This popular, long-established Basque restaurant serves some of the most outstanding meat and fish in Madrid. It has a few satellites now, but the original is more old-fashioned, and still has a jolly waitstaff. Appetizers include anchoa fresca (fresh grilled anchovies) and pimientos rellenos con bacalao (peppers stuffed with cod). The huge, delicious chuleton (T-bone steak), seared on a charcoal grill and lightly sprinkled with sea salt, is for two or more; order cogollo de lechuga (lettuce hearts) or another vegetable to accompany it. The tender cocochas de merluza (hake morsels in green parsely sauce) are deliciously light. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Botín
Cuchilleros 17, off Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/366-4217
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Spanish

The Guinness Book of Records calls this the world's oldest restaurant (1725), and Hemingway called it the best. The latter claim may be a bit over the top, but the restaurant is excellent and extremely charming (and so successful that the owners opened a "branch" in Miami, Florida, in 1998). There are four floors of tiled, wood-beamed dining rooms, and if you're seated upstairs you'll pass ovens dating back several centuries. Musical groups called tunas often drop in to meander among the tourist hordes in traditional garb. Essential specialties are cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) and cordero asado (roast lamb). It is said that Goya washed dishes here before he made it as a painter. AE, DC, MC, V.

Casa Lastra
Olivar 3, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/369-0837
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Spanish

Established in 1926, this little Asturian restaurant-bar is popular with locals in the charming Lavapié district. It has a distinctly rustic feel, its half-tiled walls strung with relics from the Asturian countryside, including wooden clogs and cow bells along with sausages and garlic. Specialites include fabada (Asturian ham and white-bean stew), fabas con almejas (white beans with clams), and queso de cabrales, Spain's super-tangy blue cheese, made in the Picos de Europa from a mixture of milk from cows, goats, and sheep. Desserts include baked apples. Great hunks of crisp bread and hard Asturian cider can complement a hearty meal on a EUR13 weekday set menu. AE, MC, V. Closed Wed. and July. No dinner Sun.

Casa Mingo
Paseo de la Florida 2, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/547-7918
Under EUR11
Madrid
Spanish

Resembling an Asturian cider tavern, Casa Mingo is built into a stone wall beneath the Estación del Norte, across the street from the hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida. It's a bustling place; you share long plank tables with other diners, and the only items on the menu are succulent roast chicken, salad, and sausages, all to be washed down with numerous bottles of sidra (hard cider). Small tables are set up on the sidewalk in summer. Get here early (1 for lunch, 8:30 for dinner) if you want to avoid a wait. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards.

Casa Paco
Puerta Cerrada 11, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/366-3166
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Spanish

This popular Castilian tavern wouldn't have looked out of place two or three centuries ago. Squeeze your way past the old, zinc-topped bar, always crowded with Madrileños downing shots of red wine, and into the tiled dining rooms. People come here to feast on thick slabs of red meat, served sizzling on plates so hot that the meat continues to cook at your table. The beef is superb, and the Spanish consider overcooking a sin, so be prepared for looks of dismay if you ask for your meat well done (bien hecho). You order by weight, so remember that a medio kilo is more than a pound. Try the pisto manchego (the La Mancha version of ratatouille) to start. DC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug.

Casa Vallejo
San Lorenzo 9, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/308-6158
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Spanish

With its homey dining room, friendly staff, creative menu, and reasonable prices, Casa Vallejo is a well-kept secret of Madrid's low-budget foodies. Try the tomato, zucchini, and cheese tart or artichokes and clams to start; follow up with duck breast in prune sauce or meatballs made with lamb, almonds, and pine nuts. The fudge-and-raspberry pie alone is worth the trip. Reservations essential. MC, V. Closed Sun. No dinner Mon.

Champagnería Gala
Moratín 22, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/429-2562
Under EUR11
Madrid
Mediterranean

Hidden on a back street not far from Calle Atocha and the Reina Sofia museum, this cheerful Mediterranean restaurant is usually packed thanks to its fixed-price three-course menus with wine, which offer a choice of paellas, fideus (paellas with noodles instead of rice), risottos, and hearty bean stews. Only cava, Catalan sparkling wine, costs extra. The front dining area is a kaleidoscope of painted color, particularly red; the back area incorporates trees and plants in a glassed-in patio. Reservations essential. . No credit cards.

