Restaurants surrounded by nature

Take a deep breath, eat, enjoy. In other words: experience nature. There's lots of outdoor activities to enjoy in Madrid: ride a bike, go for a run, fly a kite... and eat! All of these restaurants have something in common. They’re surrounded by greenery, set in some of our city’s shadiest parks. Summer has well and truly arrived!

Published in esMADRIDmagazine in June 2024

With Japanese acacias, London planes, horse chestnuts, strawberry trees and more, Madrid’s streets are teeming with trees—nearly 300,000 in total, with some 200 different species—, which is why, for the fifth year in a row, our city has been named a “Tree City of the World” by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Arbor Day Foundation.

Madrid also boasts a wealth of landscaped areas and countless public parks, some of them historic, like Casa de Campo and El Retiro Park, and others much more modern, such as Madrid Río, which is named after the River Manzanares, a tributary of the Jarama, which in turn flows into the Tagus. While not the longest of rivers, roughly 30 of its 92 kilometres wind through our city. We can feel its presence not only along Madrid Río Park but also in places with a rich historical and cultural legacy such as El Pardo Park, one of Europe’s best-preserved Mediterranean forests. We suggest you walk a great deal or cycle around to really take in nature here in the capital. If you work up an appetite from all the exercise, keep the following eateries in mind.

OSA RESTAURANTE

Ribera del Manzanares, 123. PRÍNCIPE PÍO. Tel. 670 83 55 07

What a place! It was no easy task for Jorge Muñoz and Sara Peral to find the perfect spot, one they could really get excited about, when they visited the neighbourhood of Las Salesas and Calle de Jorge Juan. They didn’t get that special feeling until they discovered an almost hidden house near the River Manzanares. They haven’t been open long but they’ve already earned a Michelin star as well as two suns in the Repsol Guide, which is just one more reason to visit this fantastic establishment. The soothing décor of this restaurant, which has utmost respect for the ingredients it uses, features clean lines and neutral tones.

The fixed menu changes based on seasonality and gives us a chance to savour dishes which look deceivingly simple but are prepared with painstaking attention to detail. From cold meats made on-site to options like the amakase red mullet, salt-water eel, dokuganryu pigeon, guisantes lágrima (“tear peas”) from El Maresme, each bite here is a revelation.

LA QUINTA COCINA

Espacio Abierto Quinta de los Molinos Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena, 20. SUANZES. Tel. 91 044 07 77

Located in the city’s most popular cultural hub for children and young people, in the idyllic park Quinta de los Molinos, this appetising place is not just a bar and restaurant but also a space devoted to solidarity: it fosters training and social and job market integration of young men and women, aged 16 to 23, who find themselves in vulnerable situations.

Here, they take their first steps in the hospitality sector before possibly going on to receive further training through internships in top-tier restaurants committed to integration. The school uses products sourced from the area to boost the local economy. What’s more, the simple but tasty menu—steak tartare, beef ribs, creamy pork cheek and courgette rice—is rounded out by fair-trade products like couscous, coffee, a range of teas and hot chocolate. With its very pleasant outdoor dining area, a great atmosphere is always guaranteed!

MOSCATEL

Avda. de la Guardia, 21. El Pardo. Tel. 91 546 60 41

A complete gastro experience is what you get at this restaurant located in a former convent in El Pardo, one of Madrid’s green lungs, which is mere kilometres from the city centre.

Despite its short history, it’s already a foodie mecca which brings Mediterranean cuisine to life, specialising in rice cooked over charcoal (options include monkfish tail and seafood rice, squid and yellow foot mushroom rice, and garden vegetable rice) as well as meat (rump steak, suckling lamb chops) and fish (cod, turbot) cooked on an olive wood-fired grill. Moscatel offers diners a charming atmosphere which combines the restaurant’s rich history with modern cuisine. Don’t miss the tuna salad starter, made with bluefin tuna belly which is prepared on-site. It’s utterly scrumptious!

