I know some people might think that you would be a very hungry tourist before you found a vegetarian restaurant in Madrid but the truth is that there seemed to be quite a few around Huertas in Madrid
I won't bore you with details but if anyone is worried they will be restricted to bread and cheese then I can recommend 3 or 4 places that are well worth a visit.

have you been to the vegetarian restaurant called estragaon in the latina section? Sooooooooooooooo gooooood and i am not even a vegetarian. The soup was fabulous and everything me and my 2 friends ordered was delicous!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

i am sorry, but to eat vegetarian food in madrid is a SACRILEGIO.

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well for those people who go to visit madrid and who are vegetarians, madrid has a few restaurants that offer GREAT spanish food so those who don't eat meat don't have to miss the spanish cuisine. Though I cannot imagine not eating jamon serrano and corizo, some people choose not to eat meat and even though at first I was a bit sceptacle on vegetarian food I was very impressed!!!!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

It's true. To many Spaniards, being a vegetarian IS sacriligious. I respect the feelings of vegetarians, but wow. I couldn't imaging being one in Spain of all places. Spaniards eat A LOT of vegetables, but always with pork, chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood.

There's a useful thread where Antonio lists MANY vegetarian restaurants in this forum for a couple months ago. Do a SEARCH, use the word "VEGETARIAN" as your keyword, and you'll find it.

I understand that some vegetarians eat fish, but not meat. I don't really see the difference, but there are many kinds of vegetarians. If these can eat seafood then they'll be perfectly happy in Spain!!

Saludos, MadridMan

I was a little worried when I went to Madrid last year about getting anything to eat but there really is still a very good choice if you don't eat meat.
I found a number of places both last year and this that are very good and the Artemisa in the Ventura Vega (somewhere around Huertas) was packed and a very good restaurant.
The thing is that if you eat meat you obviously will go to such restaurants and will not be aware of the alternatives available.

Here I go with my insufferable weirdness again, but I am a vegetarian and as a consequence I am consistently challenged by my environment choices. I have many friends who are chefs that insist I am a nut about this, but I really don't miss it. I tell them, you put enough patience, love, and spices into any dish and it will be valued. I tell this to my Mexicana friends as well (well a little more hotly and maybe with the word cockroach thrown in...he,he) and they seem to understand.

Then again, I think the same thing about people who don't like tomatos. What wackos! How can they just not eat a fruit so perfectly rich in flavor, so vibrant and rich in earthy undertones, so fertile and fragrant...ah...what was my point again.

Oh yeah, I don't mind being a vegetariana. I may miss things, but I guess I think of it in the same terms as someone who is suddenly made aware of a food allergy. I just don't care for it (the smell, the taste, the indigestion of it) but that doesn't mean I don't understand the pleasure it gives others or the importance/tradition of these foods within a culture. But even in our own country, there are foods we all do not eat based on principle or because of taste.

Being a vegetarian in Spain is terrible!! Yeah, you can find some great restaurants in the larger cities -- there are two in the Huertas area of Madrid that are great, not to mention the Tibetan Restaurant next door to Hostal Lopez (While not vegetarian, they serve several vegetarian items) -- and even in some of the smaller cities. There's an excellent one in Segovia just down from the cathedral. Along the southern coast you can find North African style restaurants where you can get couscous or a felafel. My favorite is "Ali Baba's" in Tarifa -- great felafel and super nice owner. But.....in the rest of Spain, particularly in the pueblos, you're out of luck! It's a cheese sandwich, tortilla de patatas, or a bowl of gazpacho(when in season). I've traveled for a month at a time in Spain, and those items can get really old. When there, I usually live out of the grocery stores, or off of bread, olives, cheese, and a bottle of wine(luckily for me, these items are some of my favorite things about Spain and I gladly live off of them).
However, I have found that if you approach the situation very nicely and take the time to explain things to the waiter or restaurant owner, that they are always extremely helpful (always curious and sometimes intrigued). I always start by explaining exactly what "type" of vegetarian I am -- no carne, pollo, pescado -- and conclude by asking if it would be possible for them to make something work for me. It has never failed--though it has resulted in some interesting meals. There's always a regional dish that is vegetarian or can be made to be. I should also mention that this is the same process that I have to go through on occasion in the States.
Alas, being a vegetarian can, on occasion, be a self-inflicted torture. So if you're heading to the more remote regions, be prepared.
This issue was particularly difficult the last time that I traveled to Spain. My wife was four months pregnant and in addition to trying to find her vegeterian items, I had to find a meal every two to three hours. This is impossible to do in a pueblo, where a restaurant will not serve you during off hours. It was so bad, that I may have trouble getting my wife back to Spain because of it.
Oh well,,,she'll come around. I hope so anyway, I've already started working on another trip

I was a vegetarian for a few years, one of them being the year I lived in Spain. That plus being allergic to shellfish meant that I missed out on a lot of Spanish cuisine, which I regret (guess I'll have to just make up for it next time). It can be hard not to get bored with the choices available when eating out, but, I don't think it is an exclusively Spanish thing (try Argentina or Chile and you will really have a challenge - plus the fact that it reeeeeally isn't a good idea to eat salads there..generally anyway). It is hard to find a good vegetarian variety in a lot of places..

If you are flexible enough to have them pull out the chorizo, the bean dishes in Spain are still good.. When I traveled I just frequented the little neighborhood Mom and Pop fruit & vegetable stores + bakeries. It was so fun talking to the owners and discussing possible recipes. I have never had better fruits and vegetable than I did that year - the most amazing salads. With a little creativity and a pocket knife, you can have a great picnic anytime, which for a short vacation is fine. If you are there for the long haul, you can modify recipes.

As for you pregnant wife, I feel for her. One of things I have learned living abroad (particularly in Salamanca) is how to plan ahead. It was really frustrating at first when I needed something, and there was literally no viable place to get it. Once you get used to it though, it is such an integral part of the experience. I used to feel a little sad at lunch when everything would shut down, seemed so deserted. Then, I started laying down after lunch, opening my window to the courtyard, and just listening to the sounds of all these lives and families echoing around me - laughing, cooking, arguing... That converted me to the siesta pretty quickly. I really miss that sense of being connected -I have never found it to that extent anywhere else- yet.

Anyway, I digress. remember - pocketnife and a picnic basket will take you a long way...

I agree with Guynes and Nicole. Being a vegetarian can be difficult and in new environments, difficult. I think it helps though if you are really skilled at cooking and know basic things about ingredients really well.

I plan to do a lot of cooking at the place I will be staying at because I cook a ton when I am at home. Besides, this is the best way to introduce skeptical people into what is possible in the vegetarian world.

Coincidentally, there's a lot possible that is beyond just beans and rice. I will also carry my own vegetable bouillon there as it helps in making soups, sandwiches, etc. and my own supply of Chai and red pepper flakes as these are staples of my diet. Couldn't live without them.

In reading MadridMan's recent journal, I can see that Madrilenos eat tons of meat. But there are some really interesting things there as well, like the fried potato and egg combinations with tortillos and the garbanzo soup and bread he mentioned and there are, I'm certain, ethnic restaurants from India and Northern Africa that would have an incredible amount of diversity in their meals.

Good idea about the picnic thing for everyone though. First and foremost because it saves money and second because it saves time and your overall health is in your own hands. And Guynes is right, even in this country you as a vegetarian you must explain yourself frequently when eating out, so this is not as frustrating as some would think.

As long as I have a griddle, a little fire, some olive oil, and red pepper flakes, I will be o.k.