Vegetarian in Madrid

Until not so long ago, finding vegetarian options on Madrid’s meat-heavy, green-free menus was a challenge, but times have changed. While not quite as earnest as the city’s longest-standing macrobiotic restaurant La Biotika, Calle del Amor de Dios, 3 (tel. 91-429-07-80), a new wave of flexitarian eateries is offering greener, healthier choices. La Falafeleria, Calle de Toledo, 28 (tel. 91-172-76-10), now has outlets in La Latina, Malasaña, and Lavapiés serving delicious Middle Eastern street food bowls and wraps with plenty of salads and fresh herbs. Try also its sister restaurant LaHummuseria at Calle Hernán Cortés, 8 (tel. 91-022-62-40) for freshly made hummus.

If you’re missing smashed avocado and smoothies, Naked and Sated, Calle del Maestro Victoria, 5 (tel. 91-444-22-77) has three branches in town, including a breakfast tie-up with the Chic and Basic Dot hotel.

For additive-free poké bowls and kombucha, the international flexitarian chain Honest Greens (tel. 93-122-76-64) has several outlets, including two on Gran Vía, at numbers 7 and 52. The trend is catching.

Outside the El Diario bar on deeply traditional Calle de Jesús, large painted signs now promote salads and dishes for vegans—para veganos.

You don't have to confine yourself to 100% green establishments to get the goods, though, as many standard Spanish eating spots offer a large choice of noncarnivorous platos.

Apart from the ubiquitous tortilla (made, naturalmente, with eggs Spanish-style and not from cornmeal Mexican-style), check out their menus for dishes like pimientos fritos (fried peppers), berengenas al horno (eggplant baked in the oven), calabaza guisada (stewed pumpkin), setas al jerez (mushrooms cooked in sherry), and pisto (Spain's answer to ratatouille with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant courgettes, and onions all cooked in oil and garlic: avoid the Manchego version, though, as this has bits of ham in it). Jamón (Mountain or cooked, Serrano or York) is scarcely regarded as "real" meat in Spain and can even appear in apparently innocuous dishes such as caldo (broth), so confirm with the waiter before you order.

Arabic, Indian, and Italian restaurants may also provide what you're looking for, with their inventive range of couscous, rice, and pasta-based dishes, and if fish is an acceptable option there are, of course, plenty of seafood restaurants to choose from, though these tend to be expensive.

Potato power: Anyone wanting a racion, or single dish, of something cheap and meat-free should try patatas bravas (potatoes sautéed brown and served in a picante sauce). It's widely available in tapas bars, sometimes at even cheaper prices.