An authentic gastro laboratory
** FIASCHETTERIA LA SALETTA ** _(Santa Isabel, 5) _
Within the traditional Antón Martín market, this little Italian corner is one of the essentials for all lovers of authentic Italian homemade food. propose daily menus at good prices, a menu of pizzas with the perfect dough (the one with mozzarella and truffle is from another world), calzones, porchettas, burratas, risottos and traditional nona sweets . If you don't know what to order, ask Jonny, the manager, and he will surely offer you a dish that you won't be able to forget for a long time.
ROSSINI SYMPHONY _(Duke of Medinaceli, 12) _
The young chef Gianni Pinto is behind the stove of this small and charming restaurant in the center of Madrid where he gives free rein to his creativity presented totally reinterpreted traditional dishes . Here you will not find a simple pasta dish, but rather small gastronomic works of art. For example, the classic burrata is served in a smooth liquefied cream with chilli caviar, sea urchins and crusty bread with aglio, olio and peperoncino. From their pastas, order the pumpkin ravioli with a light gorgonzola siphon and amaretti biscuit, with all the essence of the original Mantovana recipe. And for dessert, a tiramisu that, without changing its original flavor, is presented in a sphere of white cocoa butter enveloping the soft mascarpone cream and on a land of expresso coffee. Appetizing, right?
burrata cream
TRATTORIA MANZONI _(Breton of the Blacksmiths, 13) _
Entering this restaurant is like entering a hidden trattoria in Rome's Trastevere or in a corner of beautiful Tuscany. Manzoni is a place of pilgrimage for lovers of thin-crust pizzas and al dente pasta . Also, since the beginning of 2016 we have a new excuse to visit: its menu includes some of its specialties in portion format or tapas, for those looking for just a snack . We can order Italian toasts, such as the classic bresaola and arugula bruschetta, the vitelo tonnato or the poached egg and black truffle toast. They also serve half portions of their stuffed pastas and risottos; and of their oval pizzas made in a wood-fired oven you can order only one half. Although with the look they have, who doesn't eat a whole one? Do not miss the opportunity to try his quail egg pizza with potatoes, camembert cream and white truffle oil . exquisite. And to accompany, they offer excellent wines and Italian beers on their menu.
Poached Egg Bruschetta
** DA GIUSEPPINA ** _(Trafalgar, 17) _
In the Chamberí neighborhood is this Italian that welcomes us with its 10 little tables with red checkered tablecloths and its shelves full of Italian products. AND he Sardinian Ignazio Deias owns it, a true master in capturing like no one else the true spirit of his land and his roots in Da Giuseppina's recipes . She loves bringing in seasonal white truffles from Piedmont and using them to prepare dishes like I tajarin (thin egg noodles with butter), Gnocchi di patata alla bava (potato gnocchi in Parmesan cream) and Risotto alla parmigiana with carnaroli invecchiato (rice of carnaroli variety with Parmesan cheese). Another classic that is very popular in this restaurant is its Malloreddus with pecorino and tartufo nero cream (you can translate it or trust us and try it directly). And best of all: in your store you can take home anything from cured meats to artisan pastas, grappas, wines and beers. Everything made in Italy.
THE PASTAIO _(Rio Rosas, 49) _
This modestly decorated little restaurant is another temple of good Italian food. Every day, in his workshop, They prepare fresh pasta like in Italy, without preservatives or dyes. They serve it cooked perfectly al dente and with very successful homemade sauces. If you order the pasta with tartufo, they grate the truffle on the table, in front of you, to achieve maximum aroma and freshness. They serve menu of the day at good prices and the cappuccinos are prepared for you with a smiley face painted on their foam . On the same street as the restaurant, they have an Italian products store where, in addition to fresh pasta, they offer delicious cheeses from different parts of Italy.
