# Best Asian Restaurants in Madrid > Sixteen Madrid restaurants for Indian, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese cooking, from a Michelin-pedigree curry house to an eight-seat Korean counter. - **Canonical URL:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/best-asian - **City:** Madrid, Spain - **Published:** 2026-09-27 - **Updated:** 2026-10-04 - **Author:** Justin Mota, Guidavera founder - **Reading time:** 16 min ## Introduction Benares carries the same Michelin pedigree as its London original into a curry list built on pulpo bhuna and gosht rogan josh, one of sixteen Madrid restaurants on this list chosen because Asian cooking beyond a Japanese sushi bar, in a real and specific form, is what each kitchen serves. That covers a lot of ground: Cantonese and Shanghainese dim sum, Korean grills and stews, Thai street food and curries, Vietnamese pho and banh mi, and pan-Asian rooms that mix several of those registers under one roof. ## Key picks at a glance - **Best Indian** — [Benares](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/benares): a Michelin-pedigree curry list from the same lineage as Atul Kochhar's London original. - **Best Chinese** — [China Crown](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/china-crown): a Michelin Selected imperial Chinese revival built around a whole Pato Imperial. - **Best Korean** — [Mi Dang](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/mi-dang): tableside Korean grills and stone-bowl bibimbap in Cuatro Caminos. - **Best Thai** — [Kai Thai](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kai-thai): Thai Select-certified traditional cooking in Argüelles. - **Best pan-Asian** — [Lelong Asian Club](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/lelong-asian-club): a marble-lined menu spanning Chinese dim sum, Japanese sushi and Thai fried rice. - **Best Michelin-starred** — [Yugo the Bunker](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/yugo-the-bunker): an izakaya upstairs and a Japanese WWII bunker recreation below, one star since 2019. ## A guide to Asian in Madrid ### What does 'pan-Asian' mean? Pan-Asian describes a kitchen that draws on more than one Asian culinary tradition at once rather than specialising in a single country's cuisine, often mixing dishes like Chinese dim sum, Japanese sushi and Thai curries on the same menu. ### What is dim sum? Dim sum is a Cantonese tradition of small, shareable steamed or fried dishes, usually dumplings, served in bamboo steamers and historically eaten alongside tea. ### What are banchan? Banchan are the small side dishes, from kimchi to seasoned vegetables, that accompany a Korean meal, refilled through the course of eating rather than ordered as a single dish. ### What is an izakaya? An izakaya is a casual Japanese tavern format built around small plates meant to be shared alongside drinks. ### What is Thai Select? Thai Select is a certification from Thailand's Ministry of Commerce that recognises restaurants abroad for cooking authentic, traditionally prepared Thai food. > "Ugo Chan and Yugo the Bunker carry Michelin stars into this list of sixteen Madrid kitchens that also runs to an eight-seat Korean counter inside the Mercado Barceló, a pan-Asian dining room backed by China Crown's own team, and a Thai Select-certified kitchen in Argüelles." ## How we built this list We built this list by reading Spanish-language roundups of Madrid's Asian restaurant scene, including La Gastronoma, Madrid Secreto, Gastronosfera and Woohoo Group, and checking every restaurant they named against the Madrid restaurants we've profiled, matching by street address rather than name alone, since a few restaurants share names with different venues in other neighbourhoods. A restaurant made the list only if its own page confirmed the cuisine as a real, current part of what it serves. We kept the Chinese and Japanese count small on purpose, since both cuisines already get their own dedicated Guidavera lists, and used the rest of the space for cuisines that don't: Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean. Several restaurants named repeatedly in our source coverage, including El Arco Pinoy and Manila Bar for Filipino food, Toy Panda, Kabuki, Zuma, Le Petit Dim Sum and Krachai for Thai food, don't have a Guidavera page yet, so we've recorded them as gaps rather than invent pages for them. ## The 16 best Asian food, compared | # | Restaurant | Neighbourhood | Price | Distinction | Signature dish | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | [Benares](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/benares) | Almagro | €€€ | Michelin Selected · Repsol Recomendado | Pulpo bhuna | | 2 | [China Crown](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/china-crown) | Recoletos | €€€ | Michelin Selected | Pato Imperial | | 3 | [Soy Kitchen](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/soy-kitchen) | Almagro | €€€ | Michelin Selected · Repsol 1 Sol | Xiao long bao with pork belly and ginger | | 4 | [Ugo Chan](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/ugo-chan) | Nueva España | €€€€ | Michelin 1-Star · Repsol 2 Soles | Mullet sashimi with cold Bilbao-style sauce | | 5 | [Yugo the Bunker](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/yugo-the-bunker) | Barrio de las Letras | €€€€ | Michelin 1-Star · Repsol Recomendado | Negitoro with crispy wonton | | 6 | [Kyoshi Las Cortes](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kyoshi-las-cortes) | Cortes | €€€ | Repsol 1 Sol | Huevos rotos with tuna | | 7 | [El Bund](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/el-bund) | Arturo Soria | €€ | Repsol Recomendado | Shanghainese shaomai with veal and mushroom | | 8 | [Lelong Asian Club](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/lelong-asian-club) | Cortes | €€€ | — | Xiao long bao filled with beef cheek | | 9 | [Nakeima](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/nakeima) | Gaztambide | €€€ | Repsol 1 Sol | Beef-cheek wonton with shiitake sauce | | 10 | [Kitchen 154](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kitchen-154) | Arapiles | €€ | Repsol Solete | Dan dan lamian noodles | | 11 | [Mama Uma](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/mama-uma) | Justicia | € | — | Bibimbap | | 12 | [Mi Dang](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/mi-dang) | Cuatro Caminos | € | Repsol Solete | Dolsot bibimbap | | 13 | [Pury](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/pury) | Sol | €€ | — | Korean seafood and scallion pancake | | 14 | [Pui's Thai Tapas](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/puis-thai-tapas) | Palos de la Frontera | €€ | Repsol Solete | Tom yam gung | | 15 | [Kai Thai](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kai-thai) | Argüelles | €€ | — | Grilled meat skewers | | 16 | [Es Vietnam Restaurante](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/es-vietnam-restaurante) | Palacio | € | — | Phở bò | ## The 16 best Asian food in Madrid ### 1. Benares *Michelin-pedigree Indian spinoff of Atul Kochhar's Benares London* - **Neighbourhood:** Almagro - **Address:** Calle Zurbano nº5 28010 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€ - **Distinction:** Michelin Selected · Repsol Recomendado - **Website:** https://benaresmadrid.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/benares Benares is an Indian restaurant on Calle Zurbano in Almagro, Chamberí, opened in 2015 as the Madrid outpost of Benares in London's Mayfair, the restaurant chef Atul Kochhar founded in 2003 and left in 2018. The kitchen is now run by chef Luis Ojeda, who pairs Indian technique with Spanish product: pulpo bhuna, octopus in mustard oil with papaya chutney, and gosht rogan josh, a Kashmiri lamb curry built on cardamom and star anise. The carta also runs to jhinga tandoor, king prawns marinated in Kashmiri chilli and garam masala and roasted in the tandoor, alongside pani puri and a Punjabi-style butter chicken masala. Benares holds a Michelin Selected listing and a Repsol Recomendado, and prices run €51 to €100 a head. **Order:** - Pulpo bhuna - Gosht rogan josh - Jhinga tandoor > "combina producto local de temporada y técnicas actuales, con elementos clásicos y recetas tradicionales del país" — Madrid Secreto ### 2. China Crown *Imperial Chinese revival from the Bao family, Michelin Selected* - **Neighbourhood:** Recoletos - **Address:** Calle de Don Ramón de la Cruz, 6, 28006 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€ - **Distinction:** Michelin Selected - **Website:** https://www.restaurantechinacrown.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/china-crown China Crown reopened on Calle de Don Ramón de la Cruz in Recoletos in autumn 2020, reviving a name the Bao family first used in Madrid in 1981, when a young María Li Bao ran the original restaurant before it later closed. Siblings María Li Bao and Felipe Bao now lead the second generation: she runs the business side of the group, and he heads the kitchen. The signature dish is Pato Imperial, alongside xiao long bao filled with txangurro and char siu bao with marinated sirloin. A daily 5 to 8pm service pairs fifteen dim sum choices with champagne or gin tonics. China Crown holds a Michelin Selected listing, and María Li Bao won the Víctor de la Serna lifetime-achievement prize at the 2025 Premios Metrópoli. **Order:** - Pato Imperial - Xiao long bao with txangurro - Char siu bao with marinated sirloin > "Su propuesta culinaria evoca a algunas de las recetas más importantes de historia china" — Madrid Secreto ### 3. Soy Kitchen *Chef Julio Zhang's Chinese cooking built on Spanish product* - **Neighbourhood:** Almagro - **Address:** Calle Zurbano 59, 28010 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€ - **Distinction:** Michelin Selected · Repsol 1 Sol - **Website:** https://soykitchen.es/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/soy-kitchen Soy Kitchen, on Calle Zurbano in Almagro, is chef Julio Zhang's most personal project: what he calls alta cocina china de autor, Chinese technique applied to Spanish, local and seasonal ingredients rather than standard Chinese-Spanish fare. Zhang, born Yong Ping Zhang in Beijing with roots in imperial Chinese cooking, spent time in Pamplona learning Spanish regional produce before settling in Madrid and opening Soy Kitchen in 2013. Dim sum comes from a live bar, with staff guiding diners through choices like black har gow under Joselito pork and pork-cheek siu mai with truffle. The carta runs to xiao long bao with pork belly and ginger, wok-seared lobster in red chile mirin, and a chili crab at €33, alongside two tasting menus: Long, nine courses at €85, and Hu, eight courses at €75. Soy Kitchen holds a Michelin Selected listing and one Repsol Sol. **Order:** - Xiao long bao with pork belly and ginger - Wok-seared lobster in red chile mirin - Chili crab > "El chino con personalidad propia y discurso claro" — La Gastronoma ### 4. Ugo Chan *Michelin-starred Japanese named for chef Hugo Muñoz's boyhood nickname* - **Neighbourhood:** Nueva España - **Address:** Félix Boix, 6 28036 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€€ - **Distinction:** Michelin 1-Star · Repsol 2 Soles - **Website:** https://ugochan.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/ugo-chan Ugo Chan opened in Nueva España in 2021 and won a Michelin star about a year later, at the November 2022 gala. Chef Hugo Muñoz trained under Abraham García at Viridiana, then learned nigiri technique from Ricardo Sanz at Kabuki Wellington before a stint at Zuma in London. The name comes from his maternal grandfather Emilio, who had trading ties with Japan and called him 'Hugochan' as a boy. The carta moves between Japanese form and Basque and Madrid references: mullet sashimi served on the bone with a cold Bilbao-style sauce, mussels sunomono with smoked beef tongue and seaweed, and a lamb-sweetbread kebab temaki. Nigiri run €15.50 to €16.50 a pair, including a foie gras and eel pairing in homage to Martín Berasategui. Diners can also hand over to an omakase built around the table's tastes. Ugo Chan holds one Michelin star and two Repsol Soles. **Order:** - Mullet sashimi with cold Bilbao-style sauce - Mussels sunomono with smoked beef tongue - Lamb-sweetbread kebab temaki > "Restaurante contemporáneo con cocina vista, barras y alma nipona" — Woohoo Group ### 5. Yugo the Bunker *Michelin-starred izakaya upstairs, a WWII-bunker tasting room below* - **Neighbourhood:** Barrio de las Letras - **Address:** Calle San Blas, 4, 28014 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€€ - **Distinction:** Michelin 1-Star · Repsol Recomendado - **Website:** https://www.yugothebunker.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/yugo-the-bunker Yugo the Bunker, on Calle San Blas in Barrio de las Letras, runs across two spaces: an upstairs izakaya styled like a manga-bright Japanese tavern, and a downstairs built as a faithful recreation of a Japanese WWII bunker. It began in 2013 on Calle Alcalá as Yugo Sushi&Kobe, a takeaway. Chef Julián Mármol has held a Michelin star here every year since 2019, and a Repsol Recomendado since 2022. Every diner at a table orders the same tasting menu: Menú Clásicos del Bunker at €145, an anthology of dishes that have stuck around for years, including negitoro with crispy wonton, shime-saba and black cod misoyaki gyoza, or the seasonally renewed Menú Evolution at €175, which has run to smoked-caviar otoro nigiri and aged beef with kimchi and bone marrow. Mármol sources exclusive product from suppliers in Alaska, Japan, Portugal and the Ebro Delta. Only guests aged eight and up are seated, and there's no vegetarian or vegan option. **Order:** - Negitoro with crispy wonton - Black cod misoyaki gyoza - Smoked-caviar otoro nigiri > "Alta cocina japonesa con experiencia inmersiva única: barra estilo izakaya y una sala exclusiva ambientada como un búnker de la Segunda Guerra Mundial" — Woohoo Group ### 6. Kyoshi Las Cortes *Ricardo Sanz's relaxed Japanese-Mediterranean fusion inside a DoubleTree hotel* - **Neighbourhood:** Cortes - **Address:** Calle San Agustín, 3, Madrid, Spain, 28014 - **Price:** €€€ - **Distinction:** Repsol 1 Sol - **Website:** https://www.gruporicardosanz.com/kyoshi-las-cortes-restaurante-hotel-double-tree - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kyoshi-las-cortes Kyoshi Las Cortes is chef Ricardo Sanz's fusion restaurant on the ground floor of the Hotel Las Cortes DoubleTree by Hilton, in the Cortes barrio. 