November 5th, 2026
Hello Readers,
I recently moved back to Madrid (so excited)! One of my missions since moving back has been finding restaurants that are actually worth visiting, whether you live in or are visiting Madrid. Also, I’m not just talking about tapas. There are incredible restaurants offering many different types of cuisine. Here are my top picks from the past two months, September and October 2026.
Restaurante la Polonesa
This one takes the cake. It was delicious, and I will 100% be going back. From the beet soup to the pierogis to the apple pie dessert, there wasn’t a single bite I didn’t enjoy. This Polish restaurant was incredible and was even vetted by my Polish friend, who has lived there his whole life. I am still dreaming about this restaurant.
La Gilderia
This restaurant is named after a typical Spanish dish, las gildas. You may be asking yourself, “What is a gilda?” I was asking myself the very same thing when my friend recommended this restaurant to me. Gildas are skewers with an anchovy, a pickled pepper, and an olive. This place had NINE DIFFERENT TYPES! In addition to the traditional gilda, we also ordered one with cheese. They were all amazing! We also got other traditional tapas, such as ensaladilla rusa, croquetas, mollete, and torreznos.
Gaditana Castellana
As you may know, paella is a very popular traditional dish in Spain, and this restaurant has the magic touch. We ordered an incredible seafood and squid ink paella with alioli, and it was exquisite. I even had leftovers, and they tasted even better the next day.
Solo de Croquetas
Two of my favorite tapas are croquetas and patatas bravas, and this place has mastered both. Not to mention, all the food at this restaurant is gluten-free! They have more than 20 different flavors of croquetas, so I had to try a couple when I went to visit. The rabo de toro and setas croquetas are the ones I remember most, but all of them were delicious!
Sahuaro
Some of the best restaurants you find are the ones you stumble across while wandering around. This is a traditional Mexican restaurant in downtown Madrid, right next to the flea market, El Rastro. They had traditional foods and drinks such as agua de jamaica (hibiscus water), quesadillas con flor de calabaza (squash blossom quesadillas), and tacos al pastor. A great Mexican restaurant with traditional flavors that is definitely worth a visit.
Matako
And last but not least: Matako! They have a few locations around Madrid, and they are all delicious. This is a place known for its XL sushi. The sushi was the size of my palm! The ingredients were super high-quality, and the prices were great. This is a sushi spot on my list whenever I want delicious, quality sushi at a good price.
There are so many more restaurants to explore and I am excited to try as many as possible and report back with more blog articles such as this one. Hope you are enjoying the start of the winter season, wherever you may be.
The Eternal Traveler