La Charca, a good restaurant in the center of Madrid with good produce and grill
Finding a good restaurant in the center of Madrid isn't easy.
Product and embers, the protagonists of the restaurant
La Charca restaurant is located between Plaza de España and the Temple of Debod, on Juan Álvarez Mendizabal Street. It belongs to the Asgaya Group, which owns several Asturian restaurants in the area. Be careful not to get confused, because right next door is another one of their restaurants, Taberna La Charca, which offers tapas-style dishes designed for sharing. It's a good option if you're looking for a more casual dinner, but if you want to sit down and enjoy a proper meal, we recommend dining at the restaurant.
The restaurant's concept aims to be a step up from the tavern, both in terms of the ingredients and their presentation. Here, the cuisine is more leisurely, designed for sitting down at the table, with a focus on quality ingredients, simple preparations, and a grill featured in many of the best dishes on the menu.
The grill and the quality of the ingredients are the stars of La Charca. The menu combines different dishes with some clear nods to Asturian cuisine, such as fabada (Asturian bean stew), monkfish loin with pisto ('pixín' is the Asturian name for monkfish), or their famous cachopo (breaded and fried veal or pork cutlet), which was chosen as the best cachopo in Spain in 2020.
La Charca's distinguishing feature is its top-quality produce, grilled to perfection. Examples include Huelva prawns and scallops, both grilled to perfection. The prawns are simply seasoned with coarse salt, while the scallops are dressed with oil and parsley.
We must also mention their wine cellar, with an interesting selection and a good variety of bottles.
La Charca is a restaurant in the heart of Madrid where you can relax, enjoy great food, and unwind. Highly recommended. And if you'd like other options, here are some restaurants and culinary experiences in Madrid that we've tried and recommend.