This cool local chain specialises in Asian street food, and it was inspired by its two owners’ travels across Asia. There is a wide range of dishes, spanning many different Asian cuisines, from Indonesian Rendang, a spicy beef dish, to Malaysian satay and its ‘Sexy Sio Bao’ – a Chinese bao steamed bun filled with pulled pork. The restaurant also delivers if you fancy a tasty takeaway.
This Thai restaurant, in the Chueca neighbourhood, is a good option if you fancy Thai specialities such as Pad Thai or Tom Yam soup when in the centre of Madrid. It has a good menu del día, a fixed-price lunchtime menu that includes a starter, main course, drink, and dessert or coffee for just €12.50. The restaurant also offers an extensive Sunday buffet for €18.50 per person (drinks and dessert included).
Madrid’s first ramen bar sits in the heart of the city close to the central Puerta del Sol. Chuka Ramen Bar specialises in the famous Japanese noodle broth, and in addition to the different ramen choices, it has a good range of other dishes. Try the mochi doughnut, a playful take on a traditional Japanese rice cake, or the gyoza de butifarra, a Japanese dumpling filled with Catalan sausage – a great example of Japanese-Spanish fusion.
If you’re looking for an exclusive dining option in Madrid, then Kabuki Wellington is hard to beat. This stylish Japanese restaurant, in the five-star Wellington Hotel, was the first one of its kind in Spain to earn a Michelin star. Watch Chef Ricardo Sanz and his team prepare sushi and sashimi in the open kitchen. Famous dishes include the quail egg sushi with white truffle cream and the Kobe mini burger.
This little Korean-Japanese restaurant just off Gran Vía, right in the heart of Madrid, is a family-run joint with good quality food for a decent price. Try the restaurant’s Korean dishes such as japchae, sweet and savoury stir-fried glass noodles, and bulgogi, which means ‘fire meat’ and consists of thinly cut slices of barbecued beef or pork. The décor is trendy, with graffiti-strewn walls.
Located in Chamberí, just to the north of the centre, Namit Gastrobar is one of the few restaurants specialising in Filipino cuisine in Madrid. The restaurant fuses traditional Filipino and Mediterranean flavours. Dishes include sea bass ceviche; paksiw, a fresh Filipino broth with lemongrass; and Filipino barbecue, marinated pork sirloin cooked on the restaurant’s grill.
Perhaps one of the only places in Madrid to specialise in the traditional Vietnamese sandwich, The Big Banh serves banh mi stuffed with slow-cooked marinated meat and salad at its little takeaway in Malasaña. As well as chicken, pork and beef, there is a vegetarian option made with rice and edamame balls. It also does starters such as Vietnamese rolls and a good variety of Vietnamese beers to wash down the delicious sandwiches.