Ciao
Apodaca 20, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/447-0036
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Italian

Always noisy and packed with happy diners, Ciao is Madrid's best Italian restaurant. Homemade pastas, like tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and panzarotti stuffed with spinach and ricotta, are popular as inexpensive main courses; but the kitchen also turns out credible versions of osso buco and veal scallopini, accompanied by a good selection of Italian wines. The decor - mirrored walls and sleek black furniture - convincingly evokes fashionable Milan. A second location run by the owner's sons and daughter, also serves pizza. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.

Cornucopia en Descalzas
Flora 1, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/547-6465
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Contemporary

Owned by two Americans, a Frenchman, and a Spaniard, this young, friendly restaurant on the second floor of an old mansion (just off the Plaza de las Descalzas Reales) serves what it calls Euro-American cuisine. The menu changes with the season; possibilities include grilled entrecôte marinated in bourbon and honey, bream on a dill compote, and stewed rabbit with tomatoes, onion, and thyme. In winter, the restaurant becomes a tearoom Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 8. AE, MC, V. Closed Easter wk and last two wks in Aug.

El Cenador del Prado
C. del Prado 4, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/429-1561
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Eclectic

The name means "The Prado Dining Room," and the settings are a Baroque salon and a plant-filled conservatory. The Cenador's innovative menu has French and Asian touches, as well as exotic Spanish dishes that rarely appear in restaurants. The house specialty is patatas a la importancia (sliced potatoes fried in a sauce of garlic, parsley, and clams); other possibilities include shellfish consommé with ginger ravioli, veal and eggplant in béchamel, and venison with prunes. For dessert try the bartolillos, custard-filled pastries. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug. 1-15. No lunch Sat.

El Pescador
José Ortega y Gasset 75, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/402-1290
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Seafood

Locals swear that seafood served in Madrid is fresher than in the coastal towns where it was caught. That's probably an exaggeration, but El Pescador, one of Madrid's most respected seafood restaurants, makes it seem plausible. Stop for a drink at the bar and savor the aromas wafting from the kitchen, where skilled chefs dressed in fishermen's smocks prepare shellfish just behind the counter. Among the tapas, the salpicón de mariscos (mussels, lobster, shrimp, and onions in vinaigrette) is incredible. The best dish on the dinner menu is lenguado Evaristo (grilled sole), named for the restaurant's owner. When it's busy, the place can be cheerful and noisy, with dockside-rustic decor: lobster-pot lamps, red-and-white-check tablecloths, and rough-hewn posts and beams. Unfortunately, the waiters can be disagreeably surly. MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug.

Ginza Sushi Bar
Plaza de las Cortes 3, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/429-7619
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Japanese

Madrid's first Japanese sushi bar, Ginza opened at the end of 1999, handily located opposite American Express and the Palace Hotel, near the Thyssen and Prado museums. The conveyor belt does a brisk business, with plates priced between EUR1- EUR5, and there's a sit-down restaurant upstairs. The staff is cheerful, and Spain's fresh fish is perfect for the tasty morsels. You can reserve seats at the bar. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Mon.

Horcher
Alfonso XII 6, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/522-0731
Over EUR36
Madrid
Contemporary

Housed in a luxurious mansion at the edge of the Parque del Retiro, this classic restaurant is renowned for hearty but elegant fare served with impeccable style. Specialties include the kinds of game dishes traditionally favored by Spanish aristocracy: wild boar, venison, roast wild duck with almond croquettes. The star appetizer is lobster salad with truffles. Dishes like stroganoff with mustard, pork chops with sauerkraut, and baumkuchen (a chocolate-covered fruit and cake dessert) reflect the restaurant's Germanic roots. (The Horcher family operated a restaurant in Berlin at the turn of the 20th century.) The intimate dining room is decorated with rust-colored brocade and antique Austrian porcelain, and a wide selection of French and German wines rounds out the menu. Jacket and tie are required. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug. No lunch Sat.

