CityBest April – June, September – October
Madrid
A landlocked capital that eats late and lives outdoors, with more tapas bars per block than anywhere else in Spain.
Madrid has no coastline and no single monument doing the city's talking for it — it runs on its bars instead, especially the old ones clustered around Centro and Chamberí that have been serving the same few dishes for a century. Summers get properly hot; spring and autumn are when the terraces fill up.
Logged in Madrid
Tavern4.2(7,688)
Bodega de la Ardosa
Madrid, SpainA barrel-stacked Centro tavern open since 1892, known for hot vermouth and a crowd that never seems to change.
Restaurant4.3(813)
Casa Ricardo
Madrid, SpainA Chamberí institution serving a set table and a slow-cooked stew that tastes like old Madrid.
Tapas bar4.5(4,895)
Casa Toni
Madrid, SpainA loud, crowded Centro tapas bar built around offal and tripe, with regulars who've been coming for decades.