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Once again this year, Fitur brings together thousands of world tourism professionals at Ifema. From 18 to 22 January, new trends are being presented, new products are being introduced and it has become a meeting point for new business opportunities related to the tourism sector. Of course, gastronomy also has a very important place at this fair. In the majority of stands from different countries and communities, you will have a gastronomic corner to discover the culinary traditions of each area. But if you want to take a foodie getaway when you leave Fitur, we have compiled 11 restaurants where you can travel through the palate. Take note!
Lakasa
César Martín is capable of translating the codes of cuisine into a language that everyone can understand. In his menu, in perpetual mutation, only a few essential classics remain static, such as the sirloin Wellington, the Idiazábal fritters or the tripe cold meat with pumpkin seeds. The secret of its success is an ever-increasing attention to the product and an uncomplicated approach in which the hits of bourgeois cuisine and contemporary elaborations can be found. The menu may begin with a well seasoned raw fish, continue with a canonical game dish or a spoon stew, but it must inexorably end with a cheese platter fine-tuned to the millimetre by master chef Bernard Antony. Substantial improvement of the wine list.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Lúa
The years have gone by – we are now 16 years on since its opening in Zurbano – and it continues to be among the most regulars when talking about ‘haute cuisine’, where its credentials in the form of suns and stars place it. And it is so both on the plate and in the service, and even in its clientele, loyal like few others. All this is the merit of Manuel Domínguez, who approaches his business with a vision closer to that of a restaurant, where proximity to the diner and sensitivity to their needs are the most important thing (a task in which his right-hand man, Mari, plays an invaluable role).
In the gastronomic offer, there is a tasting menu option, but also an à la carte menu, vital for its regulars, in which contemporary Galician cuisine is displayed with great respect for tradition in products and points, but without renouncing foreign seasonings and condiments: Sea bass in tripe sauce, skate in caldeirada on Iberian ham soup, seafood clams in yellow curry, prawn bravas, oysters with green tomatillo and jalapeño… A list of classics that never fails to include its octopus, the best in the city. Its attractive terrace and a great house wine -A Tiro Fijo- complete a flawless proposal.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Don Lay
The first Don Lay on Paseo de Extremadura closed its doors in 2015, a school of flavours where many Madrid aficionados discovered authentic Cantonese cuisine, where three-delicious rice is just a nightmare. With Nieves Ye at the helm, daughter of the founder of the parent company, in just two years the new Don Lay has become one of the trendiest restaurants in the city. In a setting more in keeping with the quality of its cuisine and with a spirit reminiscent of the great Chinese restaurants in London, the dim sum festival (xiao long bao, char siu), aubergine and the best lacquered duck in Madrid are not to be missed.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Kappo
One of the things that the pandemic has shown is that the big Japanese bars in Madrid have an extremely loyal public, as all of them have stood out among the businesses that have worked best in the delivery and take away format. That said, the experience of going to see Mario Payán make his nigiris is irreplaceable, especially if you manage to sit at the bar. In menu format (which can be extended almost ad infinitum), our master of ceremonies continues to surprise an army of regulars who never tire of coming in search of his classics and some seasonal novelty, each time better accompanied by a wine cellar that has been growing in quantity, quality and advice.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Bar Manero
If we could travel back in time to take a look at the tascas of the future, we would probably find something similar to Manero. The culprits are businessman Carlos Bosch and chef Sergio Sierra, the tandem responsible for El Portal and the first Manero, both in Alicante. Design, own-brand preserves, oysters, a well-stocked wine cellar… The wet dream of any aficionado come true. The menu is extensive, with so many delicious things that you will need more than one visit to get a clear idea. For a first foray, don’t miss the losbster roll with John Torres brioche, the tomato salads (Raf from Almeria or Muchamiel from Alicante), the squid sandwich with mollete de Antequera or Carlos’ mother’s cannelloni.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
El Corral de la Morería
Sixty-five years ago Manuel del Rey had a dream, to unite flamenco and the best gastronomy in a revolutionary concept, the tablao. At the time of going to press, although its activity has resumed, the gastronomic offer has not yet done so, but we hope it will do so soon. Juanma and Armando del Rey have taken up the family legacy and have projected it into the future following the Lampedusian maxim, that everything should change so that it remains as it has always been. David García is in charge of the kitchen, with a contemporary and elegant proposal, with Basque roots, with a well-worked background and good produce. Long live Corral de la Morería! We are looking forward to returning to enjoy the only tablao in the world with a Michelin star on its façade.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Gaytán
Gaytán is something you don’t expect and suddenly you are pleasantly surprised. Its concept is based on the culinary meeting point through the demands of chef Javier Aranda. They offer a different gastronomic experience where the diner has the opportunity to see live all the elaboration. And all in a very well cared for and original space. They have two menus in the form of an experience that go beyond what one might expect: the INAUREM Menu, for €115 and the Javier Aranda Menu, for €110.
