Casa Fidel

Casa Fidel has occupied Malasaña since the 1940s, and its modest dining room still speaks the language of a proper casa de comidas. A small metal-topped bar, wooden tables and unfussy decoration keep attention on the kitchen. The menu changes with the market, but the reliable pleasures are traditional: croquetas, ensaladilla, chipirones in their ink, callos, carrillada, grilled fish and desserts that taste made rather than sourced. Cocido appears on selected days, traditionally Tuesday and Thursday, and deserves advance confirmation. The daily menu offers the most economical introduction; dinner allows more time for raciones and a bottle of wine. Portions are generous without becoming comic, and the service has the warmth of a restaurant that expects to see people again. Casa Fidel is especially appealing because Malasaña has changed around it. The neighbourhood may arrive dressed in newer ideas, but this kitchen continues to value stock, frying, braising and the patient transformation of inexpensive ingredients. Reserve in the small room and come prepared to eat a full meal, not merely collect another fashionable address.