Iroco
Velázquez 18, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/431-7381
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Spanish

This large, stylish, green-walled establishment is popular with businesspeople at lunch and trendy folk in the evening. In summer, reservations are essential for tables on the garden patio, where Crown Prince Felipe has been spotted. The nueva cocina (nouvelle cuisine) is well presented, and the set lunch menu is good value. Classic dishes include prawn rolls, hake in green asparagus sauce, and chocolate mousse. Reservations essential.AE, DC, MC, V.

La Biotika
Amor de Dios 3, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/429-0780
Under EUR11
Madrid
Vegetarian

A vegetarian's dream in the heart of the bar district just east of Plaza Santa Ana, this small, cozy restaurant serves macrobiotic vegetarian cuisine seven days a week. Enormous salads, hearty soups, fresh bread, and creative tofu dishes make the meal flavorful as well as healthy. A small shop at the entrance sells macrobiotic groceries. No credit cards.

La Bola
Bola 5, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/547-6930
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Spanish

First opened as a botellería (wine shop) in 1802, La Bola developed slowly into a tapas bar and eventually into a full-fledged restaurant. Tradition is the main draw; blood-red paneling outside beckons you into the original bar and the cozy dining nooks, decorated with polished wood, Spanish tile, and lace curtains. The restaurant still belongs to the founding family, with the seventh generation currently in training. Dinner is served, but the house specialty is that quintessential Madrid meal cocido a la madrileña, served only at lunch and accompanied by crusty bread and a hearty red wine. No credit cards. No dinner Sun.

La Cacharrería
Moreiria 9, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/365-3930
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Contemporary

The name of this restaurant in the medieval quarter means "junkyard," and it's reflected in the funky decor - a mix of dusty calico, old lace, and gilt mirrors. The cooking, however, is decidedly upscale, with a market-based menu that changes daily and an excellent selection of wines. Venison stew and fresh tuna steaks with cava (sparkling white wine from Catalonia) and leeks have been among the specialties. Whatever else you order, save room for the homemade lemon tart. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.

La Cava Real
Espronceda 34, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/442-5432
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Spanish

Wine connoisseurs love the intimate atmosphere of this small bar-restaurant, which was Madrid's first true wine bar when it opened in 1983. Still part of Spain's largest wine club (Warning: no beer!), it's also open to the public, smartly decorated in plush reds and dark browns. There are a staggering 350 wines on offer, including 50 by the glass. The charming and experienced maître d', Chema Gómez, can help you choose. Chef Javier Collar designs good-value menus around various wines, and the à la carte selection is plentiful, mainly nueva cocina with game in season as well as fancy desserts and cheeses. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug.

La Gamella
Alfonso XII 4, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/532-4509
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Contemporary

American-born chef Dick Stephens has created a new, reasonably priced menu at this perennially popular dinner spot. The sophisticated rust-red dining room, batik tablecloths, oversize plates, and attentive service remain the same, but much of the nouvelle cuisine has been replaced by more traditional fare, such as chicken in garlic, beef bourguignon, and steak tartare à la Jack Daniels. A few of the old signature dishes, like sausage-and-red-pepper quiche and bittersweet chocolate pâté, remain. The lunchtime menú del día is a great value. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug. 15-30. No lunch Sat.

La Trainera
Lagasca 60, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/576-8035
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Seafood

With its nautical decor and maze of little dining rooms, this informal restaurant is all about fresh seafood - the best money can buy. Crab, lobster, shrimp, mussels, and a dozen other types of shellfish are served by weight in raciones (large portions). Although many Spanish diners share several plates of these shellfish as their entire meal, the grilled hake, sole, or turbot makes an unbeatable second course. Skip the listless house wine and go for a bottle of Albariño from the cellar. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug.

Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas
Cuchilleros 1, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/366-5428
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Spanish

Hidden just off the southwest corner of the Plaza Mayor, this "cave" is said to be the oldest tavern in Madrid and feels like the medieval cellar of a Spanish mansion. Popular with locals as well as travelers, it is divided into three sections. You're greeted by a host dressed as the bandit for whom the tavern is named, a 19th-century Madrid version of Robin Hood, and you enter through a long bar where noisy regulars drink and munch tapas. A low stone archway leads to a quieter area where you can sit on low benches, drink from a ceramic jar, and eat raciones of such tapas as mushrooms in garlic and cured ham. Farther inside are the dining areas, with painted scenes of old Madrid. Barbecued meats are the specialty, and portions are huge and heavy - for a light dinner, stay in the tapas lounge. A guitar player strolls through the ancient rooms, adding to the enchanting, if slightly touristy, atmosphere. AE, MC, V.

