Travel around the world without leaving Madrid

You don’t need to book a flight to take this trip. Just sit down at a table in any of these restaurants to feel like you’re in another country for a while. The most exotic flavours and smells will send your imagination on a journey before or after a visit to the FITUR international trade fair. Everyone’s welcome here.

Published in esMADRIDmagazine in January 2024

If there’s one thing that defines Madrileños, it’s their hospitality: they’re always ready to welcome visitors to the city with open arms. This is something that’s reflected in the energy of the capital, just take a look at the large number of restaurants in every neighbourhood that serve international cuisine. Dishes like tandoori chicken, ceviche, couscous, sushi and beef chop suey have become an integral part of Madrid’s culinary map, which always effusively embraces other cultures’ customs and cooking trends from all over the globe. It was in 1968 that the city welcomed its first Japanese restaurant, Mikado, in the neighbourhood of Tetuán. Still in business today, it blazed a trail for other ethnic establishments which soon followed suit. Take for example the Peruvian eatery El Inca, which opened in 1973, and El Buda Feliz, the Chinese restaurant which changed our lives in 1974 with its—at the time—exotic dishes from distant lands. Starting in Europe and ending in the Americas, enjoy this utterly scrumptious journey!

FRANCE

LE BISTROMAN ATELIER

Amnistía, 10. ÓPERA Tel. 91 447 27 13

This restaurant is a dream come true for Miguel Ángel Garcia Marinelli, who trained at a hospitality school in Toulouse and at the most prestigious hotels on the Côte d’Azur, and Stéphane del Rio Brossier, a lover of classic, authentic and elegant cuisine. Both of them were born in France, and all of their wisdom, know-how and professional experience find expression in this little restaurant in the heart of Madrid—very close to the Teatro Real opera house—which is designed to resemble an atelier and pays tribute to their roots. The essence and tradition of French cuisine translates into exquisite dishes like onion soup with a pastry crust and Comté cheese, cabbage stuffed with poularde and foie gras, grilled duck breast and sole meunière or grenobloise. It also offers a tasting menu featuring chef Stéphane’s most personal dishes.

ITALY

GIOIA

San Bartolomé, 23. CHUECA Tel. 91 521 55 47

The name of this restaurant has two meanings: “joy” and “jem”. Gioia is thus refined merriment and innovative, spirited elegance. Its only objective is for diners to sit down at a table, drink a nice wine, smile and, above all, close their eyes as they savour the Italian cuisine so aptly reinterpreted by chef Davide Bonato. The menu features authentic dishes with a touch of the avant-garde, for example Mi subida al Etna (in English, My climb up Etna), a tartare made with red prawns cooked at a low temperature, slightly spicy shrimp, crunchy almonds and Sicilian tomato foam aromatised with blood orange and squid ink bread dust. And there’s more: the tasting menu ¡Vuela! (or, Fly) takes us on a veritable journey with its delicious noodles with fresh truffle, egg yolk and Cacio Nerone cheese.

LEBANON

SOLIDERE

Alfonso XIII, 35. ALFONSO XIII / AVENIDA DE LA PAZ Tel. 91 415 21 07

Grape leaves stuffed with rice and a hint of tomato, parsley, mint and onion, kefta meshwi skewers, lamb uzzi in puff pastry, shawarma lahme… The smells of the spices in each dish at this Lebanese restaurant, which has an open kitchen, send our imaginations straight to the heart of Beirut.

GEORGIA

NUNUKA

Libertad, 13. CHUECA Tel. 91 170 02 89

From the famous khachapuri (bread stuffed with melted cheese) to the tasty khinkali (spiced beef dumplings), every bite at this bistro in the Chueca neighbourhood transports us to Georgia. The menu features dishes based on traditional recipes which have evolved over the generations.

