jvican/hedonic-travel-foodie-guide-madrid.txt

## hedonic-travel-foodie-guide-madrid.txt
-   Plans
    -   It's important that you walk around Madrid a lot. Madrid is a city to be experienced through walking the different neighborhoods and blending in with the locals.
        -   Let your intuition led you into great places, and I recommend also checking Google Maps reviews about the places you visit to double check what might be good and bad. Avoid touristy things by avoiding restaurants close to tourist spots and full of tourists. My rule of thumb when traveling is be biased towards places full of locals, follow them.
        -   The following are some neighborhoods worth digging into: La Latina, Lavapies, Chueca, Tribunal, Atocha, Prado, Retiro, Recoletos, Serrano, Goya, Ñuñez de Balboa, Diego de León, Ríos Rosas, Chamberí, Gaztambide, Arapiles, Iglesia, Quevedo, Azca, Nuevos Ministerios, Bilbao.
        -   Adopt locals schedule. Lunch and dinner happen at different times of the day, night life starts from 9pm onwards (sometimes even later in some discos or big parties).
        -   Be biased towards places with parks and common areas where people hang out. Madrid is generally a safe place, just beware at night, especially around La Latina and Lavapies which can be a bit edgy later in the night.
    -   Go to and walk around Plaza de Olavide. Vibrant place for hanging out both during day and night. I strongly recommend going there around 5pm, having a coffee at [Naji](https://g.page/najispecialtycoffee?share), and then go to the plaza and explore bars and restaurants around the area.
        -   Naji is one of the best coffee bars in the city, by far - if you go, tell the barista I send you and he'll treat you very well.
        -   Concrete idea: have some beers and tapas at [Bar La Mina](https://goo.gl/maps/p3beheHds9oqgYZt7). It's a great place to hang out at night, close to Plaza de Olavide.
    -   Watch a theater play, an event or anything that's happening in Teatros del Canal. It's one of the best theaters in Madrid, it has a great program all year around and never disappoints.
        -   You should also walk around the area - there are great parks. Do that before going to the theather. After the theater, I recommend going to Mercado de Vallehermoso, and waiting a bit to eat out at [Kitchen 154](https://g.page/k154vallehermoso?share).
        -   You can also hang out around Gaztambide, it's an up-and-coming neighborhood that has a lot to offer. One of the most exclusive restaurants is called Nakeima, you don't need reservation but you need to wait out in line two hours before it opens (for evening, circa 7pm) to make it into the restaurant.
        -   If you're into cocktails, pay a visit to Angelita (another restaurant highlight), which has a speak easy that serves one of the best cocktails in the city. Then head out to [Santamaria Cocteleria](https://goo.gl/maps/vupUpLSjmLkD7yQp6). You can search for more cocktail bars in Madrid, there are many good ones.
    -   For Flamenco shows, the best tablao is in [Corral de la Moreria](https://g.page/corralmoreria?share). You need to book a table, and you can also have dinner there. It's a great place and you will enjoy one of the most iconic flamenco shows in Spain. They feature some of the best flamenco singers and dancers.
-   Cafes, all highly recommended during the visit if you care about coffee
    -   [Naji](https://g.page/najispecialtycoffee?share)
        -   Everything is great and Naji (the barista and owner) puts great care into everything he does. A star item in his menu is the pistachio latte.
    -   Acid Cafe
        -   There are two locations, I recommend [the one in C/Veronica](https://g.page/acidcafe?share) the most, it's the first one that was open, it has a unique scandinavian vibe and it's the most comfortable for some coffee solo or with friends.
    -   Toma Cafe
        -   There are three locations, all of them good. Toma Cafe 1 and Toma Cafe 2 are most popular during the day, especially for breakfast and brunch options.
        -   Head to [Toma Cafe 3](https://g.page/tomacafe3?share) (my favorite) in the afternoon and the place also turns into a great wine bar serving natural wines and playing nice vinyls, they usually close at 11pm.
    -   [Religion Cafe](https://g.page/ReligionCoffee?share)
    -   Great spot around one of the most wealthy neighborhoods in Madrid. Good spot to grab some food together with coffee or tea as well. I've used it to meet with friends while in the area. You can shop around the area or drop by after visiting any of the great restaurants around.
-   Restaurants
    -   Too many options... Madrid is a city for foodies. Probably one of the best ones. You can find everything you want and almost everything of great quality. It has its weaknesses especially when compared to niche cuisines, but if you know how to find great restaurants you'll thrive.
    -   For people that enjoy Michelin star restaurants and modern cuisine, this is one of the best cities in Europe to enjoy them. There are plenty and all high quality. You'll need to book in advance for most of them, though. My recommendations in this space are DSTAgE, DiverXO, and Nakeima. You can find a high level guide [here](https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-best-michelin-starred-restaurants-in-madrid/) for other options.
