The Berasategui tavern and other new restaurants that you have to try in Madrid

Madrid is on fire.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
25 April 2023 Tuesday 21:53
12 Reads
The Berasategui tavern and other new restaurants that you have to try in Madrid

Madrid is on fire. The proliferation of restaurants offers endless possibilities for the palate. Classic, renewed or merged. From Madrid, Spain or the whole world. Consolidated chefs or those who debut with enthusiasm and talent. There are so many dishes to discover that you are already taking a long time to start with those offered by these premiere restaurants.

Kike Sierra's first restaurant and icon of Madrid nightlife is back. With renewed airs and in the location of Bar Carallo. After its closure, the businessman makes it resurface in the same location as the Galician tavern. But, just like life, La Flaca (c/ Serrano, 43) is transformed and now unites, in the same space, the concept of tavern and cocktail bar. Thus, it maintains the spirit of traditional and traditional Spanish cuisine inherited from Bar Carallo, to which it adds live music as the end of the party.

The gastronomic proposal of La Flaca Taberna includes dishes of great popularity such as grilled Galician blonde cow entrecote with potatoes; grilled octopus with scrambled potatoes; the Canarian and Kalamata mojo; the jig squid muffin with lemon zest and chilli-mayo sauce, the chorizo ​​al inferno or the tiger mussel croquette.

And the festival continues in the place next to the tavern! Whether as the final touch to a lunch or dinner or to enjoy the afternoon, La Flaca Bar de Copas becomes an ideal space to dance to the rhythm of the music of its dj. In addition, this room has a stage that will host 'Los Directos de La Flaca' from Thursday to Sunday for musical groups to present their songs live.

A Neapolitan from the book, one of those with a gold cord, a white T-shirt and an apron with tomato stains who opens the doors of his house and invites us to sit at the table. This is Vito, the famous character who inspires the new restaurant of the Vespok group. At Casa Vito (c/ Juan Bravo, 43), on the red and white checkered tablecloths, simple home cooking is served: classic pastas (spaghetti with meatballs and tomato – their specialty – or black with cuttlefish, monkfish, squid and prawns) and thin-crust pizzas (margherita, four cheeses, mortadella – emblem of the house –, diabola, with bolognese and fresh basil…). Also, Caesar salad, vitello tonnato or vegetable focaccia. To finish, tiramisu or cheesecake with a smoky touch.

One of his best moments at Casa Vito is the

Signature cuisine: Madrid, Spanish, with the creative and neo-scoundrel touch of chef Alejandro Moreno. This is what the restaurant El Albéniz (c/ de la Paz, 11) proposes, housed on the second floor of the UMusic Hotel Madrid, next to the entrance door to the mythical and historic Teatro Albéniz amphitheater. A cultural icon of the capital, a few meters from Puerta del Sol, which has been recovered and completed with a hotel that offers a well-rounded leisure experience. Music, art and gastronomy are his banner.

In his menu, the nods to Madrid dishes shine with proposals such as Madrid-style rolls, tripe in a spring roll version served with spicy tomato sauce; or the buñuelos de viento, the classic Madrid dessert filled with cheesecake cream and red fruit stew. There are also other dishes that travel all over Spain, such as roasted aubergine, with miso and honey lacquer, finished with crunchy pearls of rice; the crunchy octopus in two textures, accompanied by piquillo sauce and potato (mille hojada and with the spirit of brava); or the Almadraba tuna loin, on tomato jam, wild rice and fennel purée.

There is no shortage of some reinterpreted classics of our homeland gastronomy, such as the fried egg with blood sausage based on creamy potato, blood sausage with onion, fried egg with dots and fried noodles; carrot hummus with crunchy chickpeas and thin slices of carasau; or the foie cream, low-temperature egg and crunchy La Vera paprika crumbs over hot foie cream. The sweet finale comes from traditional desserts such as vanilla French toast, accompanied by caramel toffee and vanilla ice cream, or internationally influenced, such as pan chocolat, a delicious creamy dark chocolate with thin slices of toasted bread, olive oil and Maldon salt.

