{"id":709,"date":"2017-02-11T23:12:08","date_gmt":"2017-02-11T22:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madridfoodtour.com\/?p=709"},"modified":"2017-02-11T23:12:08","modified_gmt":"2017-02-11T22:12:08","slug":"vegetarian-tapas-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dev.devourtours.com\/blog\/vegetarian-tapas-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Vegetarian Tapas & Where to Eat Them in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
At first glance, Madrid may not seem like a very vegetarian-friendly city. (You can obviously thank the giant cured ham legs visible at any given bar for that.)<\/p>\n\n\n
But look closer and you’ll discover that there are some seriously great vegetarian tapas in Madrid waiting for you. Plus, all of them just happen to be beloved staples of local cuisine!<\/p>\n\n\n
Despite the presence of ham and seafood, vegetarians need not worry when visiting Madrid.\u00a0The Spanish capital is home to many vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and most tapas bars in Madrid also offer a variety of vegetarian tapas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
In fact,\u00a0many traditional Madrid tapas dishes are naturally vegetarian, or even vegan! But we’d always suggest brushing up on your Spanish and learning the phrases “soy vegano\/a<\/em>” or “soy vegeteriano\/a<\/em>.” For more helpful Spanish words and phrases for communicating your dietary needs, check out our complete vegan and vegetarian guide to Madrid<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n Hungry yet? Let’s get right into it with these 10 undoubtedly excellent vegetarian tapas in Madrid, and where to find each one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spain cultivates more than 260<\/a> different varieties of olives. A good number of those end up on our table as delicious cured table olives. <\/p>\n\n\n The specialty in Madrid are\u00a0the local Campo Real variety. They’re bright green and absolutely delicious, with hints of garlic and oregano. <\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat olives in Madrid<\/strong>: Lots of bars will give you a small free tapa when ordering a drink, and in many cases said tapa will be a little dish of olives. But to really take your olive game to the next level, swing by Aceitunas Jim\u00e9nez in the La Latina neighborhood<\/a>. This traditional olive store has been serving their own flavoring blends in the traditional way since 1935!<\/p>\n\n\n This typical Madrid vegetarian tapa really hits the spot with an ice cold ca\u00f1a<\/em>\u2014a small draft beer. <\/p>\n\n\n Patatas bravas <\/em>are double-fried potato wedges topped with a slightly spicy paprika-based sauce. In Madrid, they’re sometimes also served with garlic mayonnaise, also known as alioli<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n If you’re vegan, you can check if the bravas<\/em> come with alioli by asking, “\u00bfLas patatas bravas llevan alioli?<\/em>“. If so, you can ask them to hold the garlic mayo by saying “sin alioli, por favor<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat patatas bravas <\/em>in Madrid<\/strong>: Docamar<\/a> is a beloved neighborhood spot that’s been serving their award-winning bravas<\/em> for nearly 60 years. You can even buy bottles of their famous secret-recipe bravas<\/em> sauce to take home!<\/p>\n\n\n Huevos rotos<\/em> literally means “broken eggs,” so you may be able to picture what this typical Madrid dish<\/a>\u00a0consists of. If not, it involves fried eggs served over a bed of potatoes, complete with a perfectly runny yolk. Your server will often break the yolks with a fork when bringing the dish to your table\u2014hence the name!