Mexican cuisine has crossed all borders and has become one of the most popular in our country. When the Peruvians, Japanese and Thais had not yet landed in Madrid, the Aztec country already triumphed in the capital . But, like all fashions, this rage for spicy had and has its Achilles heel: the bad habit of confusing Mexican food with Tex-Mex. The latter is the reinterpretation that the United States gave to those tasty dishes that the Mexicans imported to Texas.
We all know that the United States is not a country that stands out for its food, so we should stop the tex-mex in the home delivery section or fast food and begin to recognize and value the true Mexican gastronomy. A celebration of the senses, an explosion of flavor and color, a warmth dominated by chicken, pork, avocado, beans and, of course, spicy. If you want savor the authentic and eat a little piece of Mexico in Madrid, keep reading.
Mexican love.
BETWEEN SIGH AND SIGH
A pleasant restaurant in the tourist center of Madrid, next to the Opera Square . Decorated with works of art for sale, bottles of tequila and typical elements that represent the country of Frida Kahlo. Nothing ostentatious and where you can enjoy both a company dinner and with your partner.
We know that ceviche is more typical of Peruvian gastronomy, but if you don't order a starter of white fish with green mango, mint and onion you will regret it. The classic cochinita pibil –shredded pork prepared with axiote and orange juice– is a sure hit and adapts to all palates (it is not spicy). The sirloin with mole –Iberian pork tenderloin fillets with mole poblano– goes more unnoticed, as does the guacamole. In general, it is a restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. with a correct and unpretentious kitchen, and an attentive and native service.
You can't leave without trying one Manchamanteles: pork in ancho chili sauce, cumin, pineapple and cinnamon (Caños del Peral, 3).
TAQUERIA MY CITY
The original is located on Calle de las Fuentes (between Ópera and Plaza Mayor), but they have three more premises. It is a humble taqueria, with a very small space , to eat at a bar at a very affordable price, a menu as simple as the establishment. That yes, the tacos have different degrees of spiciness . For the classics cochinita pibil and guacamole (the tortilla chips could be better). For the risk takers chicken tinga and pork in green sauce.
You cannot leave without trying: the daisies. You will become addicted to the tamarind one (Fuentes, 11; Rows, 5; Conde Duque, 30; Infantas, 9).
TEPIC
Several years he had been reaping successes in Chueca this urban restaurant of classic Mexican gastronomy. And do not think that it has disappeared, simply they have moved to the Salamanca neighborhood to continue succeeding . This change has been for the better, a larger location, a modern decoration even more careful and a menu that is still excellent . It is difficult to catch them in a resignation.
tacos al pastor –marinated pork accompanied by onion, pineapple and cilantro– are a classic, and the panuchos At the very least, they resemble those of some Mexican grandmother. If you want to risk snack (incoming) ask for aguachile A ceviche that is prepared in the Sinaloa region, where the protagonist is the shrimp – the seafood is characteristic of this region of the Aztec country – accompanied by cucumber, avocado and red onion, all macerated in lime juice.
Don't forget to wash everything down with a good cocktail, a dove, simple but effective . If you are a mezcal lover, dare with a Mezcaltonic, a cryoinfused with orange and red fruits.
In this restaurant they think of everything and the trend of vegetarianism has not escaped them, having tacos on the menu for those who do not eat meat. A very practical and supportive consideration for these times. No one will be left without tasting the flavor of Mexico. Another plus: all tacos are served with corn or wheat tortilla , your choice.
You cannot leave without trying: the mexican fritters, with vanilla ice cream from Papantla and bathed in cajeta or Oaxacan chocolate (Ayala, 14).
Tacos Chapultepec
If you work around Fuencarral street or in the Barrio de las Letras, it is an excellent option to enjoy Mexican cuisine during the week. Quesadillas, tacos, gringa, wire and tamales... all accompanied by tortilla chips to choose with guacamole or with refried beans with cheese. Despite being a humble establishment, with few tables, the food is more than satisfactory.
It is recommended the mole chicken –chicken breast bathed in a sauce made with chocolate, peanuts, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds and lots of seeds, chili peppers and spices–, with the exact point of spiciness. And the chicken tinga –shredded chicken breast in a sauce based on onion, tomato and chipotle chili–, very soft, despite the chipotle.
You cannot leave without trying: the gringa, a quesadilla with a double wheat tortilla filled with meat al pastor with cheese, a touch of pineapple –almost imperceptible– and cilantro (Cardenal Cisneros, 13).
