La Tasquita de Enfrente

Right off the Gran Vía, one of the city’s main thoroughfares, this discreet, brick-walled spot attracts politicians, restaurant critics and artists, who gather at lunchtime for the elegant New Spanish cooking of ingredient-obsessed chef Juanjo López Bedmar. There is no menu; regulars happily put themselves in Bedmar’s able hands.

We loved: Verdinas (green beans fresh off the vine) with sea urchins; truffles wrapped in Iberian ham; a greaseless version of a traditional Madrid tripe stew, studded with smoky charcuterie.