Tapas in Madrid | 15 cheap tapas in Madrid
I’m not sure what your agenda is when it comes to traveling, but there isn’t a day when I plan a trip that I don’t think or dream about all of the food I will enjoy. When I knew I was traveling to Spain, it was important for me to do some research about the best tapas to eat. I am not the type of person who likes doing tours, but the tours I do enjoy our food tours. I highly suggest you do a Madrid tapas tour to get the best from the city and a variety of tapas without getting full. In this guide, you will find where to find cheap tapas in Madrid and what tapas to try. Learn about some of the things you can do if you have a long layover in Madrid.
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If this is your first time traveling to Spain, read more about these posts below:
- 2 Days in Madrid
- 3 Days in Barcelona
- Top 10 Places to Visit in Barcelona
- A Guide to Montserrat
- Spain and Portugal Itinerary
- Things to do in Madrid
- Things to do in Barcelona
If you happen to be Vegan, be sure to check out this Vegan Guide to Madrid.
TRAVEL PLANNING RESOURCES
Tapas in Madrid
Now there are a ton of Madrid tapas tours out there and I highly recommend the one I took especially for people who are traveling solo. It was more of a hostel type of food tour which was for a lot of young people. I will list all the locations and the food you will get so this could be a self-guided food tour if you wanted it to be. The reason I suggest a food tour is because when you do a self-guided tour, usually it may cost you more to get a variety of dishes. Additionally, you’ll want to learn more interesting facts about Spanish food.
Tapas in Madrid Checklist
- Sarmorejo
- Patatas Bravas
- Mousse de Mango
- Solomillo
- Berenjenas con Miel
- Lacón Gallego
- Jamón
- Croquettes
- Spanish Tortilla
- Spanish Olives
- Paella
- Adobo
- Queso Manchego
- Huevos Rotos
- Polbo á feira – Octopus
- Pescaito Frito
- Churros
Where to find 15 cheap tapas in Madrid
Rosi La Loca’s Tapas in Madrid
Rosi La Loca is a beautiful restaurant located in Madrid. This beautiful restaurant is colorfully decorated, small and quaint and has a lot to offer. We had a variety of different foods during our tapas tours which I will list below. The food was so good, that I wish we had enough time to come back and try all the other foods here. Unfortunately, we did not have the time but it seemed like the Paella was the most popular dish here among many guests.
What tapas to order at Rosi La Loca
Sarmorejo
This is like a Gazpacho with the flavors similar to a tomato bisque. It is delicious and a must have! Now, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea since this is a cold soup. The soup was full of flavor and very rich in cream. It was probably one of my favorite things here at the restaurant and is something I highly recommend.
Patatas Bravas
Patatas Bravas is a popular dish native to Spain. They are a popular tapas dish which includes potatoes cut into cubes and fried. These potatoes are then covered with a sauce or a sauce to dip. The sauce is usually made with some sort of tomato base. This dish can be commonly found in many restaurants and bars in Spain.
Mousse de Mango
This dish is more on the sweeter side and like a dessert. It is goat cheese on top of a mango puree. I did not find a lot of places that had this available, but it was so refreshing and delicious. It is worth coming back for more and getting seconds.
Solomillo
Now you can not go to Spain without eating pork. Jamón is a popular dish in Spain and is very common to eat. Solomillo is a pork dish with goat cheese. This was by far one of my favorite dishes at this restaurant. It had so much flavor and was cooked to perfection.
Berenjenas con Miel
Ultimately, this is a typical dish from Granada. These are Eggplants covered in flour and fried into in a pan for crispy edges. They are often served with a sweet honey like dipping sauce to eat them with. They are absolutely delightful to eat.
Paella
This is a famous dish in Spain. This should be one of the first meals you should have. Paella is a rice dish that is mixed with various seasonings, tomatoes, meat or seafood. The seafood paella is my personal favorite, but they are both amazing dishes to eat. If you did not like the paella, I suggest you try different restaurants or types because each restaurant makes them differently.
Madrid’s Sidrería el Tigre Tapas
Sidrería el Tigre is a famous tapas bar. This is where many younger college students visit to have drinks and food with their friends. Some of the tapas are free when you purchase a drink. This is just part of Spanish culture to drink beer and enjoy delicious tapas. These tapas are not as high end compared to Rosi La Loca, however, they are still amazing and are paired well when drunk.
What tapas to order at Sidrería el Tigre
Patatas Bravas
I’ve already described this dish above, although this one tastes a little different since it’s from a different place. I can see why the Spanish love this dish so much.
Lacón Gallego
This dish is a popular dried Ham in Spain that they placed on bread. Like I’ve said before you need to try the many pork dishes in Spain. The pigs used for Lacón Gallego are fed only natural grains, feed or vegetables to make it this delicious.
Jamón
Furthermore, the Spanish really enjoy their pork and bread. This tapas dish is served with a thinly sliced piece of Jamón or ham on bread. This is a very popular Spanish dish that can be found everywhere and in many of their sandwiches. You can find many restaurants or tapas places with many variations of Jamón.
Croquettes
The croquettes were some of my favorite dishes here. This dish is a breaded fried ball stuffed with mashed potatoes and ham. There may be very different variations of croquettes, but this is one of the most popular ones.
Sangria
Now, this is not a tapa, but I’m sure most of you know what Sangria is. However, if you don’t know what Sangria is, it is wine mixed with Vermouth. Often times they do include pieces of fruit as a garnish or inside the glass. Sangria is very popular across Spain and absolutely delicious. It takes great with many of the tapas together as well.
Mercado de San Miguel Madrid’s Most Popular Tapas Market
San Miguel Market is one of the most popular places in Madrid to get tapas or try anything. What I love about this place is you can look at everything in the market through the glass and pick out what you want to eat and try. What my friends and I loved about this market was the ability to share everything we wanted. I would buy something different from my friends so we could try everything. If you are short on time, you can come here to eat some of the best tapas in Madrid.
Spanish Tortilla
I am not sure if this counts as a tapa or not, but it is a very famous dish in Spain. Please do not confuse this with the Mexican tortilla. You will be sadly disappointed. A Spanish tortilla is more like an egg omelet, frittata or quiche dish. It is absolutely delicious and a must-try dish for anyone traveling to Spain. This dish is rich in flavor and the Spanish really know how to cook their eggs.
Spanish Olives
Olives are a popular dish in Europe, but I found them especially common in Spain. I have had some of the best olives in Spain. I wasn’t really someone who enjoyed olives much until having them in Spain. I tried every single olive available. I couldn’t resist eating them and enjoying that salty flavor. The Spanish are creative in what they stuff their olives and many of my favorite included many of the delicious cheeses.
Refreshing Drinks
At the market, they sell a lot of refreshing drinks you can have with or without alcohol. This is a great place to try some delicious fruity beverages to wash down some of the many tapas you will eat. These were some of my favorite drinks to cool down during the summer in Spain.
Chocolateria San Gines
This is a famous cafe in Madrid popular for their churros. This cafe was built in the late 1900s. The cafe makes traditional churros with chocolate. This location stays opened late which is great for those late night cravings.
What to order at Chocolateria San Gines
Churros con Chocolate and Coffee
There are only really two things to order at the Chocolateria. The churros with the chocolate dipping sauce and the coffee. This place is popular for its chocolate and its churros. They have kept this cafe simple which is important to their mission.
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Just found your blog, really helpful and original articles! Thanks for all your tips 🙂