DISH
“Forget the spotlights. Although you are on a set, nobody looks at you. This is your time to enjoy all the flavors, let yourself be carried away by the textures and be, for one day, the star”, with this inspiring phrase you are received in this restaurant where Spanish and Mexican gastronomy coexist. For this reason, in its menu you will find the same one free-range egg on boletus and foie mousse, wild mushrooms with ham and Chinese spring onion that a governor taco of prawns, pico de gallo and Idiazabal cheese.
Located in the center of Madrid, between Cibeles and Neptuno, Plató is a pleasant respite from the tourist hubbub of the area that boasts a comfortable terrace and modern interior . The service is another of its strong points: attention and good recommendations.
You cannot leave without trying: hot artisan wheat tortilla tacos with marinated Baltic herring and Veracruz-style guacamole with mango. A unique flavor (Plaza de la Lealtad, 3).
THE JALAPENO
A hidden and small Mexican tavern located in the vicinity of the Bernabéu. A typical kitchen, unpretentious and with a short but sufficient menu. The quantities are reasonable and the price accordingly. As there are few tables it is better to book in advance, although you always have the option take away in case you've run out of room. The tasting menu is a safe and abundant hit: Mexican lasagna, Mexican chorizo, chilaquiles (corn tortilla with green or red sauce, chicken and baked gratin)…
Highlights the attention of the staff, that recommends and even advises how to eat the dishes, just in case you are new to tacos. Impeccable.
You cannot leave without trying: something as simple as nachos . They are delicious (Pedro Muguruza, 4).
WELL COMPADRE
A typical taqueria, whose atmosphere transports you to authentic Mexico, with traditional dishes. Order some delicious chorizo sopes –thick corn tortilla with refried beans, cream, fresh cheese and Mexican sauce–, the northern quesadilla –a wheat tortilla folded in half filled with machaca (dried beef cooked northern style) with cheese accompanied by guacamole, Mexican sauce and jalapeño sauce–, or perhaps a mole from Compadre.
You cannot leave without trying: their specialty is tacos al pastor , and its traditional desserts, such as the three milk cake and cajeta crepes (Pradillo, 30; Ctra. Fuencarral, 1 - C. Comercial Rio Norte II).
FISHER'S MADRID
landing of the first branch outside Mexico of this famous Mexican chain of fish and seafood restaurants It could not have had a better reception among the people of Madrid, who are more and more willing to have a great time in front of some tacos. Here the star is the shrimp taco, a family recipe that was born back in 1989. But there are also crystal shrimp crackling chalupas –on corn tortillas, passed through butter and green sauce with a touch of cream and fresh cheese– and Tajín lying rice, which is soupy and with octopus, prawns and cockles.
Located in the Salamanca district, nothing has in common the sophisticated interior design Fisher's Madrid –designed by Madrid in Love– with the rest of the premises of this restaurant chain that was born three decades ago in Naucalpan. The only thing they share is his seafaring soul.
You cannot leave without trying: the seafood soup, which is prepared in a clay pot at the moment so that it preserves all the nuances and flavors (Velázquez, 41).
BARRACUDA MX
When the chef Roberto Ruiz said goodbye to Punto MX, first Mexican restaurant in Europe to have a Michelin star, it was actually a see you later or, what amounts to the same thing, even this Mexican cuisine restaurant whose flavors and preparations come straight from the mexican pacific, from Ensenada and Baja California to Chiapas.
A lot of recipes parade through the menu with which you will never get bored: aguachile, ceviches from the north of Mexico, Charcoal beef loin with roasted garlic sauce and fermented chiles or toast pickled trotters with jalapeño peppers and ranch cream. And if by chance it ends up happening, you can always book a table at the new Mantarraya MX in Marbella.
You cannot leave without trying: the seabass to size with red guajillo chili marinade and green poblano chili marinade (Valenzuela, 7).
THE ONLY ONE
As we explained in an article not long ago, this restaurant is the first Mexican cuisine in Madrid. In other words, the chef from Madrid Andrés Madrigal has devised a menu in which the best product from here adopts shapes and flavors from there, or from Mexico.
Signature tacos, like the one from frayed duck or the one with mushrooms and aubergine from Almagro, They share prominence with other more Mediterranean ones. Who wouldn't want to try some governor with red shrimp or suckling pig from Sepúlveda?
The atmosphere is modern, as the Salamanca district dictates, but the authentic flavor of the recipes It reminds us of the most traditional dishes cooked on the other side of the pond.
You cannot leave without trying: wild sea bass from the Barbastro estuary, with guacamole, beans and arugula. oh! And leave room for the nicknamed Our metate chocolate and chai ice cream dessert, served with cocoa chips to coat the dish, clay, of course (Claudio Coello, 10).