It pays homage to the old Madrid grocery stores, already established in the 19th century, where residents found a meeting place to share stories, chat and, why not, enjoy a good glass of wine. At the foot of Plaza de Felipe II, Colmado Parranda (c/ Goya, 102) offers, behind its large counter, a large selection of local, high-quality products, along with a wide selection of wines: more than 120 references, some from small producers with independent wineries.

The new restaurant of the Dihme group wants to value the return to the origins, the product and bring it to the client in a simple way that reinvents the classic. Its menu combines traditional recipes (portions of selected sausages, mojama, croquettes, Russian salad) with house specialties (stuffed piquillo peppers, brioche with tetilla cheese and tartufata, Antequera muffin with orza tenderloin or squid with mojo picón , wagyu jerky), delicious appetizers (gildas, gourmet preserves, freshly cut ham or loaf of bread with oil and tomato) and classic and innovative main courses that will delight any palate (razor aguachile, cold cuts tartar , orza tenderloin or veal cheek prepared over low heat). And for lovers of sweets, the finishing touch is the bread (brioche) with chocolate or the traditional French toast with cream.

In what was an old grocery store known as La Mantequería, a restaurant has been born that proposes a gastro-tour around the world. Pantala (c/ Santa Engracia, 35) plays at fusing the different flavors of the planet with our roots. For this reason, among its starters, patatas bravas coexist with Tokyo Spicy and a wide variety of croquettes (aubergine and idiazábal, slightly spicy prawn or beef cheek and kikos). Then come the main dishes: the sea bass tiradito with ají amarillo (with a touch of spiciness), the Moorish carrot hummus with roasted aubergine and olives or the creamy prawn salad.

The hallmark of the house is the white veal cachopín with Iberian ham and San Simón da Costa. Without losing sight of the tomato stew with egg and potato foam, the tikka masala-style lamb or the fat cannelloni stuffed with stew. At Pantala, the desserts, made by hand, are the main stars, such as the Greek yogurt with lemon and kombucha, and the caramelized brioche with Lotus cream.

The rallying cry of the chef with 12 twelve Michelin stars has just reached the very heart of Madrid, where he has hit the Plaza de España square. Very close to it is Madrí Madre (c/ Ferraz, 8), the Madrid tavern with the soul of "txoco" by Martín Berasategui. A space that wishes to pay homage to those places so linked to the essence of Madrid and to the recipes of all those mothers who, for generations, have cooked with care and love for the whole family.

The chef from San Sebastián sponsors this proposal with Iñaki Rodaballo, a chef from Vitoria with a vast list of gastronomic awards, as head chef. The recipes of one and the other share a menu to articulate a high-quality proposal within the reach of all budgets (30 euros). "We want everyone to be able to enjoy this fun menu, ideal for sharing and very democratic," the chef assured.

Berasategui tempts diners with snacks such as the red shrimp roll with coleslaw and artisan brioche or the San Sebastian-style gilda made with Cantabrian anchovies, piparras and olives. One of the most striking proposals are the Candy Crunch Bravas, a revision of the Madrid classic devised by Turbot in which vegetable sheets, like crunchy caramels, wrap a core of mashed potatoes and sauce. Other appetizers are the infallible Berasategui Russian salad or the delicious individual potato tortillas, made at the moment. You cannot miss the chef's favorite steak tartare. His secret dressing contains ingredients such as ketchup or Perrins sauce.

Lovers of the seafood pantry will be able to delight themselves with a classic hake in green sauce, fish from the market with three rollovers (Berasategui's star technique with which baked fish is bathed three times with a refried oil, garlic and vinegar cider) or Chip's

The sweet artillery arrives with traditional desserts with a gourmet twist, such as a three-cheese cake; the bread with chocolate, a tribute to those usual snacks; or a French toast much loved by admirers of Berasategui.