INDIA

ROYAL NAWAB

Recoletos, 13. COLÓN / BANCO DE ESPAÑA Tel. 91 028 93 56

Sukhwinder Singh trained in London with Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star. He has lived in Madrid for over twenty years and, following his success with the restaurant Doli, he has opened this establishment with his son Sunny to introduce us to the flavours of nabab (noble) cuisine. You can’t go wrong if you order the mussels moilee.

CHINA

DON LAY

Castelló, 117. AVENIDA DE AMÉRICA Tel. 91 091 63 19

Authentic Cantonese food is what we get at this culinary mecca in the city whose menu offers lacquered meats including duck, suckling pig and pork, rice dishes, fish, seafood, wok-fried meat and pasta that’s freshly made every day. At the Chinese Bar, a dim sum meal extravaganza awaits, although the menu also has some outstanding dishes including the xiaolongbao Shanghai dumplings and the Iberian pork rib baozi.

KOREA

CASA PEI+

Espronceda, 34. GREGORIO MARAÑÓN / ALONSO CANO

Steamed pork and shrimp or griddled beef and onion are just two examples of the dumplings we can enjoy in this charming space run by a Chinese mother and daughter of Korean descent. It’s impossible to resist the kimbap, a rice roll wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with different ingredients, and the bulgogi, a typical Korean beef dish. Everything here is homemade to order, with lots of love.

JAPAN

TOKI

Sagasta, 28. ALONSO MARTÍNEZ Tel. 91 802 28 16

Savour this gastronomic journey to the past, through innovation and culinary tradition, which allows us to enjoy gourmet Japanese cuisine right here and now. This would be a good description of the offerings at Toki, which strives for perfection and excellence by using simple ingredients and precise knowledge of the dishes and flavours that make up its one-of-a-kind menu. It’s a privileged space for just six people where time seems to stand still as sushi, an age-old dish, takes the diner down a culinary path through time. But Toki is much more than that. Helmed by Japanese chef Tadayoshi Motoa, who cooks every morsel in full view of the customers, this latest venture by Asturian entrepreneur and sommelier Marcos Granda just received its first star in the Michelin Guide. Don’t miss this incredible experience.

MEXICO

TICUÍ

Cedaceros, 6. SEVILLA Tel. 619 17 48 71

“Ticuí is the gift of my creative freedom, in which I combine Mexican flavours with the excellence of Spanish ingredients”, says chef Federico Rigoletti, whose cuisine is inspired by the discovery of a Mexico that casts its spell over us. This restaurant seeks to win over the most refined palates with innovative, contemporary food that transports diners to all corners of this welcoming country which has a rich culture. Shrimp aguachile, soft-shell crab, fish tacos, the arroz costeño rice dish and grilled, marinated fish… The options on this menu are delicious, and pairing them with a cocktail is a must. Maybe a Canta y no llores, made with tequila and chipotle, or a Tepachón, with rum, green apple tepache and mint. Take time to appreciate the décor, especially the laid-back chairs so typical of Mexico.

COLOMBIA

QUIMBAYA

Zurbano, 63. GREGORIO MARAÑÓN Tel. 91 240 18 96

Welcome to the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Madrid with signature Colombian cuisine. The food here is inspired by the flavours of Colombia and is enriched with culinary traditions and techniques from all over, all subject to the contemporary, creative and very personal interpretation of chef Edwin Rodríguez. His tasting menu makes for a veritable journey full of sensations, taking us to the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Andes, the Orinoquía region and the Amazon.

PERU

PUCARÁ

Príncipe de Vergara, 200. CONCHA ESPINA Tel. 651 56 07 09

Pucará seeks to cast off stereotypes and to allow for a true understanding of Peruvian food. It’s a search for roots in the ancient heritage of a culture that has uniquely combined the pre-Colombian legacy with Eastern and Western flavours. And it’s all put together with a modern, personal approach conceived and redesigned for sharing and exploring. How does sea bass ceviche with crunchy calamari sound? For dessert, don’t miss the suspiro limeño.