If you come to Madrid or if you live here, you have to try an authentic cocido madrileño (stew, a dish made with meat and chickpeas) and what better way to do it than by blowing our own horns. During theses days you can do it easily because the region celebrates the I Cocido Madrileño’s Route in thirty restaurants in the Community. Get ready for one of the most succulent stews of gastronomy in Madrid!

No matter what area or municipality of Madrid you are. We suggest several routes to delight you with this rich and delicious gastronomic initiative anywhere in the Community which will run until 31st March 2011.

We start at the city centre of Madrid, where you will find several traditional and classical restaurants to sample this dish of the cuisine from Madrid that it is also the best tonic after a busy day of sightseeing.

The tourist bus leaves us at Puerta del Sol, a square in full swing: people from all over the world, shopping, street musicians, mimes, the Oso and Madroño monument... these great classics have opened our appetite. Near here we cen try the stew in a classical restaurant: Lhardy, one of the participating restaurants in this route. For 35.50 EUR you can taste this delicious dish.

Near the Royal Palace, Sabatini Gardens and the Teatro Real, we can also enjoy a stew at La Bola (19.50 EUR) or the Café de la Ópera (17 EUR).

If the Habsburg's Madrid and Plaza Mayor (Main Square) are your destinations before you continue with your path, approach the restaurant Los Galayos, where you can enjoy a full stew for 18 EUR.

At La Parpusa de Moratín is going to offer you for 13 EUR a rich stew soup with chickpeas, vegetables and meat. This stew will provide the energy needed to continue kicking the Letras district, after a morning admiring the temporary exhibitions at the most important museums in Madrid: the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofía. Choose your style!

If you are preparing for the Carnival (March 5th) and you're close to La Latina to buy the coolest costume of the year you will not miss this gastronomic experience. Nearby is Malacatín, where for 19 EUR you can taste a traditional Madrid stew.

And if you're in the Golden Mile in the Salamanca district taking advantage of the last days of the sales you can enjoy an authentic stew at Casa Carola for 29 EUR. This includes a glass of champagne, appetizers and dessert to recover from the long day of shopping in the morning and continue through the afternoon!

After visiting the Santiago Bernabéu you can have a rest in one of the restaurants located in the north of the capital, and that offer a tasteful stew from Madrid: La Casuca (15 EUR) or the Asador Madrileño (19.44), both of them near the football stadium.

Madrilean stew in the mountains

Our walk in the mountains of Madrid can be also rewarded these days by a hearty Madrilenian stew. After visiting San Lorenzo de El Escorial we can book a table at Las Viandas restaurant (15.50 EUR), La Sartén por el Mango (18 EUR) or Felipe II (14 EUR) to taste this ‘cocidito’.

Another option we suggest is to spend a day with family or friends in Chinchón , a town just 45 km southwest of Madrid. Be captivated by his environment and of course, for its unique and peculiar Plaza Mayor. Your tour culminates with a dish: stew that gives you the Parador hotel restaurant . A culinary delight that will cost 26 EUR and you will enjoy inside a unique setting: an authentic seventeenth-century Augustinian convent.

More information...

You have almost one month and a half (from 18 February to 31 March) to enjoy the first Madrilean Stew Route and also participate in the original contest. When you go to any of the restaurants participating in this route, ask for your card and a seal. As you accumulate two seals, you can participate in the competition for 50 stews and their weight in wine, oil and chickpeas from Madrid and a batch of El Pozo coffee.

There are other restaurants that have joined this initiative. Here you can see all of them (information in spanish) and have more information on opening hours and days. That's all from us, now we just wish you to enjoy your meal!