Market cuisine in central Madrid
The restaurant
Half a century of market cuisine on Calle de las Veneras, two minutes from Callao. Whatever is at the market in the morning is what we serve that afternoon.
On Calle de las Veneras since 1973
El Labriego opened in 1973, when this part of the city centre still lived off its neighbours rather than its tourists. It began with a simple idea that has not changed: buy at the market every day and cook it the same day.
The neighbourhood and the customers have changed since then, but what matters has not been touched: the stew pot, the grill, the fish of the day and rice that is started when you order it.
Here you will find people who work nearby, people coming out of the Callao cinemas, and people from out of town looking for real Spanish cooking. We like it when all three happen at once.
Inside
The house
Wooden beams on the ceiling, half-height wainscoting and old pictures hanging exactly where they have always hung. White tablecloth on every table, linen napkins and warm light: a Madrid tavern dining room, with no set dressing and no trends.
There are two rooms. The main one has a bar by the entrance where you can have a beer while a table frees up, and a quieter second dining room we use for groups, celebrations and company lunches.
Groups and eventsMarket, stews and fire
- The market decides
- We shop at the market every day. Vegetables and fish arrive in the morning and are served the same day, so the menu moves with the season.
- Olive oil and slow cooking
- The Mediterranean basics, as always: olive oil, pulses, vegetables and stews cooked slowly in the pot. Nothing pre-cooked.
- Fish and seafood of the day
- Octopus, razor clams, queen scallops and king prawns from the Galician fish market, and sole depending on the day. We cook it simply, which is how it tastes best.
- Rice made to order
- Paellas and rice dishes are started when you order them: around 30 minutes of waiting and they reach the table freshly made.
Mediterranean, without the label
We did not have to reinvent ourselves to cook Mediterranean food: it is what we were already doing. Olive oil, pulses, seasonal vegetables, oily fish, rice and fruit.
That is where the chickpeas in the stew come from, the Padron peppers, the octopus or an arroz a banda. Everyday food, made the way it is made at home but with market produce.
Find us
- A 2-minute walk from Callao and Gran Via.
- A 5-minute walk from Puerta del Sol.
- Four metro stations nearby: Callao, Santo Domingo, Sol and Opera.
- Nearest car parks: Descalzas, Plaza de Santo Domingo and San Bernardo.