'Kyoshi,' meaning master of masters in Japanese, is the name Sanz has used since 2021 for the more relaxed format of his restaurant group, aimed at a wider room than his starred restaurants. The cooking is Japanese-Spanish fusion, built on produce and simple, elegant preparation; signature dishes across the group include huevos rotos with tuna, an egg-and-truffle nigiri, a bocata de calamares, pa amb tomàquet, and a bone-marrow gunkan. The wine and sake list leans on Champagne and white wines to match the food. Kyoshi Las Cortes holds one Repsol Sol, on the ground floor of the hotel at Calle San Agustín, 3. **Order:** - Huevos rotos with tuna - Egg and truffle nigiri - Bone-marrow gunkan > "dos propuestas donde la cocina japonesa se adereza con aires mediteráneos" — La Gastronoma ### 7. El Bund *Over 30 handmade dim sum styles in a 1930s Shanghai mansion* - **Neighbourhood:** Arturo Soria - **Address:** Calle Arturo Baldasano, 22, 28044 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€ - **Distinction:** Repsol Recomendado - **Website:** https://elbund.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/el-bund El Bund occupies a former mansion in Arturo Soria, near the Chinese Embassy, decorated to evoke a 1930s Shanghai residence, with a terrace split into three garden-inspired spaces. The kitchen turns out more than 30 dim sum preparations, hand-made fresh daily and spanning Cantonese, Shanghainese and Sichuan styles: vegetable dim sum, Shanghainese shaomai with veal and mushroom, Cantonese shaomai with shrimp or fish, Pekinese shaomai with pork, jiaozi filled with shrimp or lamb, and xiao long bao in Iberian pork broth, with fresh pasta made on site. El Bund holds a Repsol Recomendado, and prices run €26 to €50 a head. **Order:** - Shanghainese shaomai with veal and mushroom - Xiao long bao in Iberian pork broth - Pekinese shaomai with pork > "Pionero del hot pot regional en Madrid desde 2009" — Woohoo Group ### 8. Lelong Asian Club *Pan-Asian menu and cocktails in a marble-lined Cortes club* - **Neighbourhood:** Cortes - **Address:** Carrera de San Jerónimo, 9, 28014 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€ - **Website:** https://www.lelongclub.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/lelong-asian-club Lelong Asian Club, on Carrera de San Jerónimo in Cortes, pairs design, Asian cooking and music across a marble-lined room built for a long evening, backed by a cocktail bar, a wine cellar with sommeliers and DJ sets. The kitchen spans the continent rather than sticking to one register: dim sum like xiao long bao filled with beef cheek or with pork and truffle, sushi rolls including a dragon roll with crispy langoustine, a Lelong Club Thai fried rice with langoustines and pineapple, a chicken Pad Thai, and Sichuan-style mapo tofu. Its own menu even lists a whole Imperial Beijing Duck under 'China Crown Group Specialty,' and Gastronosfera notes the kitchen is backed by a team seasoned in houses like China Crown and Shanghai Mama. Prices run €30 to €80 a head. **Order:** - Xiao long bao filled with beef cheek - Lelong Club Thai fried rice with langoustines and pineapple - Imperial Beijing Duck > "sostenida por un equipo curtido en casas como las de China Crown y Shanghai Mama" — Gastronosfera ### 9. Nakeima *Reservation-free Asian fusion dumpling bar, 20 seats a night* - **Neighbourhood:** Gaztambide - **Address:** Calle Meléndez Valdés 54, 28015 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€€ - **Distinction:** Repsol 1 Sol - **Website:** https://nakeima.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/nakeima Nakeima is an Asian fusion dumpling bar on Calle Meléndez Valdés in Gaztambide, founded by chefs Roberto Martínez and Gonzalo García after they worked together at a Nikkei restaurant in Madrid. Chef Gonzalo García and Luis Gómez-Bua founded it in 2013. It runs under a bar licence, seats only 20 diners a night across single lunch and dinner sittings Tuesday to Saturday, and takes no reservations: a list forms at the door about half an hour before each service. There's no fixed menu; each course arrives as a surprise and guests can stop once satisfied. Dishes have included a beef-cheek wonton with shiitake sauce and cured quail yolk, dim sum of ropa vieja with a chuleta béarnaise, a 'bunwich' of Chinese bun with Galician chorizo and quail egg, nigiri topped with Ibérico ham and prawn, and butterfish tataki in miso. Nakeima holds one Repsol Sol. **Order:** - Beef-cheek wonton with shiitake sauce - Dim sum of ropa vieja with chuleta béarnaise - Butterfish tataki in miso ### 10. Kitchen 154 *Spicy Southeast