~Restaurants in Madrid~

I have never personally been to Spain, but I have wanted to go for the longest time. I haven’t had the time or the funds to go, because when I plan on going to Spain, I plan on being there for quite some time. How could you go to Spain for just a few days? I would have to stay for at least a week and a half, and that’s just to take in the culture and atmosphere. I know that when I do go to Spain, I will most definitely be visiting two restaurants. Combarro and Chantarella are both two of the most exquisite and delicious restaurants in Madrid.

Apparently, there are two Combarro restaurants in Madrid, located in Ortega and Gasset, which are very central and not difficult to find. Both restaurants are luxuriously decorated and almost breathe taking. For over thirty years Manuel Domínguez has been in charge and has had a lot of experience with food from Galicia. The restaurants serve nothing but the best products from Galicia daily, also inside there is a live fish tank, so you know exactly where your dinner came from and that it is fresh. Some have said that this restaurant has the best quality of seafood and fish that can be found in Madrid. The menu contains some recovered traditional Galician dishes along with new recipes to compliment the traditional flavors. To accompany the delicious food, they also serve some excellent white wines from Galicia.

And that is just the food, I the reviews that I have read online have been really good. To find out more about Combarro, you can visit their website. They have a lot of information about their restaurant, mind you that it is in Spanish, but don’t let that get you down. If you are planning on going to Spain anytime soon and would like to eat at Combarro, then I suggest that you make a reservation. You can even make a reservation on their website, it’s easy and well worth it I’m sure. From what I can tell this restaurant is gorgeous and I hope I am able to go have the opportunity to eat there.

Chantarella is my second pick; I read about Chantarella and instantly fell in love with it. I haven’t even seen a picture of the restaurant, but I want to go anyway. This restaurant is near the Plaza de España and is run by two brothers, Enrique and Alvaro Díaz (they are pictured both on each end and their business partner in the middle). These brothers aren’t afraid to take risks and work through the rough patches. The restaurant has only nine tables in a narrow room that is awkwardly decorated in vibrant primary colors. Their creaky front door, cracked olive bowls, and well worn menus are just some of the things that make this restaurant a gem that I hope to truly appreciate one day.

The Díaz brothers use a symbol of a mushroom for their restaurant which is appropriate, due to their gutsy, rootsy cooking that has a light touch of modern styles of cooking. From what I have heard, Chantarella is packed full every lunch and dinner, which isn’t hard for me to believe. It is necessary to put a reservation in up to a week in advance, which seems so crazy for the general laid back atmosphere of Madrid. They are open weekdays from 1pm-5pm and 9pm-midnight. They are closed Saturdays and Sundays.

I really can’t wait to visit Spain and to be able to eat in such amazing restaurants like Combarro and Chantarella. I know that they are a bit on the high end of price ranges, but when in Spain, you will spend mucho. Whether you meant to or not.