Noodles with butter and truffle
THE PASTRY _(Fernán González, 37) _
Entering the Pasteria is like traveling to Abruzzo , the green region that saw the birth of the family of its owners, Rosaura Valentini and Alejandro Gaglione. Located very close to El Retiro, this restaurant is also a shop, laboratory and a workshop where diners can learn all the secrets about Italy's most emblematic products. They make all their pasta and sauces daily in a laboratory that is also a showcase that can be seen from the street. The best spaghetti, tortellini, fettuccine, maccheroni, agnolitti, casarecce and ravioli come from here. For us, their star dish is undoubtedly the fettuccine alla road , a long pasta in a cream, speck and cheese sauce, whose cooking is finished in a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months. The sweet touch is provided by desserts such as panna cotta or tiramisu, one hundred percent Italian and one hundred percent homemade. His store is another trip to Italy where you can buy imported cheeses, stuffed focaccia, artisan ice cream and many other gourmet products from the country of the boot.
Good meats and good wines
EMMA AND JULIA _(Lower Cellar, 19) _
We already said once in Traveler that this restaurant served some of the most delicious Italian pizzas in all of Madrid. Well, we confirm it again. And not only that, we also include the rest of Emma and Julia's recipes among the most authentic and tasty. With 18 years behind it, this restaurant in the La Latina neighborhood has become a classic of Cava Baja. The success of their pizzas is due to the Italian stone oven with which they are baked and to the fact that the ingredients are fresh and of the highest quality. We love their brie, Italian cecina and tartufo pizzas. The rest of his kitchen is fresh, careful and demanding. Try their courgette flowers stuffed with mozzarella or their fettucini with boletus and truffle. They will not disappoint you. And all in a homey atmosphere that will make you want to come back before you've left.
Do you want, right?
DON GIOVANNI _(Paseo de la Reina Cristina, 23) _
This restaurant is another authentic piacere of Italian cuisine. Truffles and their gin menu (with more than 160 types) are two of its strong points. Its hall is adorned with wind instruments and its chef, Andrea Tumbarello, is a Sicilian of pure zepa . Don Giovanni's menu allows us to travel through Italian gastronomy, through its flavors, its aromas and its textures. We find antipasti made from grilled vegetables and pickles; several types of risottos, a wide variety of stuffed pasta and 20 kinds of pizza! You cannot leave without trying the fresh pasta alla carbonara and the spaghetti al aglio e olio, made according to Andrea's grandfather's recipe. Another proof of its authenticity is that Don Giovanni is a place of reference among Italians living in Madrid. There must be a reason...
A chic and delicious restaurant
FORTE _(Serrano, 85) _
In a cosmopolitan, elegant and chic place on Calle Serrano we find this other tribute to Italian gastronomy where everyone (yes everyone!) matters every week. the ingredients they use in their kitchen from different regions of Italy . A map of the country of the boot with the title _I nostri ingredienti s_points out where each specialty served at the table comes from. Their oval pizzas, made in an Italian stone-based oven, use a sourdough prepared daily with various artisan flours (also Italian) that are left to ferment for 48 hours. A small detail that is very noticeable in the quality of the dough. The decoration of the place is wonderful: the light creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and some bottles serve as lamps and vases on the walls. Two more pluses: Forte is the only place in Madrid where they serve a Nastro Azzurro beer on tap. And a homemade Italian mortadella (made by the grandfather of one of the owners in Rome) that takes the senses!
Italian and homemade sausage
BALLARO FORNERY _(Santa Engracia, 90) _
Chema, Rafa and Angelo are the three partners who have founded this restaurant where the great protagonist is the wood oven . They have always had it very clear, they wanted to open " the best pizzeria east of the Mississippi with a culinary proposal that revolves around the oven ". And the truth is that they are not doing badly at all. In their wood-fired oven they not only cook delicious pizzas with a fine, long-fermented dough, but also many other recipes such as traditional lasagna, linguine aglio and peperonchino or caseccere alla diavola. For dessert, they are masters at making cannelli and panna cotta that they serve with passion fruit jam. To accompany the meal, the best is an Italian wine. And if you dare, ask for a limoncello. They serve it in bulk.
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