Lhardy
Carrera de San Jerónimo 8, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/522-2207
Over EUR36
Madrid
Spanish

Serving Madrid specialties in the same central location for more than 150 years, Lhardy looks pretty much the same as it must have on day one, with its dark-wood paneling, brass chandeliers, and red-velvet chairs. The menu offers international fare, but most diners come for the traditional cocido a la madrileña and callos a la madrileña. Game, sea bass in champagne sauce, and dessert soufflés are also finely prepared. The dining rooms are upstairs; the ground-floor entry doubles as a delicatessen and stand-up coffee bar that fills on chilly winter mornings with shivering souls sipping steaming-hot caldo (chicken broth) from silver urns. AE, DC, MC, V. No dinner Sun.

Nabucco
Hortaleza 108, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/310-0611
EUR11 to EUR24
Madrid
Italian

With pastel-washed walls and subtle lighting from gigantic, wrought-iron candelabras, this pizzeria and trattoria is a trendy but elegant haven in gritty Chueca. Fresh bread sticks and garlic olive oil show up within minutes of your arrival. The spinach, ricotta, and walnut ravioli is heavenly, and this may be the only Italian restaurant in Madrid where you can order (California-style?) barbecued-chicken pizza, although the four-cheese one is good as well. Considering the ambience and quality, the bill is a pleasant surprise. AE, MC, V.

Paradís
Marqués de Cuba 14, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/429-7303
EUR24 to EUR36
Madrid
Spanish

Paradís serves avant-garde Catalan cuisine in a stylish, sophisticated setting that's ideally suited for lunch. (It's brightly lit and touristy at dinnertime.) Magret of duck lacquered with spices, an assortment of sautéed wild mushrooms, and bacalao de Girona (cod in the traditional style of this Catalan town) are examples of the rich fare. Reservations essential. AE, DC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.

Sanabresa
Amor de Dios 12, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/429-0338
Under EUR11
Madrid
Spanish

Be prepared for bright lights, plastic plants, spotless white tablecloths, and diners glancing at the TV as they dig into classic, sensibly priced Spanish fare - hearty, wholesome meals like pechuga villaroy (breaded and fried chicken breast in béchamel) and, on Thursday, paella. The functional, pink-wall dining room is always crowded, so if you don't arrive early (1:30 for lunch or 8:30 for dinner), you'll probably have to wait. Reservations not accepted. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Aug.

Viridiana
Juan de Mena 14, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/531-5222
Over EUR36
Madrid
Contemporary

The trendiest of Madrid's top restaurants, Viridiana has a relaxed, somewhat cramped bistro atmosphere and black-and-white decor punctuated by prints from Luis Buñuel's classic anticlerical film (for which the place is named). Iconoclast chef Abraham Garcia says "market-based" is too narrow a description for his creative menu, though the list does change every two weeks depending on what's locally available. You might find red onions stuffed with morcilla (black pudding); soft flour tortillas wrapped around marinated fresh tuna; or filet mignon in white truffle sauce. If it's available, try the superb duck pâté drizzled with sherry and served with Tokay wine. The tangy grapefruit sherbet is a marvel. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun., Holy Week, and Aug.

Zalacaín
Alvarez de Baena 4, Madrid, Spain
Phone: 91/561-5935
Over EUR36
Madrid
French

A deep-apricot color scheme, set off by dark wood and gleaming silver, makes this restaurant look like an exclusive villa. Zalacaín introduced nouvelle cuisine to Spain and continues to set the pace 20 years later. Splurge on dishes like prawn salad in avocado vinaigrette, scallops and leeks in Albariño wine, and roast pheasant with truffles; or sample the chef's own choices with a tasting menu. Service is somewhat stuffy, and jackets are required. Reservations essential. AE, DC, V. Closed Sun., Aug., and Holy Week. No lunch Sat.