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Spain

Steakhouses in Madrid

Madrid's steak culture rests on two traditions: the Basque asador, where a thick bone-in chuletón or txuleta is grilled over embers, and the Argentine and Uruguayan parrilla, which has grown fast in the city since the 2010s.

Madrid
Photo: Yevheniia / Unsplash

Basque grill houses reached the capital in the 1970s. Pedro Abrego opened Mesón Txistu in that decade and Asador Donostiarra in 1976, both in Tetuán, near the Bernabéu stadium; the Gorrotxategi family of Casa Julián de Tolosa, an asador founded in Tolosa (Gipuzkoa) in 1954, runs branches on Cava Baja and Calle de Ibiza. The dish at the centre is the chuletón (txuleta in Basque): a thick bone-in rib steak, salted coarsely and grilled over charcoal or holm-oak embers, often sliced and served on a hot plate.

Over the past two decades the meat itself has changed. Grills that once served young beef now name the animal: vaca vieja (older cows, often from Galicia or northern Spain), breeds such as Rubia Gallega, Frisona (Holstein) and Simmental, and aging times of 30 to 90 days or more. Rocacho serves beef aged at El Capricho in León; Carbón Negro and Roostiq buy whole ribs from Cárnicas Guikar.

Argentine and Uruguayan grills form the second group, concentrated in Chamberí, Salesas and Salamanca: wood-fired parrillas with cuts such as bife de chorizo, entraña and picaña, and beef from Argentina, Uruguay, the United States and Spain. In the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants list, Lana placed 8th in 2025 and 5th in 2026, and Los 33 placed 28th and 57th.

Listed by name, never by payment or score. Facts last verified: 20 Oct 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is a chuletón or txuleta?

A thick bone-in rib steak, usually 1–1.5 kg, cut from the fore rib (lomo alto) and meant for sharing. It is salted with coarse salt, grilled over embers until charred outside and rare inside, then sliced at the table, often on a hot plate so each diner can cook it a little more.

What does vaca vieja mean?

Literally "old cow": beef from cows that have lived several years, often dairy or working animals, valued in Spain for deeper flavour and yellow fat. Madrid asadores usually state the breed (Rubia Gallega, Frisona, Simmental) and the aging time, from about 30 to 90 days.

Where does the beef in Madrid steakhouses come from?

Basque-style asadores mostly use Spanish beef from Galicia, the Basque Country and Castilla y León, sometimes from Portugal; Argentine and Uruguayan grills combine beef from Argentina and Uruguay with American, Australian, German and Spanish cuts.

Related

Argentine parrillaBasque asadorBrazilian churrascaria