-   Here are some personal recommendations I enjoy a lot:
    -   Angelita (must) - one of the best restaurants in Madrid, cuisine is top and wine menu is one of the best in the city. One of the owner (David) is one of the most knowledgeable sommeliers in Spain. If you talk to him, tell him I'm sending you ("Jorge from San Francisco"), he'll treat you well. Needs a reservation but can be done a few days ahead.
    -   Moratin (must) - one of my go-to's whenever I feel like having Spanish food with a flawless execution. The owner and I have become friends after so many of my visits, so just tell him that Jorge is sending you and he will treat you very well. Needs a reservation but can be done a few days ahead.
    -   Mo de Movimiento - nice place to have some casual food, great sourdough, tasty wines and of course even better pizzas! Everything here is good, it's also affordable and they use locally sourced ingredients, some from their own farms (this is very common in many restaurants, but this one is not that high end and it's worth highlighting).
    -   Juana La Loca - a great restaurant with really tasty menu items. Look, pretty much everything here is good and tasty. They take some personal interpretation of some dishes, but mostly for the better. Their tortilla de patata is an insane, purposefully a bit on the raw side. Don't judge it, and try it! They have a lot of tapas, so it's a good place to tapear on the medium-level fancy side.
    -   Kappo - one of the best sushi in the city. It's Michelin starred. If you fancy sushi, come here. It's a bit expensive for Spain, but the quality cannot be understated. IMO it can compete head to head with the best sushi restaurants in fancy urban areas in the US, and beats many so proclaimed good sushi restaurants in Europe.
    -   Hunan - one of the best chinese in the city and IMO of Europe. It specializes itself on Hunan food. I became friends with the owner as well after coming here every week. Ask for the owner and if you see him tell him I'm sending you, he'll probably give you some extra food aside from treating you super well. The service here is great - but what's best is the food. Don't miss out on the broccoli, it's sensational!
    -   Montes de Galicia - one of the best restaurants to try Galician food and seafood in Spain. They source it from the best places around the country, mostly from the north, and they have a tasting menu that's worth every penny. It's only $100 but you get to eat and drink an insane amount of super high quality food. I think it's a crime to come to Madrid and not visit it.
    -   You can find many more restaurant recommendation in this blog post, please check it out to find something that you like [https://eatandlovemadrid.es](https://eatandlovemadrid.es/)
	- Plans
	- It's important that you walk around Madrid a lot. Madrid is a city to be experienced through walking the different neighborhoods and blending in with the locals.
	- Let your intuition led you into great places, and I recommend also checking Google Maps reviews about the places you visit to double check what might be good and bad. Avoid touristy things by avoiding restaurants close to tourist spots and full of tourists. My rule of thumb when traveling is be biased towards places full of locals, follow them.
	- The following are some neighborhoods worth digging into: La Latina, Lavapies, Chueca, Tribunal, Atocha, Prado, Retiro, Recoletos, Serrano, Goya, Ñuñez de Balboa, Diego de León, Ríos Rosas, Chamberí, Gaztambide, Arapiles, Iglesia, Quevedo, Azca, Nuevos Ministerios, Bilbao.
	- Adopt locals schedule. Lunch and dinner happen at different times of the day, night life starts from 9pm onwards (sometimes even later in some discos or big parties).
	- Be biased towards places with parks and common areas where people hang out. Madrid is generally a safe place, just beware at night, especially around La Latina and Lavapies which can be a bit edgy later in the night.
	- Go to and walk around Plaza de Olavide. Vibrant place for hanging out both during day and night. I strongly recommend going there around 5pm, having a coffee at [Naji](https://g.page/najispecialtycoffee?share), and then go to the plaza and explore bars and restaurants around the area.
	- Naji is one of the best coffee bars in the city, by far - if you go, tell the barista I send you and he'll treat you very well.
	- Concrete idea: have some beers and tapas at [Bar La Mina](https://goo.gl/maps/p3beheHds9oqgYZt7). It's a great place to hang out at night, close to Plaza de Olavide.
	- Watch a theater play, an event or anything that's happening in Teatros del Canal. It's one of the best theaters in Madrid, it has a great program all year around and never disappoints.
	- You should also walk around the area - there are great parks. Do that before going to the theather. After the theater, I recommend going to Mercado de Vallehermoso, and waiting a bit to eat out at [Kitchen 154](https://g.page/k154vallehermoso?share).
	- You can also hang out around Gaztambide, it's an up-and-coming neighborhood that has a lot to offer. One of the most exclusive restaurants is called Nakeima, you don't need reservation but you need to wait out in line two hours before it opens (for evening, circa 7pm) to make it into the restaurant.
