Mushroom hunting in Madrid

It’s autumn in Madrid at last! Although many will miss the good summer weather, October brings rain and the forests are filled with wild mushrooms, which you can later enjoy on your plate in restaurants in Madrid. Here is where you can eat the best “gnome delicacies” in the city.

If you fancy eating a few wild mushrooms, write down these traditional mushroom-serving restaurants:
El Brote. Its name says it all in Spanish (The Sprout) and its tasting menu is based on seasonal ingredients and specialised in wild mushrooms… even dessert! Everything that you eat here is as fresh as can be. A recommendation? Black trumpets with pork are something you cannot miss out on, along with a bottle of its exquisite wine selection. Discover this mushroom heaven on Calle Javier Ferrero, 8.

El cisne azul. With a name as poetic as this, the food it serves is promising. This restaurant located in the heart of the Chueca district is a meeting point for lovers of mushrooms and traditional restaurants. Made up by a bar and a few tables, El Cisne Azul serves amanitas with eggs that are so good they will make you cry. Since the grilled mushroom menu is so extensive, you’ll have to come back here a few times to try them all!

From Chueca we go to the Salamanca district at La Cocina de María Luisa. Five years ago, María Luisa Banzó took over this cute restaurant on Calle Jorge Juan to bring wild mushrooms to their ultimate culinary expression. On the menu, you can find some mushroom delights such as the scrambled Soria black truffles, sautéed or gratin boletus edulis and oyster mushroom pie. Hungry? Me too.

From Calle Jorge Juan we go to Calle Lagasca, 134, which is where we can eat at Villoldo, a place that serves delicious and copious dishes where wild mushrooms are the star of the show. The mushroom stew, amanita en papillote or the delicious scrambled mushrooms with caramelised onion are just a small example of the mushroom treasures that you can find in this cult restaurant. Time to eat!

Last but not least, we stop in Chamberí to recharge our batteries in El Imperio, on Calle Galileo 51. This restaurant is a reference for all wild mushroom lovers, since it serves a wide range of them on their menu. If you can’t find the one you want, then it probably doesn’t exist. 100% recommendable.

Categories: Gastronomía Madrid