Our favorite was the Restaurante de Botin near the Plaza Mayor on Calle de Toledo. The food was excellant. I read it was one of the oldest restaurants in Madrid.

Thanks everyone!!!
I wasn't expecting this kind of response!?
It is sure going to be tough to choose a restaurant in madrid that for sure!! But i naven't heard any responces on restaurnts in or near Barcelona? Looking forward on suggestions there?

I just returned from a fabulous trip to Spain. The food was probably the best I've had in Europe. I found that instead of trying to hunt down a particular restaurant from a book it's easier to just discover them on your own. Often times the restaurants in guidebooks are heavily frequented by tourists and have not been recently reviewed. You can also walk for blocks to a particular address to find it closed. I usually just try to venture down a few side streets, away from the big tourist draws, and look for somewhere interesting - usually without a menu translated in 5 languages. We found some gems on my recent trip.

All that said, I ate at Candides just 3 weeks ago and it was very disappointing. I felt like I'd walked into a big tourist trap. Food was mediocre, overpriced, and the service was surly. We had ate at Casa Duque the previous evening and it was wonderful. I guess I had to find out for myself!

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: CathyM ]

CathyM is right. Look for the places frequented by Spaniards, check out the menu (always posted outside) and, specifically, the menu del día (we found great selections at extremely reasonable prices), then enthusiastically proceed.

Our last afternoon meal in Madrid was a gem. Since we were heading for either the 5:30 pm bullfight or the Reina Sofia museum (free after 2:30 on Saturday), we knew we'd be walking through a particular area so we decided to look for a specific restaurant listed in the Rough Guide. Unfortunately (or fortunately, perhaps), it was closed so we continued down the street, saw a small restaurant/bar, perused the menu, looked inside at all the Spaniards and entered. Although we ordered from the menu del día (good sopa castellana and wonderful veal chop), I spied a nearby dessert (ponche segoviano) which I just HAD to try. The waiter informed us that there would be a small supplement as it was not one of the postre choices. Well worth it!

P.S. Sorry, folks, but the bullfight won out over the museum but an excellent choice as it turned out to be the Gran Corrida de Rejones--with the toreros on horseback. The horsemanship was fantastic. I enjoyed it so much more than what we think of as the "traditional" bullfight. As an animal lover, however...well, guess I should save this for another thread.

If you are not a vegetarian I would go to "Botin" and try their "Cochinillo" (suckling pig) or their roasted lamb (cordero). The restaurant is situated in Cuchilleros st (not in Toledo st!) and it is not one of the oldest restaurants in the world, it is simply the OLDEST (check it out in the guiness book).

Have a good time!

[ 10-20-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]