My favorite places in Madrid
Where to eat and drink like royalty
Hola friends! As you may have seen on my Instagram, I have been in Spain for a little while—both working and playing! I always love returning home to my favorite places, whether it is Asturias, where I am from, Barcelona, where I really learned how to cook, or my wife’s home region of Andalucía, I am always happy to be here!
This week, we are talking about the beating heart and soul of Spain—the amazing capital city of Madrid! Madrid is such a beautiful, special place, a place of royalty, with huge, incredible plazas, a thriving art scene, lively public parks, flamenco, amazing nightlife and more restaurants and bars than you could visit in a whole year. It is such a spectacular place that Ernest Hemingway fell in love with Spain as a country on his first visit to Madrid.
When it comes to eating here, of course you can find the popular huevos rotos, or “broken eggs,” but did you also know that Madrid is where patatas bravas come from—those amazing fried potatoes with a pimentón-based red sauce? Or cocido madrileño, a comforting stew in three acts (the broth, the slow-cooked vegetables, and the meats)? Or callos, a spicy, comforting tripe stew? And of course you can’t visit Madrid without trying the iconic bocadillo de calamares. That’s right, people, a sandwich with fried calamari and a sauce that is similar to bravas sauce…you can’t miss it!
If you watched José Andrés and Family in Spain, you might remember that Carlota, Inés and I spend an episode eating and drinking our way around Madrid. One of my favorite things to do is head down to the La Latina neighborhood, which is famous for its street food and El Rastro market. In that episode, we meet up with my friend, food writer Yanet Acosta, who says that when you walk around El Rastro, the food finds YOU.
Whether you’re taking in the majestic buildings of the Plaza de Mayor or Puerta del Sol or letting food find you in neighborhoods like La Latina, I promise you will eat like a king or queen in Madrid! Oh, and one more thing…we got some amazing community recommendations for San Sebastián…you are doing such a great job of helping us grow the map! Keep up the good work, people!