Marta Belmonte
The dish, the price, and whether locals actually eat there
Based in Lavapiés, Madrid.
Marta grew up above her family's bar in Lavapiés and reviews Madrid's markets, tabernas and new-wave kitchens. She tracks which stalls in Mercado de la Cebada still cook to order and which cafés serve churros well past breakfast.
Latest stories
Madrid's Best New Restaurants This Autumn: From Valencian Rice to a Basque Steak Txoko
A Valencian rice bar, a Michelin-starred taquería and a lunch-only tasting menu all opened in Madrid this autumn. If you only have two or three dinners in the city, these are the ones worth booking and the ones to skip.
Tapas Hour Around Madrid's Puerta del Sol in October
Counter by counter through the two hours when the bars around Sol fill up: door prices, how big a group each place will take, and the one stop to skip.
Surviving a Madrid August on Pools, Museums and Late Nights
The city does not slow down in August so much as change shift. Here is the timetable, with prices, opening hours and the places that are actually cool.
Sunday Morning in El Rastro: Madrid's Century-Old Flea Market Ritual
How to navigate Madrid's oldest Sunday market, what's actually worth the haggle, and where the regulars go once the stalls pack up — from a €4 cocido tapa to a proper Cava Baja vermouth crawl.
The Best Tapas Restaurants in Madrid
A local's honest map of where to eat tapas in Madrid in 2026 — from €3 fried cod to the tortilla worth crossing the city for — with the door and group realities nobody tells you.
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