We are in the middle of January and the options to go out to dinner are few, but I will share with you my ”BBB” (good, nice and cheap) restaurants in Madrid. Our credit cards may not exactly be in their best to shape for usage right now. But I will share with you these “good, nice and cheap” restaurants so you can continue enjoying the noble art of “eating out” 🙂
Their menu is based on fantastic quality raw materials offered in portions to share. They were the first in Madrid to raise the quality of the aperitif with high-quality vermouths and first-rate pickles. You can also consider a meal of portions to share for a reasonable price. And all this between Chueca and Gran Vía, an almost impossible mission. Its hits? The “croquetas de bacalao” (”cod croquettes”) and the “chuletón de tomate” (“tomato steak”).
Some years ago I visited this place, and they continue to succeed just like the first day. Its secret is to offer a variety of tapas in a very original format: low and wide glasses called “chatos” (“flats”). It’s a small oasis in a center of Madrid overwhelmed by franchises, and its “flats” are really good. You can order several and thus make a very varied meal, even through dessert, which they also put in a glass! There are few BBB restaurants in Madrid, but with this dose of originality there are even fewer.
A restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine with a creative touch, available all day and a casual atmosphere. Its location between Alonso Martínez and Chueca makes it perfect for a light dinner before going out to party. Its decor is Nordic and receives a lot of light through large windows. The evenings there are also very animated at the communal tables and the high table for the after-dinner cocktail.
One day making plans for a dinner with friends we decided to make a reservation in this small Lavapiés restaurant. It was a success. Its food is tasty and rich, without artifices, but with the most pint-sized dishes. And if not, look at the “goat cheese salad” in the photo that heads the paragraph. All their dishes distill mime and affection; and that translates into how pleasant the atmosphere of the place is. Of course, after a certain time the dinners give way to the reeds and the volume of the music rises to start the party. Undoubtedly, one of the BBB restaurants in Madrid with more “roll”.
There are few dishes more complete than the “Japanese ramen”. It has soup, fide, meat and vegetables; so it can work as a “single dish” at meal time. And if we talk about “ramen”, the guys from Ninja Ramen are true experts. It’s one of my favorite ”BBB” restaurants in Madrid because they have managed to create many variations from a single dish. Its latest creation is called “ramen volcánico” (“volcanic ramen”), and is the best option for the coldest days. Just don’t forget to ask for your bib before you start eating!
It’s one of the newcomers to the “hamburger” world of Madrid, but they already have 8 establishments between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. It’s offer is very clear: wings + hamburgers + milkshakes, authentic flavors and classic recipes. Its flagship is the “shack”, a super croquette stuffed with cheese, Portobello, jalapeño or bacon and chive. Come on, you can have delicious hamburgers at a low price and with top ingredients. It’s NOT the right place if you are on a diet, but if that day you have your cheat meal…
It’s a real classic when it comes to having a few beers with dinner in Lavapiés. It’s noisy and vintage, crowded and ordering at the bar is quite complicated. But if you can get one of the tables in the back so you don’t have to eat standing up, and you can sink your teeth into a freshly made “zapatilla”, it’s worth it. It’s not a place for fine dining, but it’s guaranteed that you will not go hungry all night. And if you order “croquettes” or “empanadillas”, you won’t eat breakfast the next morning… I don’t know if it can be included in the list of BBB restaurants in Madrid, but if you have little money, Melo’s is a real treasure.
If anyone thinks that hotdogs can’t be a gourmet meal, Paperboy will quickly remove that idea. In addition, their hotdogs are customizable as could be: five types of sausages with different breads and lots of different ingredients. From the most classic to crab, chili con carne, avocado, asparagus or carrots. They have the perfect hotdog for you, not to mention their fantastic Venezuelan “tequeños”. I think I’ll stop by their new premises on calle Luchana to discover their new recipes…
All these restaurants, whether they are Spanish or Japanese, have hamburgers or croquettes, they all have one thing in common: they are BBB restaurants in Madrid that will make you cope with the January expense. Because sometimes we go to restaurants with Michelin stars such as Coque Madrid and other times to restaurants under 15 euros, but always enjoying the food!
Translated by Story Of Madrid, the podcast about Madrid in English.
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