<\/p>\n\n\n Many popular versions of this dish are served with meat, often cured ham or chorizo. However, this is sprinkled on top of the finished dish and is very easy to eliminate. Just specify “sin jam\u00f3n o chorizo<\/em>” when ordering. <\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat huevos rotos<\/em> in Madrid<\/a><\/strong>: Los Huevos de Lucio<\/a> in La Latina is the <\/em>place to go for this classic local dish. Their commitment to tradition and quality have helped them win the hearts (and tastebuds) of generations of madrile\u00f1os<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n There are many different varieties of croquettes<\/a>, which are essentially fried b\u00e9chamel fritters. But the most widespread vegetarian choices are croquetas de queso<\/em> (cheese croquettes), de boletus<\/em> (wild mushroom croquettes) or de espinacas<\/em> (spinach croquettes). <\/p>\n\n\n Keep your eyes peeled for other interesting combinations and try as many as you can\u2014they make up some of the best vegetarian tapas in Madrid!<\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat croquetas<\/em> in Madrid<\/a><\/strong>: Casa Paco in the Arg\u00fcelles neighborhood and Casa Manolo<\/a> are both famous for their croquetas<\/em>. Each has at least one vegetarian variety available at all times, often more. <\/p>\n\n\n This combination sounds strange, but just trust us on this one. Berenjenas con miel<\/em> are pieces of thinly sliced eggplant that have either been dusted in flour or battered. They’re then flash-fried in olive oil before being drizzled with cane honey\u2014also known as heaven on a plate!<\/p>\n\n\n It’s worth noting that the “honey” traditionally used in this dish is actually a type of molasses known as miel de ca\u00f1a<\/em>, or cane honey. As a result, it happens to be suitable for vegans, too!<\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat berenjenas<\/em> in Madrid<\/strong>: Bar La Gloria in the Malasa\u00f1a<\/a> neighborhood does a particularly tasty version of this southern Spanish dish. <\/p>\n\n\n The classic Spanish potato omelet<\/a> is alive and well in Madrid, and many people enjoy a big slice, called a pincho de tortilla<\/em>, as their mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Tortilla<\/em> is one of the most versatile vegetarian tapas in Madrid. It can be served hot or cold, inside a sandwich or on its own, with onions or without\u2014the options are endless. No matter how you choose to enjoy it, you’re in for a treat! <\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat tortilla<\/em> in Madrid<\/a><\/strong>: You can find this tapas bar staple just about everywhere, but Casa Dani<\/a> in the Mercado de la Paz is widely considered to have the best in town.<\/p>\n\n\n When Spain’s sweltering summertime rolls around, every traditional Madrid restaurant breaks out the cold tomato soups.<\/p>\n\n\n You can go one of two ways here, and either way you’re in for something delicious. Gazpacho is perhaps the more famous of the two and consists of tomatoes and other veggies pur\u00e9ed into a drinkable liquid. Its lesser-known cousin, salmorejo<\/em>, is thicker in texture and eschews the use of other vegetables to make the tomatoes themselves the star of the show. <\/p>\n\n\n Despite salmorejo<\/em>‘s creamy consistency, the soup itself is completely vegan with not a drop of cream in sight! It gets its luxurious texture thanks to day-old bread that is liquified as the soup is made.<\/p>\n\n\n Keep in mind, though, that the traditional way of serving salmorejo<\/em> is with bits of cured ham and hard-boiled egg on top. However, it can be adapted for vegans and vegetarians very easily\u2014just order it “sin jam\u00f3n<\/em>” (as well as “sin huevo<\/em>” if you need them to hold the egg, too). <\/p>\n\n\n Where to eat salmorejo<\/em> in Madrid<\/strong>: This is an Andalusian dish, best enjoyed at an Andalusian bar. Taberna Sanl\u00facar<\/a> in La Latina has our vote for the best salmorejo<\/em> in town, served up in an undeniably southern-Spanish atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n Cheese is one of Spain’s most respected products, and it also happens to be one of the most popular vegetarian tapas in Madrid! <\/p>\n\n\n1. Aceitunas (Olives) \u2014 Vegan<\/h2>\n\n\n
2. Patatas Bravas \u2014 Vegan Adaptable<\/h2>\n\n\n
3. Huevos Rotos (Fried Eggs & Potatoes)<\/h2>\n\n\n
4. Croquetas (Croquettes)<\/h2>\n\n\n
5. Berenjenas con Miel de Ca\u00f1a (Fried Eggplant in Cane Honey) \u2014 Vegan<\/h2>\n\n\n
6. Tortilla de Patatas (Potato Omelet)<\/h2>\n\n\n
7. Gazpacho or Salmorejo (Chilled Tomato Soups) \u2014 Vegan<\/h2>\n\n\n
8. Queso (Cheese)<\/h2>\n\n\n