Madrid’s most traditional paella restaurant may just be La Barraca, which resides in bustling Chueca. The formal setting features white cloths, decorative ceramic bowls on the wall, framed black and white photos, and a noticeable lack of music. The Solis family opened this Valencian restaurant in 1935, featuring bomba rice sourced from O.D. Calasparra and O.D. Valencia (Calasparra and Valencia). This revered rice serves as the base for several iterations, each with a different proportion of seafood, meat or vegetables. My Mariniere of the House Paella featured saffron stained rice scattered with red pepper and peas, loaded with six types of juicy seafood: clams, king prawns, squid, grouper, mussels, and prized giant red prawns. Accentuate with squeeze of lemon or punchy garlic mayo.

This bread pudding specialist, which has been in operation since 1907 near the mass of humanity that is Puerta del Sol, will sadly close in the summer of 2015. Rufino Sanchez Hernandez, the latest torrijas master, will retire without an heir apparent. While you still can, seek his Torrijas, leftover bread that’s soaked in wine, deep-fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar. The pudding carries a creamy core and crisp coat. Be sure to order mistela, fortified grape juice, and enjoy the duo amidst tiled walls.

Daniel Waldburger Ruiz is the third generation owner of this tapas bar, which dates to 1906 and is credited with inventing garlic shrimp. Here, tiny peeled shrimp cook over an open flame in a cazuela with olive oil, garlic, parsley and cayenne. Sop up the sweet, labor-intensive shrimp and pungent sauce with crusty bread, and be sure to order at least one glass of red wine.

“Oh, baby!” The high energy-server wearing glasses with diamond-shaped lenses shouts this every time he delivers a plate at La Castela, a raucous tapas bar with serious food located due east of Madrid’s Parque del Retiro. La Castela dates to 1989, when the high quality tapas bar replaced an institution called Bodega de Méntrida. The new incarnation retains plenty of charm, complete with marble high-tops and counters, a zinc bar, green menus, and shelves of liquor and conservas. Chipirones Encebolladas consist of tender squid cooked a la plancha and plated in a shallow pool of brilliant green olive oil, with a thatch of melted leeks in the middle and squid ink drizzled on top. Secreto Ibérico is a special butcher’s cut of prized black-hooved, acorn-fed pork, carved from between the shoulder blade and loin, seared a la plancha and finished with pimienta and sea salt. Almejas a la Manzanilla, clams cooked in sherry and served in a viscous broth with parsley and bits of ham, are also delectable. Bring a big group to explore the massive menu, and be prepared to wait, since La Castela’s popular.