Paella is one of the star dishes of Mediterranean food. A succulent delicacy that seems to understand regions. It will be the water, the environment, or the ingredients, but the truth is that it is not the same to eat rice in the Levante area as in Asturias or Madrid. Can you eat good rice in Madrid without breaking the liver on the bill? This is what we will try to answer in this article, compiling the best restaurants in Madrid to have paella according to the reviews left by Google Maps users. In this case, without filtering the price, but indicating the price range indicated in the Google tool in each case. To enjoy!
THE 10 BEST RESTAURANTS TO EAT PAELLA IN MADRID
Don’t be fooled by that “paella” that is served in many, too many daily menus in Madrid restaurants. Eating good rice is possible in the capital of Spain, although you have to search a bit. In this case, we have done a general search throughout this city using the keyword paella, which leads you to the restaurant reviews in the Google tool. As always, we must consider the point of Google’s whim, which sometimes insists on highlighting some places that still have no more quality than the rest.
All in all, it must be said that it is difficult to find restaurants in Madrid that can be compared to going to a good coastal restaurant in the Levante area to have paella (or rice, if we get technical). But we can get quite close if we have a bit of calm when searching, especially if we don’t mind scratching our pockets.
1. ARROCERIA EL TRATO GASTROBAR €€
This restaurant on Fernando el Católico Street now has a good tradition, and many reviews confirm it. It won a contest in the town of Sueca to the south of Valencia in the Albufera area, where the best paella in Spain was sought. The comments are frankly positive, with an average rating of 4.7 stars out of five. And as for the price, more or less you will be paying 20 euros per serving of paella, with a minimum of two servings. There are many options to taste, from the mythical Señoret rice to soupy lobster rice, through paella with shrimp, black rice …
2. ARROCERIA D’STAPA MADRID
To find Arrocería D’stapa Madrid, you can walk around the Plaza Mayor and end up in this place, which has a high average of 4.6 stars out of five in the scores given by Google Maps users. Its paellas receive very good reviews, especially considering that this is a central restaurant (which is common for them to disappoint when they focus too much on tourism). The best thing about this place is that if you go with people who are not big fans of rice dishes, they also have some delicious dishes and starters, such as their low-temperature torreznos. As for the rice dishes, once again, you will be paying around 20 euros per portion, with some proposals as suggestive as rice with squid in Pedro Ximénez style.
3. MARINA VENTURA
Without leaving the downtown area, a short walk from Sol and the Congress of Deputies, we find Marina Ventura. This restaurant accumulates an average score of 4.5 stars out of five with more than 3,000 reviews (which is said soon). It has a fairly extensive menu where you can taste different dishes, but perhaps the most interesting is its paellas. The prices are not very high; for example, for 18 euros per person, you have a Valencian paella with chicken and beans.
4. LEVANTE RICE
With this name as suggestive as it is defined, we have the next restaurant on our list. Arroces de Levante is located in the Prosperidad neighborhood, curiously on Castelló Street (the site could not have been better chosen). It is a place that still does not have the tradition of others on this list but is already very well received, with an average score of 4.6 stars and almost one hundred reviews. A place with very good rice oriented towards delivery, so you can order it through apps like Glovo to take it home or pick it up at the premises. The average price of rice falls below 20 euros. For example, a portion of Senyoret rice is around 17 euros per person.
5. THE PEÑALVER TAVERN
The next name on this list is very close to the Diego de León metro. La Taberna de Peñalver is another of those places with a well-established reputation. Probably the best place to eat paella in Madrid this time if we pay attention to the spectacular average rating of 4.8 stars out of five through more than 3,200 Google Maps user reviews. Remember that the rice dishes are from Alicante, which usually opts for more creative rice dishes than the Valencian ones and with a more cooked point of rice (as a general rule) than is customary in the Albufera area. Be careful. Despite this presentation, we have fairly contained prices, which are getting closer to what you would find on the Mediterranean coast. Señoret rice is priced at 18 euros, and Banda rice at 14 euros per serving (minimum of two people, as always).
6. SOCARRATT
You will not find a better place to eat paella in Malasaña. Socarratt is a takeaway restaurant on Manuela Malasaña’s street, focused on rice dishes. One of its greatest advantages is ordering portions of paella from one person in case you want to give yourself joy without looking for a gluttony partner. It has just over 100 reviews and an average rating of 4.7 stars out of five. The price is not high, but you must adhere to the rice dishes prepared on the day since if you want a specific paella, you must place an order for at least six people. The portion costs 9 euros if you pick it up at the premises and 12 euros if you order it at home (in this case, yes, with a minimum order of two portions). A priori, you have various rice dishes, from Paella de Castellón (with pork rib) to black fideuá.
7. LA MARITERRANEA RESTAURANT MADRID
Between Príncipe de Vergara and Goya, we find the restaurant La Mariterranea in the mythical Calle de Alcalá. It is a place that gets a spectacular average of 4.7 stars out of five through 171 reviews. Of the places we have seen, this is the most expensive, with prices per paella portion of 23 euros for Senyoret rice and 31.5 for soupy rice with lobster. Of course, from the comments, it is clear that you will not be disappointed if you can afford a whim. In addition, you can find some offers online to taste these paellas.
8. LARROCERÍA
If you don’t want to spend so much on the experience of eating paella, you’ll have a hard time finding a better option than Larrocería. Located in the Guzmán el Bueno market, you can experience the best of Alicante and Valencian paellas, spending the same as if you were in Alicante. The portion prices in this restaurant are 14 euros for Señoret rice (minimum two portions) or 13 euros for Valencian paella. Nothing bad. This place has crept into this ranking with a spectacular average of 4.9 stars out of five.
9. IMPERIAL RICE
We are nearing the end of this list. The Arrocería Imperial is in the Pasillo Verde Shopping Center, near the Pirámides stop. In this case, the average drops a little more, although it is still very respectable, at 4.4 stars out of five with a little more than 1,000 reviews on Google Maps. It is difficult to say that this place is the best restaurant in Madrid to eat paella, but the truth is that you are almost guaranteed a positive experience. It is an elegant place with one more cost point since black rice is priced at 20.50 euros per serving (minimum of two servings). One of the main recommendations is Imperial Rice, the local specialty, with scampi, prawns, monkfish, red prawns, cuttlefish, and clams for 27.50 euros.
10. THE PENTAGON
And we end with a restaurant with a name as mysterious as it is suggestive. The Pentagon boasts an average rating of 4.4 stars across 317 reviews. It is a well-decorated place with a wide menu and a special mention of its paellas. Its price is medium, with most rice dishes below twenty euros per serving.
I am a writer with eight years of experience writing in business and technology. I always carry a passion for learning and discovering new knowledge.