, nearly every dish is worth visiting for. Kickstart your salivary glands with a gilda—a Basque brochette stacked with a anchovies, olives, and pickled hot peppers that will make you pucker—before tearing into retro Madrileño mains like fried pig ear soaked in spicy brava sauce and meatballs served alongside a mound of hand-cut fries. The burst-in-your-mouth chocolate croquetas are the dessert menu's sleeper hit. Vermouth on draft and eclectic yet affordable Spanish wines by the glass are wonderful sidekicks to whatever you're eating. Make El Maño a stop on a longer tapas crawl or settle in for a full meal: This is no-frills taberna dining at its finest." - Benjamin Kemper