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Vegetarian spirit

Elaborately prepared dishes and attractive decor: these are the main attractions of vegetarian restaurants in Madrid.

Vegetarian food is gaining more and more popularity in Madrid. Recently, more and more restaurants that promote vegetarian cuisine have opened. There are already more than twenty such places nowadays. The old-fashioned concept that associated vegetarianism with insipid food has given way to more and more elaborately prepared recipes which yield innovative and very tasty dishes combining basic ingredients such as fresh fruits, vegetables, seitan or tofu.

Over thirty years ago, the small restaurant La Galette, was the first place to offer vegetarian food in the capital. Decorated with Escher paintings, with music by Vivaldi and lighting by candles, La Galette is an intimate, romantic venue, the ideal place for a special occasion. Its creators, the German Cristina Armbruster and the Mexican Enrique Aguirrezabala, have gradually built up their collection of decorative items as they travelled around the world. One dish, the Blanco y Negro (Black and White): rice and mushrooms, stands out from the menu.

In the style of a luxury manor, the pale light of the candles on each table, and the small lamps adding to the indirect lighting bring out the qualities of the paintings, book shelves and works of art which adorn the walls of La Galette II. Rather than hiring an interior decorator, owner Cristina Armbruster took charge of the decoration herself. As with the original restaurant, La Galette II aims to create an intimate atmosphere, with the additional attraction of the vegetarian dishes on the menu: mango pate, various salads and apple croquettes are among the specialities. The restaurant also has non-vegetarian dishes on offer.  

Taking care of body...

Artemisa is another of Madrid’s more enticing vegetarian restaurants, with two branches, one in Tres Cruces and one in Calle Ventura de la Vega. Artemisa is known for its welcoming atmosphere, soft lighting and “a variety of clientele” including vegetarians and people who just like to look after themselves, and who enjoy eating painstakingly prepared dishes. Here you can taste an unusual cream of nettles or a West Indian salad, with mango, kiwi, blackberries and papaya. Curious first timers may like to try the house speciality, the Persian cake, with pistachios, pate, aubergines and courgettes and cheese. For those who cannot make do without meat, there are three different chicken dishes: chicken in Roquefort sauce, chicken with vegetables or roast chicken. 

...and mind 

Vegetarian cuisine is a way of life in itself. In Ecocentro, a genuine sanctuary for pure vegetarians where you can find everything you need to pamper the body and the soul, they are well aware of this. Ecocentro has been open since 1993, and has a wide range of products and services on offer, from an organic food store to a vegetarian restaurant and the recently opened self service buffet, in addition to selling natural cosmetics products and herbs and a bazaar with cds of relaxing music. Ecocentro also offers conferences and workshops on a daily basis (free of charge) on themes such as spiritual guidance, personal growth, and numerology. But if you still prefer to taste and enjoy something, particularly noteworthy items on the menu include the various croquette combinations such as tofu and leek, or pumpkin with emmental cheese.

As with Ecocentro, El Vergel offer astrology and tarot readings during meals. This restaurant stands out for its sober if welcoming decoration, and aims to offer, traditional flavours, but without meat or fish. Lovers of traditional cooking will find a traditional lentils dish, without the usual fat content. Cheese and carrot croquettes, mushroom and spinach croquettes and escallops of tofu in a pepper sauce are others of the restaurant’s specialities. El Vergel also offers organic fruit and vegetables, purchased directly from the farmer, and a whole host of vegetarian products. 

Good atmosphere at any time

Better known to its clients as The Enchanted Forest, Vegetarian Art transport their clients to a fantasy world before even entering the restaurant, as its façade is like something from a fairy tale. Gnomes, elves, mushrooms and a large tree welcome the customers. Its menu has a wide range of salads, and the gratinated potatoes with camembert, and the home-made desserts are particularly worthy of note.

Another option where you can eat healthy and enjoy a change of airs is La isla del tesoro (Treasure Island). You don’t have to wear an eye patch or have a wooden leg, but you do have to have an adventurous spirit and be a convinced vegetarian to visit this eatery, which is decorated in a style that will make you feel like Jack Sparrow commanding the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean. There’s no meat or fish on the menu here, or fat of any kind, just biological, home-made and wholemeal products. Each day they have a vegetarian menu from a different country. The treasure of the menu are the Boletus mushroom raviolis. For dessert, like all good rum-loving pirates, order their delicious Mojito sorbet.

Very artistic

A fine atmosphere can also be found in El Séptimo, a refined rustic restaurant, decorated with striking colours, old furniture and brightly coloured tablecloths. Its walls, wooden crockery and classical background music combine to create a welcoming atmosphere, where the vegetarian cous-cous, with semolina and sliced vegetables takes pride of place on the menu.

The atmosphere contrasts with the original approach taken by Al Natural, a restaurant whose walls and ceilings are decorated with giant fruit and vegetables. Among its specialities are the vegetarian paella, the Iranian salad and the vegetarian lasagne. As appetite and good taste are by no means incompatible with art, this restaurant has a number of travel photography exhibitions.

Varied options

Indulging in a burger without thinking about your cholesterol level is another advantage that comes with being in a city that offers everything for everyone. The Madrid-based restaurant El Estragón Vegetariano has designed dishes for gluttons that are as appealing as soy balls, brown rice paella, crêpes à la muselin or gluten escalope. Visit this venue if you can eat to the rhythm of jazz, chill out, flamenco and pop because their musical selection will have you tapping your feet to the beat.

Last but not least, Vegaviana. Offering original, natural and healthy recipes, their menu combines gastronomies as different as Spanish, Arabic and Italian. Wholemeal pizzas to watch your weight, courgette and cheese burritos, wheat pancakes with roasted vegetables and parmesan cheese, spinach cannelloni with two cheeses, tofu and seitan are some of the dishes that will delight the most demanding palates. For those who don’t go in for vegetables, there’s free-range ecological chicken.

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