RELUCTANT
Mexican market cuisine, this is how this restaurant is presented in which the "guacamole is the king of the menu", as its chef, Abel Martellotti, admits. And these are big words, because if the most basic is so authentic and delicious, nothing on the menu can go wrong. A pibil suckling pig with its homemade onion flavor over here, a taco of octopus marinated with three chili peppers, pasilla, guajillo and chile de arbol with lime over there and, to finish off the sensation, their version of the Lebanese taco, based on spiced lamb meat with garlic powder, ginger, oregano, cumin and crushed pikin chili.
Also, in the stylish Reluctant bar you can raid from a exotic and powerful acapulqueño ceviche to a healthy Nopales salad.
You cannot leave without trying: the tuna toast with a Mexican touch, the favorite of the legion of faithful followers of him (Almirante, 24).
IZTAC
This Mexican restaurant, whose revolutionized aesthetics –signed by the Freehand studio– contrasts with the traditional flavors that it offers in its menu, it leaves no one indifferent with its wide variety of dishes from all parts of Mexico. “32 states embodied in each of the creations”, they boast, and it is not for less, because the same thing we can order a green mole from Michoacan with pork cheeks that a Veracruz-style lying down rice.
You cannot leave without trying: a black aguachile –Sinaloan techniques for macerated prawns with lime juice together with Yucatecan flavors of the black recado accompanied by cucumber, red onion, radish and avocado (Plaza de la República de Ecuador, 4).
THANKS, DAD
You go to this Mexican restaurant with a cool aesthetic to take a picture next to the kiosk surrounded by plants and cacti –which evokes the beaches of Tulum– and stays for the intense flavors of its Informal taquería-tequilería. The genuine Mexican essence invades the attractive, fun and enjoyable proposal of this premises located in the Salamanca district, but also of the rest of the branches spread throughout the city.
The tortilla chips with guacamole, pico de gallo, melted cheese and beans, the green chilaquiles with chicken and the Rajas tamales with Oaxaca cheese. But you should not skip more forceful proposals such as chicharrón huaraches, the Corn Esquites Maya or the corn or corn on the cob. If you are looking for something more refreshing, order the acalpuqueno ceviche.
You cannot leave without trying: the surprising tacos of crispy fish from Baja California, that they prepare with crispy cod, pico de gallo, red cabbage and sour cream. Highly recommended (José Ortega y Gasset, 55).
SANTITA MEXICAN COAL
Santita keeps many (gastronomic) secrets, but one was revealed long ago in our report on this restaurant traditional mexican cuisine to enjoy and enjoy the most risky: the tacos pissed off with charcoal. Bold? Maybe. Delicious? That's for sure. At that time they were sweetbreads and now they are octopus, but they continue to intrigue as well as surprise. Another successful option, and just as smoked, are those of butterfish to the embers of the conqueror (in a blue corn tortilla and with roasted chili sauce, pineapple pico de gallo and pasilla chili rings).
You can't leave: without hitting some grilled baby ribs, glazed with chipotle barbecue sauce, sautéed peppers and wheat tortillas (Fuencarral, 74).
STREET 365
It has been impossible not to surrender to the Mexican rhythm of this furtive space, in the neighborhood of Las Letras, created in honor of Margarita Poblet, owner of a liquor store that in the 19th century she decided to create a speakeasy so she could track her exiled husband around the world, from whom she waited for news every year for 365 days.
Surrounded by graffiti artist Spaik , we can sink our teeth into tacos pal'antojo (suadero, cochinita pibil, etc.) or simply dedicate ourselves to ordering one cocktail after another: there are street ones (let's not forget that we are in a secret alley), such as a Sangre de Mezcal (hibiscus and jamaica water, mezcal, white and citrus vermouth), or more classic ones, such as the margarita friends (peach, strawberries and flowers or tropical).
You cannot leave without trying: a fantastic cocktail of those that only serve at the bar. a jaguar? Why not? Wild drinks are usually the most elusive, but the most appreciated (Echegaray, 18).
BURRITOS
As this article could not be so categorical, we have decided to include some Tex-Mex restaurants. There really are fucking burritos here! That yes, every time with greater quality and care in its preparation. You can opt for a more refined one, such as La Dama (grilled chicken, peppers, lettuce and pico de gallo) from brutal burrito, in Malasaña (San Bernardo, 64) and in Plaza de Lavapiés, or make one to your liking in Tierra, with more than a dozen establishments scattered throughout Madrid. Now it will only be you and the burrito. Who will end who?