There is no better way to celebrate World Pulses Day than with one of the flagships of Spanish gastronomy: the fabada. In Madrid they hide hundreds of asturian restaurants who each year compete for the award for the best stew in town. Today we take a tour of these temples and stop at those that should appear in all guides.
Hortensia House, Madrid.
HORTENSIA HOUSE (Pharmacy, 2)
Has become one of the classics as far as Asturian gastronomy is concerned in the capital. A restaurant and cider house hidden in the heart of the Chueca neighborhood, it is on its way to its fourth decade of operation and already has the recognition of the best bean stew in Madrid in 2015 and the second best in the world in 2021.
Adela Gutiérrez is in charge of preparing this bean stew that, although it has a powerful flavor, is not heavy despite the fact that the dish is abundant. Their croquettes and their sweet coffee They are the perfect travel companions in this extrasensory experience available to everyone.
Ingazu, Alcorcon.
INGAZU (Paseo Castilla, 7. Alcorcón)
We have to move to the municipality of Alcorcón to find one of the temples of the cachopo that the Community of Madrid has. In Ingazu they not only know about cachopos (they serve one in the restaurant that weighs almost a kilo) and Asturian cheeses but they have a fabada that delights the south of Madrid.
It is not in vain that the door of the restaurant exhibits the sign of the regulatory council that certifies that the beans with which they cook have denomination of origin. Fabada, traditional, beans with clams, Asturian stew and an exquisite fried milk among the assortment of its homemade desserts for those who are able to reach them.
CARUS (Burnt House, 1)
If we want to find one of the best fabadas in Madrid we have to leave the center well and arrive almost to Majadahonda, at the end of the neighborhood of El Plantío. Here we find Carús, an old-fashioned eating house that has been able to become more sophisticated over the years without losing its taste for the traditional, such as the checkered clothing on its tables.
And so is his fabada, traditional, without frills and with a considerable amount of compango , which does not lack its black pudding and its Asturian chorizo. Fabada to dip, to pair with its many wine references and, above all, to enjoy without haste.
ARTHUR INN (Bering Sea, 9)
On many occasions, the restaurants that attract the least attention are those that hide real genius. This is what happens with Sidrería Arturo, located in the neighborhood of Hortaleza, a tiny inn on the corner of one of those residential alleys you don't pass by by chance.
Neighborhood bar, Asturian ear and chorizo in cider. Its fabada, in a clay pot, is forceful where there is and usually causes a good mass of people who come to put on his boots there every weekend. It is small and fills up in no time, so it is advisable to book in advance.
The Leaf, Madrid.
THE SHEET (Dr Castelo, 48)
That Ibiza street has established itself as the gastro street of Madrid is already indisputable. In the parallel Doctor Castelo is where you can come across the bean stew of La Hoja, flagship of Don Paco's restaurant, a well-known Asturian in his land for his work in the capital.
The bean stew from La Hoja is full of flavour, with a thick texture and a lot of personality, perfect to accompany its incredible scorpion fish cake or its torreznos. Very close is the Couzapín cider house, another alternative for fabada lovers that they have not been able to reserve in La Hoja.
The Trasgu, Torrelodones.
THE TRASGU (Cudillero, 2. Torrelodones)
It is possible that you cannot understand the fabada culture that exists in Madrid if you have not tried the fabada from El Trasgu, in Torrelodones. marked as u One of the best in all of Madrid (it was in 2020), the Pozueco family has managed to preserve the Asturian spirit in a restaurant that smells of wood, like those of yesteryear.
Its fabada is made with care and patience, a product with a protected designation of origin and above all simplicity and neatness. Of course, it is not an ideal place for tight pockets. The good, you pay.
The fabada of Cruz Blanca Vallecas.
THE WHITE CROSS OF VALLECAS (Carlos Martin Alvarez, 58)
have one of the cooked most reputable in the capital, a award-winning garlic rabbit and, of course, its fabada is from another world and is well known inside and outside the Vallecas neighborhood. Antonio Cosmen don't forget your Warlocks native nor the hug he gives you when you arrive at his house and he makes it yours.
Expert in cooking everything over a super slow heat, Cosmen's bean stew is generous and very local, made with Asturian products and a lot of love. To digest slowly, maybe that's why the after-meals in the Cruz Blanca de Vallecas are always so fantastic.
Ordas Brothers, Madrid.
ORDAS BROTHERS (Diego de Leon, 63)
Grandma's kitchen concept taken to the nth power. Although it is one of the reference sites as far as cachopo is concerned, the fabada of the firewood stoves of Hermanos Ordás has been around for more than half a century making us sigh in the Salamanca district.
It may not be the one that appears in all the guides but that is not what matters. What really counts is the substance of what you find on your plate, the generosity and that rice pudding with which to finish the feast. And, of course, with the Asturias seal: a lot of quantity and a lot of quality.
Ormaza House, Madrid.
ORMAZA HOUSE (Infant Maria Teresa, 15)
We move to the outskirts of the Colombia metro to find a true jewel of the fabada. We arrived at the house of Paloma García, an Asturian of pure strain that in her small dining room knows how to trigger the five senses with her bean stew.
Fabada with her well-deserved compango and accompanied by Gamoneu's croquettes that only she knows how to make, for those who are not satisfied with a single dish. Here you have to ask for bread because it is essential to wet and wet, and the rest is nonsense. And to finish the magic words: cake of the house.
THE NERU (Embroiders, 5)
We cannot close this list without The classic among classics. He is reputed to be the most traditional Asturian in the capital and he has plenty of reasons. He was recognized for the best bean stew in the world in 2015 and, today, it is a place of pilgrimage for lovers of good Asturian food.
Bacon, chorizo, black pudding and a good balance between paprika and saffron They are the keys to a fabada that has never been off the podium. that and the generous tapas that make El Ñeru bursting at the seams every weekend.