La Tasquita de Enfrente

La Tasquita de Enfrente is a small family restaurant on Calle de la Ballesta in central Madrid, a block from the Gran Vía. Chef Juanjo López runs it with Nacho Trujillo.

More than two decades ago López inherited the stoves from his father. In those first years the house cooked the old dishes of Madrid, such as tripe and fried potatoes. Under the son the menu turned to the market and began to change often, with produce that is entirely Spanish and follows the season. The transition from a neighborhood tavern to a chef's restaurant happened without leaving the street or changing the name.

The dishes stay close to Spanish classics and treat them with care rather than invention. Starters can be jamón croquettes or a terrine of pig's ear, mains include hake cheeks, and anchovies come fried in tempura with a fried egg. Its steak tartare was named the best in Spain at Madrid Fusión in 2025. The kitchen cooks à la carte or serves a tasting menu of nine or 11 courses, which lets the kitchen show what the market brought that week.

There are only eight tables, so the dining room holds no more than a few dozen people at a time. The frontage is plain, with nothing to signal the cooking inside, on a street that sits just off the shopping crowds of the Gran Vía. Opinionated About Dining includes La Tasquita in its list of European restaurants. A tiny room, a short distance from the busiest street of the city, and a family name kept over generations explain why many cooks in Madrid treat it as a reference for honest produce.