They are restaurants that serve traditional dishes at an affordable price. Here, you are bound to find tripe, stews, or casseroles and normally, you can choose from several menu options. Three first courses, three second courses, dessert and even a glass of wine, and soda, if you like.  This is the minimum. They are the eating houses which usually have loyal clients. For this reason, on Mondays, stew is served, on Tuesdays, lentils, on Wednesdays, pasta with tomato, on Thursdays, paella and on Fridays, chicken fricassée. It goes without saying. Do not expect creativity or frills in the dish presentation, but the food is bound to be delicious and you will be served a generous portion of home-made cuisine. Some of the emblematic establishments of this type are listed below, but there are many more.

Casa Adolfo (Chamberí. Metro: Canal (L2, L7). Bravo Murillo, 27)

You can opt for a full menu and choose from 13 first courses and 8 main courses, with dessert and a drink. Adolfo del Barrio is the owner and usually serves more than 100 lunches each day. It also has a dinner menu. It is an establishment serving traditional cuisine with a pleasant atmosphere that never lets you down. Its proposals include, Galician stew, aubergines in batter with salmorejo, poultry consommé or natural chard sautéed with potatoes. There are also scrambled eggs with black pudding and nuts, Roman-style fresh cockerel served with a side dish and grilled Salisbury steak. It is closed on Sundays.

Casa Ricardo (Chamberí. Metro: Quevedo (L2). Fernando el Católico, 31)

Located in the Argüelles neighbourhood since 1935, this establishment stands out for its traditional Madrid cuisine, which is savoured in two dining rooms decorated with bullfighting motifs, through which leading names from politics and show business have passed. 

Its speciality is chicken fricassée, tripe with chickpeas and vigil stew. An interesting fact: they are subscriber number 1 to the National Lottery.

Casa Paulino (Chamberí. Metro: Alonso Cano (L7). Alonso Cano, 34)

This restaurant exists thanks to a winning lottery ticket in 1954.  Its holder, Paulino, gave up his job to set up a friendly restaurant in the Chamberí neighbourhood. Today, there are many diners who wish to get a table to savour Paulino’s stews at one of the emblematic home-made cuisine restaurants in Madrid. What is its speciality? Cod brandade, black pudding lasagne, braised pork or saffron conger meatballs. Furthermore, the spicy sausage lentils appear on the menu alongside duck foie-gras with vinaigrette.  Casa Paulino has another establishment, Paulino de Quevedo, in Calle de Jordán 7.

Casa Mundi (Chamberí. Metro: Canal (L2, L7). Donoso Cortés, 14)

It was in 1984 when Hermógenes Martín and Encarna Sánchez set foot in a restaurant in which there was only room for three tables and a small bar. The establishment, located close to Moncloa, has grown since then, but the essence continues to be the same: fine produce, fresh and traditional cuisine.  What are its star dishes? White beans from Barco de Ávila, tuna with tomato, hake San Sebastian style and stuffed squid in their ink.

La Charca (Princesa. Metro: Plaza de España (L2, L3, L10). Juan Álvarez de Mendizábal, 7)

The speciality of this restaurant serving Asturian cuisine and located in the Argüelles neighbourhood is “cachopo”. Many residents of Madrid come to this restaurant in search of this dish that has won many awards. However, this is not all that La Charca has to offer, as it also has a very attractive menu. You can choose from five first courses and three second courses plus dessert, coffee, bread and a drink. It often surprises with a delicious roast chicken in its juices or a grilled T-bone steak. Its décor is reminiscent of that of a former warehouse.  The establishment is open all day from breakfast to dinner.  

El Bierzo Restaurant (Chueca. Metro: Chueca (L5). Barbieri, 16)

Located next to San Antón Market, in the Chueca neighbourhood, it is a family-run restaurant which has served delicious, home-made cuisine since 1971. It serves two daily menus, two special menus at weekends and offers a wide selection of portions and tapas. It is a “rare species” among the many modern restaurants that have sprung up in the neighbourhood. Its most popular dishes are its pepper and tuna salad, chard cooked in oil and garlic, Spanish omelette, kidneys in sherry, fried fish and home-made desserts.  

La Nieta Restaurant (Chueca. Metro: Chueca (L5). Calle de la Libertad, 25)

Located in the central neighbourhood of Chueca, this restaurant with Segovian origins opened its doors in 1985. It stands out for its friendliness and value for money in both its set menu and á la carte dishes, such as roast lamb and suckling pig.

Its specialities include cockerel fillets in breadcrumbs, garlic chicken, home-made meatballs and the home-made desserts with a dozen different choices, among which the Segovia punch stands out.

La Sanabresa Restaurant (Barrio de las Letras. Metro: Antón Martín (L1). Amor de Dios, 12)

The first menus at this restaurant were served in May 1964. Located next to the Antón Martín metro station, this eating house preserves the spirit of its early days. Indeed, its menu has hardly changed since then. According to the older clientele, the aubergines, tripe, stews, chicken in sauce and the stewed beef are just as tasty as always. The egg custard recipe has also been passed down from generation to generation.  

De la Riva (Chamartín. Metro: Colombia (L8, L9). Calle Cochabamba, 13)

This typical Madrid eating house offers the best dishes of Spanish gastronomy, varying depending on the season.  It only serves meals at midday, which are extended with board games and long drinks. Its wine list includes more than 40 references from at least ten Spanish designations of origin.  

Casa Pedro (Metro: Fuencarral (L10). Nuestra Señora de Valverde, 119)

No fewer than six generations have passed through this restaurant, one of the oldest in Madrid. It was opened in 1702, in the north of the city, as an inn and eating house and it has remained loyal to its home-made culinary proposals ever since, although today there is only an á la carte menu. Its most famous dishes are marinated partridge, rabbit in garlic sauce, chickpeas with boletus, oxtail and sweetbread. King Alfonso XIII stopped here to sample its roast lamb, but other illustrious figures like Alain Delon, Anthony Quinn, Luis Buñuel, Sofía Loren and Sara Montiel have also visited this establishment.

El Parque Restaurante (Chamberí. Metro: Moncloa (L3, L6). Fernando el Católico, 78)

Founded in 1957, it has known how to maintain traditional flavours over the years and add more daring creative cuisine tendencies.  It serves varied menus of the day at affordable prices with home-made daily specials and chef’s recommendations.  The establishment’s decor includes tourist photos of Madrid on its walls. 

El Asturiano (Vallecas. Metro: Alto del Arenal (L1). Av. de Pablo Neruda, 7)

This restaurant dates back to 1976, opening its doors in the legendary Vallecas district.  It serves fine products, stews and tradition in a menu of the day that includes classical dishes, such as pancakes, cachopo or beans.  Its menu includes tapas and portions, offering the possibility of a more informal meal.

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