Top 5 Tapas in Madrid...and Where To Find It

If there’s one thing Madrilenos will not tolerate it’s bad tapas.  Not intended as a sedate activity, locals crawl from bar-to-bar sampling the fare accompanied with their drink of choice. Tapas bars in Madrid are two-a-penny but outside of the tourist heavy Gran Via/Sol/Prado area, serving sub-standard fare is the kiss of death. 

Debating the best street for tapas in Madrid is sure to strike up a lively debate but a worthy contender Madrid is Calle de Ponzano in the middle-class Chamberi district.  Not exactly a hidden gem (being outed by Lonely Planet has that effect) but anywhere with a staggering 74 bars and restaurants in a 300m perimeter is doing something right. 

Locals flock here to the extent that ponzear has become a synonym to go out for tapas.

Amongst your choices, here are four recommendations for bars you should visit, the tapa you should try in each and the local beverage you should accompany it with.    Vegans and teetotallers, look away now.

Chistorra & Padron Peppers (with Mahou beer) – Los Arcos de Ponzano

📍 Calle de Ponzano 16

A semi-cured sausage, skilfully spiced with paprika and garlic and skewered with a grilled padron pepper, this is a hot way to start your tapas tour in this Ponzano staple with funky bar tiling and friendly English-speaking staff.   Their calamari is also excellent – if, like me, you’ve been put off by previous rubbery encounters, this is place to give it another try.

Mahou beer is served like a Guinness with two pours to give it a surprisingly creamy texture – you’ll be glad of this as a tonic to the heat of the tapas.  It’s pronounced ‘Mao’ (as in Chairman) – if you rhyme it with Yahoo, you’re asking to be charged tourist prices!

Tortilla Española – Alipio Ramos (accompany with Sangria)

Now venture to oldest bar on the street, Alipio Ramos, which dates back a century and has the memorabilia to prove it.  Tills and sewing machines adorn the shelves with invoices and menus dating back to the Second Republic can be seen on the walls.   The bar area inevitably looks crowded but venture into the back room and you can often find a table.

Amongst their tapas menu, go for the tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette, cooked with potato and onion).   If they’ve spent the last century perfecting their recipe, they score an A for the final product.  The tapa that can equally be eaten for breakfast or to accompany a nightcap, their tortilla espanola is light and fluffy with eggs, potato and onion perfectly cooked with the latter two ingredients finely diced.   Match with a glass of sangria for the stereotypical Spanish combo but without a hint of tourist trap.

Croquetas, Charcuterie, Bread, Olive Oil (with Rioja) - Ponzano 12

Croquetas are my go-to tapas and Ponzano 12 cook some of the best in the city, in Spain and on the planet! They should only be made with three ingredients – flour, buttermilk and the ingredient of choice – and cooked in olive oil in a fryer used solely for this purpose.   Better yet they use their in-house jamon iberico as a filling, which is an absolute delight.

They also offer premium early harvest, cold-press olive oil, which offers a more intense flavour and darker colour than standard extra virgen. 

Order some bread and a bit more iberico and pair it with a glass of rioja and feel thoroughly indulgent and smug that you’re in Spain and this is the new standard of tapas you'll expect everywhere

Chicharron (with Vermouth) – Alma Chill

Often mistakenly translated as pork scratchings, chicharron in Madrid is deep fried pork belly served in a light batter.  One of the greatest things you’ll eat in Spain, soft and tender inside with a crispy coasting, the level of moorish-ness goes off the scale, especially if you order the home-made chips that accompany.  If this is where your night ends, there’s a danger you may not leave. You'll certainly never crave a 2am kebab again after this!

Alma Cheli is one of the newer joints on Calle Ponzano where vintage posters jostle for wall space with Diana Ross and is more akin to a bistro than the crowded bars elsewhere on the street.  Once you’re done with your chicharron, this is the place to order the quintessential vermouth you see on-tap in every bar in Madrid.   They score bonus points for adding citrus and bitters.  

Getting There

Metro to Rosas or Iglesia (Line 1  - light blue) or Alonso Cano (Line 7 – orange).  5 minute walk from each of these.

How to Spot Bad Tapas...

Croquetas – oblong, filled with potato mix, heavy and wet.  Should be spherical, relatively light with crisp outside.

Calamari – claggy batter, chewy, rubbery fish – the stuff of nightmares.  Should be a lightweight batter and smooth, delicate interior.

Tortilla Espanola – Too light a colour, texture of rubber (similar to bad hotel scrambled eggs!), large and undercooked pieces of potato and onion

Sangria – look at the underside of jug.  See a white rim?  That’s sugar residue – you’re being ripped off.  It should be red wine, soda with a small amount of brandy or vermouth to bind ingredients together.