Casa Vito: an informal and fun Italian at Juan Bravo
Casa Vito stands out as a singular character, a Neapolitan from a novel in the heart of Madrid. A man with a white shirt stained by tomato and a simple apron, the 43-year-old proprietor of a doorway that opens into Bravo invites guests to linger over a meal. The spirit is warm, the vibes casual, and the family feel runs through every dish. Sunday brings the family touch—nonna joins the kitchen, as in any true Italian home.
Comfortable, home-style cooking sits on white and red checkered cloths. Classic pastas appear alongside seafood options: spaghetti with meatballs and tomatoes; squid ink linguine or sea treasures such as monkfish, squid, and prawns. Food is served on traditional white and blue enamel plates, with crisp pizzas like margarita, four cheeses, mortadella, or diavola, and complemented by bolognese with fresh basil. Caesar salad, vitello tonnato, and a medley of vegetables round out the menu.
There is plenty to share, and for dessert the tiramisu or a cheesecake with a smoky finish caps the experience.
Gunpowder: Mediterranean, Latin and Asian fusion
Gunpowder, a 23-year-old staple on Juan Bravo, delivers a creative cuisine that blends diverse cultures. Prime national ingredients meet techniques and flavors from around the globe, especially Latin American, with nods to Creole and Asian influences.
The fusion of Hispanic, Latino, and Eastern palettes shows in dishes like the Cuban Sandwich—pegged pork with a special house wing sauce—Lima cause with pork croquettes and Norwegian lobster, and a Russian salad featuring crispy shrimp. Charcoal grilling adds a distinct touch to many dishes, including Iberian plums. Coquelet tacos or beef rib tacos with Sinaloa sauce are cooked slowly in a Josper oven, finished with its own lacquered juices. Side dishes include Canarian potatoes with foie gras, fried broccoli with kimchi, grilled avocado, or aligot made with truffles.
Emblematic Bar H: a tribute to a lifetime of good bars
On Castello Street, 83, Bar H represents a new gastronomic bet for lovers of fine dining, paying homage to the idea of good bars for a lifetime. The day begins with 8am offerings—churros and porras for breakfast, croissants, buttered tomato bread, fresh fruit, mixed sandwiches, avocado toast, or a potato omelet.
Afternoons shift to snacks and small plates: skewers, tiger prawns, torreznos, gildas, shrimp Scampi, anchovies in vinegar, Russian salad, or laminated bravas. The menu also features hearty favorites like the chef’s white shrimp rice from Huelva, veal meatballs with a thin socarrat and alioli dots, and coca-style baked potatoes. Mondays through Thursdays bring a rotating home-style daily dish.
Desserts include a biscuit-based cream cheesecake.
Salitre: a tavern to share
Salitre sits at Juan Bravo 25 as a casual brewery-style meeting point, a place to enjoy good product and a welcoming atmosphere while friends tour Madrid. It opens at 16:30 on weekdays and expands to vermouth and aperitifs on weekends.
Afternoon specials include red tuna tartare, steak tartare, red shrimp, and anchovies from Santoña, plus Galician empanadas, Iberian ham, roasted peppers, cheese boards, and Iberian ham from Dehesa de Extremadura. The seafood selection features oysters, scallops, shrimp from Huelva, and marinated options.
From 20:00 onward, the menu grows with dishes such as roasted artichokes with garlic chips and ham salt, Betanzos-style potato omelet with free-range eggs, crab roll, beef ribs, rib-eye carving, duck cannelloni, and Iberian pork cheeks.
Hevia: traditional details with nourishing corujas
Hevia, in the Salamanca neighborhood on Serrano 118, celebrates traditional cuisine in a classic setting. On hot days, seasonally fresh corujas—germinated shoots—provide a bright, nutritious accent that enriches both humble and gourmet dishes and elevates salads.
Hevia is also famed for its long-running bar period, over eight decades, and its gourmet skewers. Signature offerings feature Russian salad with ventresca, tomato salad, salmorejo, white and red shrimp, eel, salmon, cod, marinated bonito, goose liver and fresh bread, Galician squid in tempura, and a standout potato omelet, either classic or with tripe. Bone marrow is another sought-after dish.
Cilindro: The power and variety of Peruvian cuisine in exquisite portions
The strength of Peruvian gastronomy shines at Calle de Don Ramón de la Cruz, 83, in Madrid’s Barrio de Salamanca, where the chef Mario Cespedes leads Cilindro, offering slow-cooked casseroles and layered dips.
The menu emphasizes sharing and tasting, with full or half portions available. Notable starters include refined Asturian corn bao, stuffed with oxtail and rocoto, and the Asturian roll with chifa sauce filled with beef stew. Boiled old cow with chorizo and oriental spices makes an appearance as well.
Ceviche and offal remain central, with anticucho and gyozas adding variety. New additions include beef ribs with truffles and paprika, and Cilindro Rachi tripe with Asturias blood sausage.
La Flaca: the classics never die
La Flaca stands as a Madrid nightlife icon within Calle Serrano. It merges the tavern and cocktail bar concept with traditional Spanish cuisine, retaining the tasca spirit even as live music becomes part of the scene.
The menu showcases hearty favorites such as a grilled Galician blond ribeye with potatoes, grilled octopus with potatoes, Canary and Kalamata mojo, squid buns with lemon zest and paprika mayo, chorizo al infierno, tiger mussel croquettes, and baby squid prepared in La Flaca style. The atmosphere is as much a draw as the food, inviting guests to linger and enjoy.