You can’t turn a corner in Madrid without stumbling into a tapas bar, hole-in-the-wall café, or Michelin Star restaurant. In my time here, I’ve discovered numerous restaurants and cafés, and the food is unlike anything back home. Here are four restaurants you must visit if you’re in Madrid, Spain!
Amazonia Açaí is a franchise located in Spain with multiple locations throughout the country, notably having 18 locations in Madrid. It’s the perfect place to go for a quick morning meal or even an evening snack.
Amazonia focuses on specialty acai bowls. My favorite is the Passion Bowl, which comes with açaí base, passion fruit cream, cookie pieces, chocolate chips, strawberry, banana, mango and coconut. The menu also includes smoothies, tapioca and a Brazilian dish called pão de queijo, or cheese bread.
Each bowl comes in different sizes, and each size dictates the price. A 350ml bowl is 8.50 euros (about $10), a 500ml bowl 10.50 euros (about $12), a 750ml bowl 13.50 euros (about $16) and an XXL bowl is 16.50 euros (about $19).
Located in the heart of Madrid right beside Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel is a fresh food market that hosts multiple vendors with a variety of foods to purchase.
Mercado de San Miguel is always incredibly lively. You can purchase ready-made meals, such as bocadillos, jamon serrano, croquetas and paella, as well as other traditional Spanish cuisine. The market also offers fresh ingredients to purchase, with fresh fruit and vegetables stands, butcher shops and seafood stands.
While the Mercado is a popular tourist destination, it remains a beloved part of Spanish history. During the Spanish civil war, it provided sanctuary to citizens.
TKO Taco is a taquería that offers tacos, quesadillas and drinks, all to bring a little piece of Mexico to Spain.
The restaurant offers a respite from the bustling Spanish life with table-to-table service and quick serving times.
The prices are very affordable, and the average meal will run you up to about 10 euros. Individual tacos start from just 1 euro (about $1) and can reach up to 1.90 euros (about $2). The different types of quesadillas start from 3.70 euros (about $4) and go up to 4 euros (about $5). My personal favorite is the quesadilla de pastor, which includes marinated pork meat and guajillo chili. TKO Taco has six locations throughout Madrid and other locations spread across Spain, like Barcelona, Ibiza, Valencia and more.
Divorare
Divorare is an authentic Italian street food focaccia restaurant. Focaccia is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, and the restaurant uses this bread to make their famous Italian sandwiches.
Divorare offers a variety of focaccias, such as the come a casa, nonna and tradizionale. The sandwiches can include pesto, tomato, stracciatella cheese and different types of meat, like mortadella, prosciutto, meatballs and porchetta.
Every sandwich is incredibly messy, so be prepared with your napkins and wet wipes if you choose to visit!
