My wife and I are heading to Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo in early February. Will we need to make reservations at restaurants for lunch and dinner, or will we be able to just drop in? I don't love being hamstrung by reservations, but will if it's recommended. Thanks for any advice. Also, restaurant recommendations would be welcomed. We don't go for fine dining, but we do love authentic places popular with locals.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7277 posts
If you want to eat at Sobrino de Botín in Madrid for its cochinillo (roast suckling pig) you definitely need a reservation. It may already to too late to make one. If you can’t get a reservation, Mesón de Cándido in Segovia is known for the same dish. It’s at the foot of the aqueduct.
In October, we enjoyed Restaurante La Catedral near the Puerta del Sol. It had a ornate vintage atmosphere. We arrived when it opened and didn’t need a reservation. Had we wanted to eat later one may have been necessary. We had a fixed price dinner. I will say that the patrons were all tourists, but the food was good.
Posted by
new york
85 posts
I visit Madrid with my list of restaurants I want to visit. I always book ahead. It depends: Do you have specific names like I do? If so, book ahead. You can always find someplace to eat after 8:30 or 9pm for dinner, but the better restaurants, more and more, are tending to be fully booked.
Popular with locals? Try the area east of Retiro park: the Barrio del Retiro. More locals than tourists and some really wonderful places to eat, both tapas and full meals. For example, Taberna de Laredo...if you look that up and like their menu, I can give you many more of that style.
Another very solid choice is the lovely LAKASA....welcoming, wide choice of dishes, and they are willing,, like most local places, to serve half or even quarter portions of most dishes. It's north of the Center.
For places popular with locals but not many foreign tourists, check the places alone Calle Ponzano, not far from LAKASA.
In Segovia, I much prefer Jose Maria to Candido, but both are great and yes, book ahead.
I think it's good manners to reserve your table. I do that almost always and it's nice to be greeted by name, and I get better tables than walk-ins at many spots.
None of the places I mention are fine dining but they are not "cheap."
Posted by
Bilbao
797 posts
The main meal of the day in Spain is lunch, around 2pm, and it´s normally a long lunch with an entree, a main, plus a dessert, and it´s common to have wine with it. Dinner is much less important for us, locals tend to have dinner around 10pm. But Madrid is a very cosmopolitan city and you´ll find all kind of timetables to suit your needs, just do not expect locals dining at 8pm or lunching at 12 noon (I don´t think lunch is served that early anywhere, though).
Posted by
NC
433 posts
Two restaurant suggestions for Madrid: Tres por Cuatro and SDD2. We made reservations at both and both are small spaces so would recommend doing so. Tres por Cuatro is comprised of small tables served traditionally. The food is exceptional. SDD2 is counter service where the food is prepared in front of you. The food consists of inventive, delicious small plates. Atmosphere is fun!