It is not easy to create a guide with the best restaurants in Madrid. If the capital stands out for something, it is for its wide and varied gastronomic offer, which has options for all tastes and pockets. However, it is always worth reviewing the openings of recent months, as well as those establishments that, for some reason, have become fashionable among the people of Madrid, and make a varied selection of restaurants that are really worth it. Thus, this selection includes new spaces for chefs with a Michelin star, surprising proposals, restaurants that bet on exotic flavors and others that carry the quality of the product as their flag.
Estimate: where Rafa Zafra confirms that the best fish is eaten in Madrid
What’s so special? There is a theory supported by many, reviled by many others that the best fish market in Spain is in Madrid. And, without going into assessing whether or not this statement is true, what we can confirm is that Rafa Zafra’s cuisine at Estimar offers a sensory experience through seafood. Although it opened in 2019, his collaboration with Ron Brugal-dormant during the months of January and February is the perfect excuse to try it. For the occasion, Zafra has prepared two dishes designed to pair with two Brugal 1880 Rum-based cocktails: the sea urchin with shrimp tartare and caviar with lemon zest, accompanied by the ‘Between two waters’ cocktail and Raya’s dish with her own oloroso juice, hazelnuts and almonds, with the ‘Sailor’s Soul’ cocktail.
Mazarino: the Chamberí bar that reinvents the classics (and makes them irresistible)
You only need to see the photograph of its broken eggs with carabineros to feel the need to make a reservation in this new space located in Chamberí. An emblematic place from the 70s in Madrid that reopened its doors a few months ago maintaining the character with which it was born. In its menu, there is no shortage of traditional gastronomy classics such as the Russian salad, the torreznos, the squid montadito, or the escalope (one of the house specialties)
Totó: the restaurant that transports you to the Italy of the 60s
This restaurant goes to the essence of Italian cuisine and bets on traditional recipes, with top-quality raw materials, in a space whose decoration is inspired by the Italy of the 50s and 60s. The essentials include its burrata with beetroot carpaccio, their version of the classic carbonara pasta and their focaccia stuffed with mozzarella, Parma ham, and truffle. The latter is, without a doubt, one of the star dishes on its menu.
Umiko: the most acclaimed Japanese restaurant in a new space
Founded in 2015 by chefs Juan Alcaide and Pablo Álvaro Marco, Umiko was born with the purpose of bringing Asian fusion cuisine closer through unique and unrepeatable recipes made with top quality products. In recent months it has been installed in a new space decorated with works by the artist Okuda and, inside, Japanese gastronomy becomes a feast for the senses. In its menu, a great variety of nigiris stands out such as the Socarrat, the bull or the French scallop; and dishes like the Madrid porra, stuffed with chicken in pepitoria, citrus mayonnaise and spun egg; or the dry ramen with wok-fried shrimp, sesame sauce and avocado.
Virrey: a piece of the North in the heart of Madrid
It opened last July at number 8 Zurbano street and, in a few months, Virrey has become a paradise for lovers of gastronomy in the North. For a well-rounded appetizer, they offer tapas such as the gilda XXL, based on anchovies, bonito, dried tomato, piparra and olives, Santoña anchovies or anchovies in vinegar. Of course, fish and shellfish are the stars of Virrey’s gastronomic offer. The most famous dish that gives the restaurant its name, is baked fish in viceroy sauce perfect for sharing (depending on the piece).
Read more from the source VOGUE Sapin