VILLA VERBENA

Paseo de María Teresa, 3. LAGO. Tel. 91 999 30 14

“Our goal is to offer foodies a space in a natural setting where they can enjoy honest, seasonal cooking that places the spotlight on the ingredients”. That’s how the management defines this restaurant found in Casa de Campo Park, by the lake which, from this spot, looks almost like the sea, with the Royal Palace and the iconic Madrid skyline in the background.

A spectacular al fresco area and a glazed dining room comprise this busy gastro space which specialises in grilled food, serving everything from gilt-head bream fillets, mackerel, wild sea bass and monkfish to skirt steak with mojo sauce and roast potatoes. For dessert, how about lemon cake with ice cream? You won’t find a better place to beat the heat, especially when the usual evening breeze sets in. Look no further for an authentic food experience which inspires true “summer love”.

LA BIENTIRADA

Parque de Berlín. CONCHA ESPINA

You need to be on the ball to find a table at this lively outdoor restaurant in Berlín Park. It serves simple, high-quality Mediterranean food based on familiar flavours, accompanied by the irresistible aroma of the charcoal grill. The roast potatoes stuffed with creamy guanciale and Parmesan, the artichoke confit, and the steak with Padrón peppers are a sure bet. To snack on, try the potato omelette and patatas bravas (fried potatoes) with a spicy, smoked sauce.

FLORIDA PARK

Parque de El Retiro. IBIZA .Tel. 91 827 52 75

The location is definitely the biggest attraction of this restaurant. Set inside El Retiro Park, it has various spaces, although at this time of year you’ll probably want to reserve a table in the outdoor dining area, tucked away among the treetops, or at Los Kioskos, their special tapas bar for bon vivants. Raciones (sharing platters) and sandwiches on crusty bread share menu space with sushi rolls, tacos and oysters.

CAFÉ DEL RÍO

Avda. de Portugal, 1. PRÍNCIPE PÍO. Tel. 603 13 77 66

With amazing views of the Royal Palace, La Almudena Cathedral and the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, this restaurant is a must for the many visitors who explore Madrid Río Park every day. On its terrace-cum-viewpoint, diners can enjoy everything from salads to rice dishes, pasta, fish and fabulous hamburgers. Just make sure not to get so caught up in the food that you miss the sunset. Or the cocktails!

EL ANCLA DEL LAGO

Paseo de María Teresa, 2. LAGO. Tel. 91 354 36 07 

Sun, good food and the best company. You can’t go wrong at this restaurant with homely cooking which looks out over the lake in Casa de Campo Park. Both the views—it’s nestled in a magical setting—and the food will win over any diner. Grilled meats followed by the cheesecake always make for a winning combination.

OSTERIA BRAVISSIMO

Paseo del Pintor Rosales, 52. ARGÜELLES. Tel. 91 733 00 43

Check out the menu here and try the “Nuestra Rusa” Russian salad with scarlet prawn carpaccio, “Sophia Loren’s Braviolis” with crunchy guanciale, Olympic croquettes, ossobucco (veal shank) taco with a chipotle emulsion or the shrimp bites with Limoncello mayonnaise… It’s very clear that a passion for travel and international cuisine with an Italian flair inspire the food served in the outdoor dining area of this restaurant right in front of Oeste Park.

FILANDÓN

Carretera Fuencarral-El Pardo (M-612), km 1,9. El Pardo. Tel. 91 734 38 26

Set in Monte de El Pardo, where you’ll find one of Europe’s best-preserved Mediterranean forests without setting foot outside Madrid, this restaurant boasts a menu which revolves around fire—specifically, a low flame—offering tasty stewed dishes such as tripe and sizzling grilled meat and fish options. Don’t miss the house special, the Evaristo sole.

CAFÉ DE LA PALOMA

Francos Rodríguez, 79. FRANCOS RODRÍGUEZ. Tel. 657 15 68 00

A blend of traditional and modern flavours distinguishes the food, which is perfect for sharing, at this restaurant very close to Ciudad Universitaria, in Dehesa de la Villa Park. If you fancy a cocktail, order the Madrid Hawai, which is made with lime and strawberry.