10 Historic Restaurants in Madrid, Spain

Restaurante Botín

None of the capital’s dining rooms can quite match the pedigree or the longevity of Botín, a restaurant specializing in roast meats. Botín began welcoming diners in 1725 and since then it has earned the admiration of many of Spain’s literary greats, along with Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway, who set the final scene of The Sun Also Rises in one of the restaurant’s wood-paneled dining rooms. Add to that Botín’s association with Francisco de Goya – who once worked there as a waiter – and it’s unsurprising that the restaurant is popular with tourists. It’s a popular venue that serves an outstanding cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig).

Botín, Calle Cuchilleros 17, Madrid, Spain, +34 91 366 42 17

Roast Suckling Pig|©martinho Smart/Shutterstock

A window into old-world Madrid, this characterful taberna dates back to 1827 and is housed in a building in which Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, once lived. With bullfighting memorabilia on the walls and a charming bar decked out in dark wood, Casa Alberto’s interior is atmospheric and typically Spanish. The same goes for the menu, which includes house specialties of rabo de toro (oxtail), meatballs, and callos a la madrileña (tripe). Slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce and heavy on the smoked paprika, the madrileña is velvety and intensely savory, a regional classic and an excellent introduction to offal.

Established in 1839, Lhardy is a bastion of madrileño fine-dining. Historically popular with Spanish aristocracy, it was given a revamp in 1880 by Rafael Guerrero, one of the period’s most sought-after interior decorators, and has changed little since. The menu is similarly classic, focusing on Spanish staples with the occasional nod to French flavor. Lhardy’s refined take on cocido madrileño – a winter stew of chickpeas, vegetables and meat – is excellent and well-worth trying, as is the roast partridge stuffed with French onions.