Madrid is a city full of colours, and we all know, from the metro station to the barrio decoration, which is the rainbow district in Madrid: Chueca.
We wish that this article will be a guide in honour of the World Pride Madrid 2017 that we are more than proud to have in town this year.
Chueca has turned into one of the most lively barrio in Madrid, for sure we have reviewed more bars and restaurant in Chueca than in all the other districts. Calle Pelayo for the restaurants and Calle Reina for the bars are as good as Calle Ponzano or Calle Cava Baja.
If you are in Chueca for the Orgullo and don’t know the city, don’t worry, you can find all you need between Calle Hortaleza and Gran Via.
1)Best Paella: Socarrat
The first thing everyone asks in in Spain is “Where is the best paella?” well, guess what, it’s in Chueca, the restaurant is called Socarrat and it’s real Valencian traditional receipt, the Paella de la Abuela, Paella Valenciana, Paella Vegetariana and much more.
It’s open just for lunch, it’s a tiny take away spot with some tables. Try also the craft beer made in Valencia named as the local. It’s open just for lunch, because paella was born for that specific meal.
Socarrat – Calle San Marcos, 2, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 663 43 91 10
2) Best international restaurant: diurno
If you know madridiana you will remember the diurno article and posts on social media, we are in love with this place and it’s our first suggestion when friends are in town and want to have a tasty lunch or dinner in a beautiful space. The lunch menu is perfect and you can either try spanish food or international quality dishes. It’s a well known location, a meeting point in barrio also for breakfast and the traditional afterwork.
DIURNO [Madrid] – Calle de San Marcos, 37, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 915 22 00 09
3) Best japanese restaurant: Sr. Ito
And here we are in Calle Pelayo, it’s such a nice street that it is good to have a pleasant excuse like dining in Sr. Ito for walking almost until Alonso Martinez. This is not the typical japanese restaurant, if you are a all you can eat sushi consumer, this is not your place. Sr. Ito in Chueca is the place for beauty lovers and slow life living. The decoration is incredible, we talk a lot about this place in dedicated article where you can see all the dishes, especially the cake, impressive.
Sr. Ito – Calle Pelayo, 60, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 910 81 66 15
4) Best Galician Restaurant: Morgana
Opened less than two month ago and it’s already a hit. The place is tiny but there is no place like Morgana to try galician food with a twist. The owners are Miguel, the chef in the kitchen and Augusto, at the bar making great tailor made cocktails. The ambient is nice, both the higher tables at the beginning and the lighted room with paintings and sculptures. If you are wondering where to have a real smashy tortilla, with the original liquid inside, this is your place.
Morgana – Calle de Augusto Figueroa, 33, 28004 Madrid
5) Best Italian Restaurant: Fratelli d’Italia
We are huge consumers of Fratelli d’Italia pizza in barrio Lavapiés, where there is not a restaurant like in Chueca Calle Hortaleza but a takeaway pizza spot that is a paradise for Italians missing a good pizza at a proper price. In Chueca Fratelli d’Italia it’s a pizzeria and a restaurant, but more than that it’s a Sardinian restaurant, where you can try really good pasta and fresh fish.
Fratelli d’Italia – Calle de Hortaleza, 28, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 915 15 41 06
6) Best bocata: La casa tomada
If Calle Valverde is the west limit of Chueca instead of Calle Valverde, La casa tomada can definitely be included in this barrio. The best bocata in Madrid has Venezuelan blood and it’s address is Calle San Lorenzo 9. José Antonio the owner and chef of Casa Tomada is a perfectionist, his bocatas XXL are works of art. Even if they are so huge you can’t visit La casa tomada without starting your meal with a chili cheese fries, you better go with friends.
La casa tomada – Calle San Lorenzo, 9, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 915 13 84 48
7) Best asian restaurant: Tuk Tuk
Tuk Tuk in Calle Barquillo is one of the numerous Tuk Tuk restaurants opened in Madrid with the visionary idea of sharing the best asian street food from Bangkok, India, Philippines, and Vietnam.
We have been to Barquillo and Alcalà which is the newer, and widely discussed about how much we are in love with the sexy baos and the delicious pad thai or hokkien.
8) Best east european restaurant: Khachapuri
Khachapuri is a discovery, it’s a typical Georgian restaurant in the middle of Chueca. It’s a mono product restaurant serving that Georgian pizza with eggs in a middle and a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of melty cheese, and it’s mandatory that you enjoy the khachapuri with the hands piece after piece. For this multi sensorial tasting experience and nice modern atmosphere of the restaurant, it’s a worth visiting restaurant. Read more in this article.
Khachapuri – Calle de Víctor Hugo, 5, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 916 68 38 65
9) Best cerveceria: Källa
Recently opened in Calle Barbieri, in the heart of Chueca, Källa is not just a cerveceria, it is also a beer factory, with a nordic name and simple style, even if the owners are two venezuelan entrepreneurs. This hybrid space of a bar and a factory offers three variety of crafted beer branded Källa Origen (IPA), Ritual (ALE) and Esencia (Lager), with an additional offer of beers from Madrid and other locations.
Källa – Calle de Barbieri, 20, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 915 21 01 32
10) Best cocktail bar: Angelita
Angelita Madrid has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because of its craftsmanship. This The accuracy that Borja and Jose Luis put in the preparation of each cocktail, they way you see it served looks more like a work of art rather than a cocktail.
Not to mention the fact that the service should be a benchmark in town, when you seat you already have your fresh water and a little sweet tapa well presented in a tiny box or a box of popcorn.
Angelita – Calle Reina, 4, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 915 21 66 78
+ The latest openening Som Thai Club
In the already mentioned Calle San Marcos a new space has just opened, it’s called Som-Thai and it has a special gastro-barra: the Som Thai Club, offering tapas for less than 2€ that are perfect to pair with a cerveza muy fria. For all the oriental food lovers or for those you want to try it, this tapas are the greatest because they reflet the Thailandese culture.
Restaurante tailandés Som-Thai – Calle San Marcos, 26, 28804 Madrid – Tel. 910 410 429
