Madrid has a long and rich culinary history that resonates with the cultures of many other countries. The culinary culture that Spain obtained was influenced by the centuries of knowledge gained from colonized and defeated countries that fell under Spanish rule.
One of the most culturally important and tasty ingredients in Madrid and Spanish cuisine is the chickpea, which didn’t even originate in Spain. Spain happened to learn of the chickpea way back in the 8th century due to the Spanish Reconquista. Spain as a result of the bloody conflict was introduced to the chickpea, a vegetable that was easy to grow, could grow in bulk, and was highly compatible to their cuisine at the time. While the vegetable was enjoyed by many of high society the chickpea was better known as a staple of the poor common people.
This led to the creation of a staple dish of Madrid that represents the history of Spain’s lower class, a dish that was considered delicious and inferior, a dish that took many years to become a staple in Madrid. This dish is known as Cocido Madrileño which translates to cooked Madrid. This dish is a delicious staple of Madrid and while easy to make is a dish with great freedom to change. This dish is currently served at many restaurants, from fine dining to a family eatery, it is a dish that is influenced by its ingredients and will always be tasty.
The dish itself is comparable to a beef stew, the stew includes chickpeas, potatoes, and other vegetables. The meat is often pork or beef but could anything depending on the chef’s creativity and preference. It is a hearty dish that has many complex textures, and a delicious stock used as the base of the stew. A dish that should be recommended to all who tour the great city of Madrid, whether for pleasure or knowledge, one should never hold back their desire to taste great food.
Madrid like the rest of Spain uses seafood as centerpiece for many of their traditional dishes. These dishes are wide ranging in the protein choice and the creative ways that people make these dishes. These dishes, while more of a modern take on Madrid’s cuisine, are still rich in the culture of the city and taste great as well. The first item while simplistic is a staple of most regions in Spain and that is calamari or fried squid. Which while you can find a version of this dish almost anywhere in the world it takes on the most creativity in Spain, this including the city of Madrid.
One of the funnier options is comparable to something that many American blue-collar workers do, which is take some beef jerky or other types of dried meat and make a sandwich out of it by sticking it between some rye or some other type of bread. In this sense they take the calamari and stick it between two pieces of bread, this dish in particular is referred to as Bocadillo de Calamares. This is not to say there aren’t more creative options, it’s just that this option is popular with the general populace of Madrid. This is due to Spain’s access to the Mediterranean Sea making calamari and other sea food very inexpensive and easy to obtain.
Another seafood dish that is highly popular in Madrid is Huevos Estrellados which translates to fried eggs. The dish is similar to Mexican dirty rice in which you have a base which is for this dish is eggs which is mixed or plated with French fries or hashbrowns depending on the time of the day. The most common form of this dish is to use fish since it is a much lighter protein which makes it a good breakfast item; however, you can use any meat item for this dish, chorizo is often used as it is a staple of Spanish cuisine. This dish has great flavor and like many other dishes from Madrid and the rest of Spain has a large amount of freedom to play with protein and vegetable choices.
Madrid has many famous buildings, many with extreme historical value that extend far into the past and tell a story that would have been lost if left to mere words. This is especially important for Madrid and the many popular restaurants and hotels that span the city. The history of these grand buildings can be traced back centuries and is a source of pride and great flavor for the city of Madrid.
Our first destination is the Gran Hotel Ingles; this hotel holds significant value in Madrid as it was the first ever hotel in Madrid to also include a restaurant inside its walls. Built back in mid-December of 1886, this hotel included a grand restaurant that served many delicacies. This hotel later became a staple of the 1920’s era, the grand design of the building’s interior modeled after the influences of an era economic growth for countries around the world.
The restaurant, Casa Lobo, complimented the current 5-star hotel with impeccable quality meals and service. This restaurant includes many staple foods of Madrid including the previously mentioned delicacies of Madrid. The current price of a night at the Gran Hotel Ingles can change depending on the time of day, when you make your reservations, and what day of the week you made your reservations on. For example, the average price during the year 2025 for a single night at this hotel is roughly $450 USD. However, this number changes depending on which room you get, some rooms are as low as $150 USD and some rooms can reach over $950 USD.
Finally, the most historic restaurant in all of Madrid and possibly even the world. The restaurant claiming this great honor and pride in the city of Madrid is Botín. Botín is a high-end restaurant that has been around for over three centuries. The restaurant was created back in 1725 by a French man, Jean Botín. After the death of Botín and his wife the restaurant was passed on to the nephew of his wife as he had no children. Since then, the restaurant has stood the test of time and has been remodeled many times. Currently, the restaurant is owned by the Gonzalez family, Emilio Gonzalez, and Amparo martin. This happened in the late 20th century due to unspecified reasons.
The building that the restaurant Botín resides in has a great history in its own right that is complimented by the customs of Spain from centuries ago. The original building was built back in 1590 and was originally an inn. This stayed true up until Jean Botín’s death as he also used the restaurant as a selling point for his inn. This is especially important due to the Spanish customs used back during the 18th century as inn owners were not allowed to sell people food. Instead, people would bring their own food to the inn and then the inn owners would prepare meals for their tenants using the food and were paid a small fee for their service.
The original owner of the building whose name has gone missing over time paid for an “Exemption of Guests Privilege” which meant that they didn’t have to house government officials when they came to Madrid. The reason why this happened was due to King Felipe the 3rd moving the Royal Court out of Madrid at the end of the 16th century. Because of this, during the 17th century government officials would take up residency in the upscale housing of the people living in Madrid. Similar to when American soldiers would force their way into people’s homes during the Revolutionary War.
Then during the early 1600’s the Royal Court returned to Madrid. Then during the 1620’s, the Royal Court began to renovate and rebuild parts of Madrid. The current area that restaurant Botín resides in was the area in which the Royal Court rebuilt Madrid’s commercial enclave the most. This made the area highly populated and allowed for great business down the line when Jean Botín purchased the building and created his restaurant. Currently the restaurant holds the Guinness world record for being the oldest restaurant in the world.
