Madrid in 2010 was a city deeply anchored in its fierce traditions yet on the brink of profound culinary innovation, a duality perfectly captured in Season 6 of No Reservations. Bourdain dove into the Spanish capital with his characteristic appetite for the unvarnished and the authentic. The culinary scene in Madrid is legendary for its heavy, unapologetic focus on pork, offal, and rich, simmering stews, contrasting sharply with the avant-garde wizardry emerging in other parts of Spain. Bourdain’s angle was to celebrate the enduring power of classic madrileño cooking—like gelatinous braised oxtail and robust tripe stews—while also acknowledging the startling, hyper-modern fusion pushing the city’s boundaries. He wanted to show a capital city that respects its blue-collar tavern roots just as much as its Michelin-starred ambitions. To experience the heavy, historic, and brilliantly chaotic flavors of Madrid, here is the exact trail he followed.
When Anthony Bourdain visited Madrid on his show No Reservations Season 6 Episode 25 (originally aired September 13, 2010), he visited many restaurants. Here are all the addresses and the Spain foods showcased, all in a convenient list.
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DISH – Braised Oxtail
WHAT IS IT?
Braising an oxtail allows the sinewy bits to melt away and have a gelatin-like consistency. In Madrid, it’s cooked with onions, herbs, garlic, tomato paste and spices.
WHERE IS IT?
Restaurante Casa Salvador
Calle de Barbieri, 12
Madrid, Spain
Anthony Bourdain Madrid – NOTES
Braised Oxtail is the specialty of the house at Casa Salvador.
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DISH – Callos a la Madrileña
WHAT IS IT?
Callos is a popular type of stew in Spain and is known to be a traditional dish in Madrid, hence its name (“a la Madrileña” means “Madrid-style”). Callos is the Spanish term for tripe and typically includes beef tripe, blood sausage, chickpeas, and bell peppers as the main ingredients. Chorizo can also be used instead of blood sausage. The tripe is boiled until tender before being sliced into strips. It is then cooked in tomato paste, with chickpeas and bell peppers added into the mix. In some cases, cheese is added to bring out the distinct flavor of the dish.
WHERE IS IT?
Taberna San Mamés
Calle de Bravo Murillo, 88
Madrid, Spain
Anthony Bourdain Madrid – NOTES
At Taberna San Mamés, Callos a la Madrileña is made of tripe slices, chorizo, chickpeas, pork fat and and pimiento.
DISH – Spanish-Asian Fusion Cuisine
WHAT IS IT?
Traditional Madrid cooking is not the only kind of fare you can find around the city. Madrid is now playing host to a number of restaurants that serve a fusion of Spanish and Asian dishes. Presently, you can find Madrid restaurants that serve typical Madrid dishes with an Asian twist, such as those that have Galician beef and Asian sauces as the main ingredients. Some even offer shabu-shabu with Spanish ingredients.
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WHERE IS IT?
Diverxo
NH Eurobuilding, Calle de Padre Damián, 23
Madrid, Spain
Anthony Bourdain Madrid – NOTES
Diverxo is one of the more popular restaurants that serve a fusion of Spanish and Asian cuisine. Diverxo specialties include tandoori crab from Spain cooked with tomatoes, pimiento de la Vera and chipotle chili, smoked skate with conpoy (dried scallops) and XO sauce from Asia, black pudding dim sum with quail egg, pig’s ear in sweet and sour sauce, braised oxtail dim sum, dumplings with bok choi and red Palamos prawns, monkfish with lotus root, cured beef and bun with black trumpet mushroom filling injected with chili oil, Galician beef with Nikkei mojo sauce and huitlacoche quesadilla, Pekingese style Spanish suckling pig, and shabu shabu.
DISH – Gambas al Ajillo – No Reservations Madrid
WHAT IS IT?
Gambas al Ajillo or Spanish garlic shrimp is a shrimp dish with garlic, olive oil, paprika and sherry. The shrimp and sauce is typically spooned over toasted bread. It can then be sprinkled with spices like parsley and cayenne for added flavor.
WHERE IS IT?
La Gabinoteca
Calle de Fernández de la Hoz, 53
Madrid, Spain
Unfortunately, this restaurant has since closed its doors.
Anthony Bourdain Madrid – NOTES
Gabinoteca is a gastro-bar in Madrid that serves traditional Spanish dishes with a modern twist. Aside from Gambas al Ajillo, its most popular dishes include Stilton cheese smoked with lavender and paired with whiskey, foie with a sweet crispy crust of caramelized pineapple, homemade prime Galician veal sausage topped with homemade ketchup, special cheddar cheese sauce and crispy fried garlic, pureed potato, truffle and egg, and chicken wings.
DISH – Ropa Vieja – No Reservations Madrid
WHAT IS IT?
Ropa Vieja is a Cuban dish that found its way to Madrid in Spain. The dish is made of pulled stewed beef and vegetables. It is typically served with a side of rice or potato.
WHERE IS IT?
El Bohío
Av. Castilla La Mancha, 81
Illescas, Toledo, Spain
Anthony Bourdain Madrid – NOTES
El Bohío is a fine dining restaurant located in an unlikely location in Illescas, a town just outside Madrid in Spain. It serves traditional Spanish, Cuban, Russian and other world dishes with a modern twist. Its version of ropa vieja, for example, resembles a truffle.
This Madrid episode was significant for highlighting Bourdain’s profound respect for the bedrock traditions of Spanish cooking, even as the country was celebrated globally for its modernist molecular gastronomy. He consistently championed the unpretentious, deeply flavorful dishes that sustain the working class, proving that a perfect bowl of callos is just as important as a foam-covered tasting menu. The episode captured the vibrant, late-night energy of Madrid’s tavern culture. It remains a brilliant tribute to a city that knows exactly how to eat and drink well. Book a trip, find a crowded tapas bar, and order the oxtail.