	- If you're into cocktails, pay a visit to Angelita (another restaurant highlight), which has a speak easy that serves one of the best cocktails in the city. Then head out to [Santamaria Cocteleria](https://goo.gl/maps/vupUpLSjmLkD7yQp6). You can search for more cocktail bars in Madrid, there are many good ones.
	- For Flamenco shows, the best tablao is in [Corral de la Moreria](https://g.page/corralmoreria?share). You need to book a table, and you can also have dinner there. It's a great place and you will enjoy one of the most iconic flamenco shows in Spain. They feature some of the best flamenco singers and dancers.
	- Cafes, all highly recommended during the visit if you care about coffee
	- [Naji](https://g.page/najispecialtycoffee?share)
	- Everything is great and Naji (the barista and owner) puts great care into everything he does. A star item in his menu is the pistachio latte.
	- Acid Cafe
	- There are two locations, I recommend [the one in C/Veronica](https://g.page/acidcafe?share) the most, it's the first one that was open, it has a unique scandinavian vibe and it's the most comfortable for some coffee solo or with friends.
	- Toma Cafe
	- There are three locations, all of them good. Toma Cafe 1 and Toma Cafe 2 are most popular during the day, especially for breakfast and brunch options.
	- Head to [Toma Cafe 3](https://g.page/tomacafe3?share) (my favorite) in the afternoon and the place also turns into a great wine bar serving natural wines and playing nice vinyls, they usually close at 11pm.
	- [Religion Cafe](https://g.page/ReligionCoffee?share)
	- Great spot around one of the most wealthy neighborhoods in Madrid. Good spot to grab some food together with coffee or tea as well. I've used it to meet with friends while in the area. You can shop around the area or drop by after visiting any of the great restaurants around.
	- Restaurants
	- Too many options... Madrid is a city for foodies. Probably one of the best ones. You can find everything you want and almost everything of great quality. It has its weaknesses especially when compared to niche cuisines, but if you know how to find great restaurants you'll thrive.
	- For people that enjoy Michelin star restaurants and modern cuisine, this is one of the best cities in Europe to enjoy them. There are plenty and all high quality. You'll need to book in advance for most of them, though. My recommendations in this space are DSTAgE, DiverXO, and Nakeima. You can find a high level guide [here](https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-best-michelin-starred-restaurants-in-madrid/) for other options.
	- Here are some personal recommendations I enjoy a lot:
	- Angelita (must) - one of the best restaurants in Madrid, cuisine is top and wine menu is one of the best in the city. One of the owner (David) is one of the most knowledgeable sommeliers in Spain. If you talk to him, tell him I'm sending you ("Jorge from San Francisco"), he'll treat you well. Needs a reservation but can be done a few days ahead.
	- Moratin (must) - one of my go-to's whenever I feel like having Spanish food with a flawless execution. The owner and I have become friends after so many of my visits, so just tell him that Jorge is sending you and he will treat you very well. Needs a reservation but can be done a few days ahead.
	- Mo de Movimiento - nice place to have some casual food, great sourdough, tasty wines and of course even better pizzas! Everything here is good, it's also affordable and they use locally sourced ingredients, some from their own farms (this is very common in many restaurants, but this one is not that high end and it's worth highlighting).
	- Juana La Loca - a great restaurant with really tasty menu items. Look, pretty much everything here is good and tasty. They take some personal interpretation of some dishes, but mostly for the better. Their tortilla de patata is an insane, purposefully a bit on the raw side. Don't judge it, and try it! They have a lot of tapas, so it's a good place to tapear on the medium-level fancy side.
	- Kappo - one of the best sushi in the city. It's Michelin starred. If you fancy sushi, come here. It's a bit expensive for Spain, but the quality cannot be understated. IMO it can compete head to head with the best sushi restaurants in fancy urban areas in the US, and beats many so proclaimed good sushi restaurants in Europe.
	- Hunan - one of the best chinese in the city and IMO of Europe. It specializes itself on Hunan food. I became friends with the owner as well after coming here every week. Ask for the owner and if you see him tell him I'm sending you, he'll probably give you some extra food aside from treating you super well. The service here is great - but what's best is the food. Don't miss out on the broccoli, it's sensational!
	- Montes de Galicia - one of the best restaurants to try Galician food and seafood in Spain. They source it from the best places around the country, mostly from the north, and they have a tasting menu that's worth every penny. It's only $100 but you get to eat and drink an insane amount of super high quality food. I think it's a crime to come to Madrid and not visit it.
	- You can find many more restaurant recommendation in this blog post, please check it out to find something that you like [https://eatandlovemadrid.es](https://eatandlovemadrid.es/)