DSTAgE
Diego Guerrero’s two-starred project has become one of the most popular culinary sanctuaries in the capital: it is full every day and it is almost impossible to get a table at one of its tables. Why so much unanimity? Well, first of all, because of its informality. Here you won’t find an orthodox haute cuisine space with stuffy staff in an elegant room; DSTAgE is a relaxed and fun place, with waiters in T-shirts and aprons. Secondly, the atmosphere. The restaurant is a sort of industrial loft more at home in Manhattan or London than in the Salesas district. And thirdly, the cuisine of the chef from Vitoria, which is unique, personal and non-transferable. Behind his dishes, in which the product and flavour are the protagonists, there is always research, reinvention and an elaborate technique. One of the best gastronomic experiences in Madrid.
Text: Lucía Pérez.
Saddle
It is only fair to highlight the merit of this project. Neither the comparisons with its predecessor (Jockey), nor the difficulties of a very complicated engineering and architectural work, nor the context of a world pandemic shortly after opening in October 2019. Nothing has been able to overcome the desire to create a new classic for the city that would recover many of the key elements that made so many houses great, sadly disappeared in combat or far removed from what they once were.
From the moment you walk through the door, you can sense the concern to make the diner the sole protagonist of an experience that adapts to their tastes and needs. To achieve this, a first-class team of Stefano Buscema (dining room), Israel Ramírez (wine cellar) and Alberto Fernández (cocktail bar), while Adolfo Santos takes the baton in the kitchen with wisdom, perfectly understanding the idiosyncrasies of the premises and putting the restaurant’s needs ahead of his ego. To enjoy both sides, there is nothing like the spectacle of the finished dishes in the dining room: hock, steak tartar, sole meunière, rack of lamb… A real haven of civilisation and good taste.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Gofio
Few plans in Madrid today are as stimulating as a visit to this restaurant, which has gone through the ranks at full speed since its modest beginnings in 2015 and now boasts a multitude of accolades from critics and guides. Safe Cruz and Aida González have achieved all this through hard work, the commitment of their team and a non-conformism that will take them even higher (and if not, just wait and see).
For the moment, we can enjoy in its modest but well-used premises a contemporary Canarian cuisine where technique and product come together with a surprising naturalness given the complexity of many of the recipes, to the point that here the tasting menu is not conceived as a punishment but as a real journey to be enjoyed. Their delivery offer under the El Lagar banner, the champagne and Canarian wine list, the attention to detail (crockery, tea and coffee menu)… It is difficult not to be overwhelmed by such a display of will and success. The sky is the limit for them.
Text: Alberto Fernández Bombín y Rodrigo Varona
Zalacaín
Madrid’s gastronomic temple par excellence celebrates half a century of life this 2023. It was in 2021 that the Urrechu Group took the helm of the historic restaurant, after it was forced to close due to the crisis caused by the pandemic. The concept that best defines the ‘new’ Zalacaín is precisely that of continuity. Thus, most of the staff remains (including the head chef Jorge Losa, the maître d’ Roberto Jiménez and the sommelier Raúl Revilla), the decoration has only been enhanced with the addition of a few clever works by José Manuel Ciria and the menu is made up of those classics that once made it great: The Búcaro ‘Don Pío’ (consommé gelée, smoked salmon, quail egg and caviar); the sea bass tartar with olive oil and dill ice cream or the legendary sirloin Wellington. Fortunately, however, the strictness of the obligatory jacket and tie is now a thing of the past. A sign of the good times to come.
Text: Pablo Ortega.
And if you want to travel with your palate to other places in Madrid, you can also discover the best cevichesin the capital or visit the best mezcalerías.
