The Best Takeaways In Malasaña, Madrid

For restaurant quality pizza at 6am, go to Il Siciliano for its wonderful range of speciality calzones and strombolis. A calzone is folded pizza with the toppings on the inside, while a stromboli is essentially a rolled up pizza with concentric layers of melted cheese and toppings. For true indulgence, try the four cheese calzone, straight from the oven. If calzone is not your thing, they sell a range of pizza slices as well as arancini rice balls.

TGB is for those who want a better quality burger than one from your average fast food joint like MacDonalds, but at the same low price. The menu is simple with just five burgers and three hot dogs on offer, including some classics and some more modern recipes like a pulled pork burger. Burgers are made to order on the grill in front of you as you wait, so while you may have to wait a few minutes more than at the aforementioned rival, the burger is so much better. Check out the two for one special on Thursdays.

Need a kebab fix but don’t fancy all those trans fats? You should pay a visit to Greek and Shop for one of their healthy pittas. Choose between chicken, beef, falafel and pork gyros as your filling. Each pitta is stuffed with salad, tzatziki, and hummus with crumbled feta cheese. It is a charming space with a pleasant seating area to eat your pitta or to enjoy a coffee. The shelves are stocked full of Greek produce including dips, Greek yogurt, olives, Greek beer and some pre-prepared dishes like moussaka. Greek pastries are on sale along with freshly prepared sandwiches.

Aliño sells a range of tasty homemade food, including wholemeal pasta dishes, chicken curry, Asian noodles and assorted salads, to take away or eat in. It’s a perfect option if you are too tired to cook but don’t fancy a calorific takeaway or an unhealthy ready meal. For a starter, choose gazpacho or cream of vegetable soup, the lentil vinaigrette with dill, hummus, or create your own salad from a wide selection of ingredients. For the second course choose, any of their 20 tasty, homemade dishes. El Aliño | © El Aliño

If you are getting a bit sick of the obligatory jamon y queso Spanish sandwich fillings, The Big Banh offer a refreshing change with their Vietnamese banh mibaguettes. These fresh tasting French-style baguettes are filled with grilled meat on a bed of sliced carrots, white radish, coriander, and dressed with a tangy Vietnamese dressing made from soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice.