Healthy, green restaurants

5 april 2022

Plant-based cooking is much more than just a salad. More and more restaurants in Madrid are now offering healthy cuisine, with options that are creative, original and full of flavour. It’s time to take care of yourself! By Silvia Roba

EL INVERNADERO

Plant-based products are one of the key pillars of Rodrigo de la Calle’s green haute cuisine. As a chef, he holds maximum respect for the food he uses and its seasonality. Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds, and wild mushrooms are just some of the ingredients that stand out on the menu, not forgetting superfoods and natural seasonings for a rich, tasty, healthy and moving gastronomic experience.

The restaurant offers a choice of four menus: Green, a true homage to everything green with vegetarian and vegan options; Red, which includes the option of a meat dish to finish; Blue, where diners can choose fish as their final dish, and Vegetalia, for those looking to delve into the wonderful world of gastrobotany. Reservations must be made in advance as this Michelin-star restaurant, located on the bustling Calle Ponzano, only has a few tables.

HUERTA DE CARABAÑA

The mission of this restaurant is clear for all to see: to enhance the quality of the vegetables grown in its own garden (from artichokes to peas, tomatoes, and more), and to use only fresh, seasonal ingredients. Located in the Barrio de Salamanca (Calle de Lagasca, 32), chef Ricardo Álvarez hopes to reclaim traditional flavours using contemporary techniques. The eatery boasts two spaces: the restaurant itself and a bistro (Calle de Jorge Juan, 18) with a more casual atmosphere.

SUPERCHULO

Located on Calle de Manuela Malasaña, Superchulo is one of the busiest restaurants in the neighbourhood. Their motto is simple: “count colours, not calories”. And their philosophy couldn’t be healthier: to recover the essence of traditional gastronomy in a healthy and sustainable way, focusing on our well-being and that of the planet.

They´re part of the positive change that sees our diet evolve to use more natural ingredients and processes. Their chulapa potatoes, cooked in a stone oven with herb-infused oil and served with three different sauces (vegan alioli, homemade ketchup and spicy chili sauce), are simply delicious!

HONEST GREENS

Tasty, organic and healthy fast food. This formula for success is taking over Madrid, with several restaurants popping up in different areas of the capital. Their garden bowls are delicious, as are their sharing dishes (“wonky” tomatoes with stracciatella and pistachio, hummus, and beetroot carpaccio). The food at Honest Greens is real. Here they always use seasonal, fresh products that are unprocessed and free from artificial additives, preservatives and added sugar.

LEVÉL VEGGIE BISTRÓ 

The menu at this vegan restaurant (Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo, 61) boasts an impressive raw vegan section, with an emphasis on the care taken to preserve the flavour and nutrients of their ingredients, resulting in some really healthy dishes. Don’t miss the mushroom skewers, wild asparagus served with strawberries and toasted hazelnuts, or the Julie salad with rocket, Macadamia nut cheese, orange segments with a hint of cardamom, and beetroot, all drizzled with an organic flat peach vinaigrette.

FLAX & KALE AZCA 

Only a stone’s throw away from the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, this restaurant is the perfect example of healthy, flexitarian cuisine. Decked out with furniture made from recycled materials, everything here is inspired by the fascinating world of street food. On the menu you´ll find tasty dishes including supreme nachos, tacos, chicken pad thai, barbecue pizza, and much more!

RUN RUN RUN

All the ingredients used in this restaurant (Plaza de Juan Zorrilla, 1) are sourced from seasonal or local organic farms. The menu is bursting with dishes inspired by the clean eating concept, with low-temperature cooking and raw recipes that preserve the properties of the food.

Gastronomy, sport and environmental awareness come together at this Coffee Shop & Restaurant with intriguing options such as the sweet potato quiche with bimi, cherry tomato and Parmesan, and the Veggie Burger with romesco sauce, chipotle mayonnaise, tomato, and lettuce.

NAKED & SATED 

Under the slogan Ditch food guilt, this Madrid restaurant (Estébanez Calderón, 3-5) has one objective: to revolutionise the way we eat. Its menu includes egg and avocado galette, five-cheese quinoa pizza and a range of dishes with konjac, an Asian tuber that is carbohydrate free and extremely low in calories. It combines brilliantly with cashew nut pesto topped with a poached egg and Grana Padano flakes.

VIVA BURGER

In the heart of the La Latina neighbourhood, this restaurant offers cuisine that is 100% animal free. Here the speciality is vegan burgers: there’s the Japanese burger with seaweed, the Arab with falafel, the Italian with grilled vegetables, and the top notch Chingona burger with jalapeños. What’s more, there´s a range of other creative dishes and desserts, including their Super Carrot Cake. As they say here “eating is a daily act of love”.

SANISSIMO

Food for food lovers! That´s exactly what’s on the menu at Sanissimo’s centrally located restaurants, close to Ópera, Gran Vía Avenue and Príncipe Pío. The objective here is to create a new vegan gastronomic culture based on innovation, respect for the environment and flavour. If you’re planning to climb the Andes or hike around the mountains of Madrid, here they recommend you sink your teeth into a Quechua Veggie Burger, made from quinoa, potato and red bell pepper, topped with baked pumpkin, cucumber, lamb's lettuce, tomato, sweet mustard sauce, and served on delicious gluten-free bread.