Many of Madrid’s markets have become high end dining destinations in recent years with celebrated chefs popping up in unassuming locations. Case in point: Doppelganger, the brainchild of Samy Ali who formerly headed up the Michelin star La Candela Resto. Ali closed this restaurant to run Doppelganger in Mercado Antón Martín. With just a few tables and an open kitchen, this informal set-up lets the affordable take on fine dining mixing Mediterranean, Asian and South American flavours shine.

No trip to Madrid is complete without a slice of melt-in-the-middle tortilla, and Pez Tortilla serves up one of the best in town. Available at four locations across the city, they make a number of different flavours of the traditional Spanish omelette which is then served with craft beer, local wine and croquettes - it’s great for a quick lunch or a stop on a tapas tour.

What started as a secret supper club at chef’s Heba Kharouf house has bloomed into a destination La Latina restaurant where flavours of her Middle Eastern heritage - she has a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father - take centre stage. While the signature sea bass with tahini sauce has become legendary, the menu is reliably good throughout, especially when enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande with its postbox red chairs.

Sala de Despiece reinvented the tapas concept when they opened their restaurant; the decor is like a futuristic butcher shop, the experimental small plates showcase unique flavour combinations and the atmosphere is loud and sometimes a little rowdy. Order the tasting menu for a chance to experience the restaurant’s most loved dishes without a side of decision fatigue.

There are 23 Michelin-starred restaurants in Madrid but it’s only DiverXO that can claim to have the highly coveted three stars. The theatrical avant garde 12-course tasting menu serves unexpected takes on Asian and Spanish flavours that are always sure to delight and surprise.

In the quiet upscale neighbourhood of Ríos Rosas, this light-filled industrial style space serves up artisan pizza, homemade pasta and organic salads with an excellent selection of ecological wines.

From Roberto Ruiz, the Mexican chef behind Michelin-starred Punto MX comes a more informal restaurant focused specifically on cuisine from Mexico’s Pacific coast with fish and seafood at its heart. The menu offers fresh and light flavours with home-made corn tortilla tacos and ceviche dominating the list. Naturally, the cocktail offering is just as inviting.

Housed in a former dairy in Salamanca, this elegant Scandi-feel restaurant serves up modern Madrilenian cuisine with a focus on seasonal ingredients sourced from the highest quality suppliers across Spain. The fish, bought at Santander’s fish market early each morning, is especially good.

This cosy, low-lit restaurant with Andalusian design details has become a bit of a Madrid institution and rightly so. Perfect for a romantic meal, the food leans traditional with an excellent wine list.

Despite being miles from a body of water (Madrid is the only European capital not built around a river), the Spanish capital arguably has the best fish and seafood restaurants across the country. This is largely down to Madrid’s leading seafood distributor Pescaderías Coruñesas who own restaurants across the city including Desde 1911. Here, in a former industrial workshop, the small curated menu only stars seafood caught within 24 hours of being on the plate.

Right in the heart of the city centre, this bar dating back to 1927 ticks all the boxes when it comes to a traditional tapas experience from its mirrored bar and high stools to the menu of classics done really well - don’t miss the patatas bravas or garlic prawns.

Madrid’s food scene spans far beyond European flavours and for high end Japanese cuisine, Kappo is the best in town. At this tiny restaurant, the best seat in the house is at the 12-seat sushi bar where you can see chef Mario Payán in action as he serves up a nightly surprise menu that mixes the traditional with the modern.