Asian small plates across three unfussy Madrid rooms* - **Neighbourhood:** Arapiles - **Address:** Mercado de Vallehermoso, calle de Vallehermoso, 36, 28015 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€ - **Distinction:** Repsol Solete - **Website:** http://kitchen154.com - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kitchen-154 Kitchen 154 runs three rooms inside the M-30, one of them in the Mercado de Vallehermoso in Arapiles, Chamberí, each with its own menu, built mostly around Southeast Asian cooking. The group says it means to push back against a Madrid dining scene too focused on appearances, favouring unfussy rooms, affordable prices, and food that's meant to taste good over looking good. The Vallehermoso carta runs to sweet chili wings, dumplings, Sichuan eggplant, Korean-style ribs, dan dan lamian noodles, and red curry with king prawns or vegetables. Kitchen 154 holds a Repsol Solete, and prices run €20 to €30 a head. **Order:** - Dan dan lamian noodles - Sichuan eggplant - Korean-style ribs > "En lo que a comida picante se refiere, Kitchen 154 es referente número uno en Madrid" — Madrid Secreto ### 11. Mama Uma *Eight-seat Korean cooking counter inside the Mercado Barceló* - **Neighbourhood:** Justicia - **Address:** Calle de Barceló, 6 (Mercado Barceló, 2ª planta, local 313A), 28004 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** € - **Website:** https://www.mamauma.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/mama-uma Mama Uma is a Korean cooking bar on the second floor of the Mercado Barceló, on Calle de Barceló in Justicia. It has been open since 2020. It's a counter for eight, with the kitchen cooking live in front of you rather than running a dining room or waitstaff; there's also a takeaway option to eat at the market's shared tables. Photos from the counter show a fried chicken burger finished with pickles and a sriracha glaze, and a bibimbap bowl topped with a fried egg and sesame seeds. It's closed at weekends, and prices run €20 to €30 a head. **Order:** - Bibimbap - Fried chicken burger with pickles and sriracha glaze > "Jiwoo y Gonzo han montado la primera casa Kimbap en España" — La Gastronoma ### 12. Mi Dang *Korean home cooking with tableside grills in Cuatro Caminos* - **Neighbourhood:** Cuatro Caminos - **Address:** C. de San Antonio, 6, Tetuán, 28020 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** € - **Distinction:** Repsol Solete - **Website:** https://www.restaurantemidang.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/mi-dang Mi Dang serves Korean home cooking on Calle de San Antonio in Cuatro Caminos, Tetuán. The kitchen runs to kimchi and soybean-paste stews, hot-stone bibimbap, bulgogi and samgyeopsal grilled at the table with lettuce for wrapping, plus japchae glass noodles and tteokbokki rice cakes. The kimchi is made in-house, and mains come with Korean side dishes. The menu also lists mandu dumplings, a seafood-and-vegetable pancake (hemul jeon), and a kimchi pancake made with the restaurant's own aged kimchi. Mi Dang holds a Repsol Solete, and prices run €10 to €20 a head. **Order:** - Dolsot bibimbap - Samgyeopsal - Kimchi jeon ### 13. Pury *Traditional Korean cooking in Sol* - **Neighbourhood:** Sol - **Address:** Las Veneras, 3, 28013, Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€ - **Website:** https://puryspain.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/pury Pury serves traditional Korean food on Calle de las Veneras, in the middle of Sol. Jinwon Yoon opened it in August 2024. It has no website of its own; its Instagram, @pury.kr, is the venue's main channel, including notices like its August summer closure. The room is casual, the kitchen is vegetarian-friendly, and cocktails are part of the offer alongside more traditional Korean drinks. Photos from the restaurant show a Korean seafood-and-scallion pancake served in a metal pan and sliced grilled pork belly plated with garnish. Prices run €26 to €50 a head. **Order:** - Korean seafood and scallion pancake - Grilled pork belly ### 14. Pui's Thai Tapas *Thai street-food tapas from a chef cooking since 2010* - **Neighbourhood:** Palos de la Frontera - **Address:** Cl. de José Antonio de Armona, 7, 28012 Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€ - **Distinction:** Repsol Solete - **Website:** https://www.puithaitapas.es/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/puis-thai-tapas Pui's Thai Tapas serves Thai street food on Calle de José Antonio de Armona, in the Palos de la Frontera part of Arganzuela. Its own site says the chef, Pui, arrived in Spain from Thailand in 2010 and built the restaurant on the street-food recipes he grew up with, reworking them through ongoing contact back home, with ingredients brought in directly from Thailand. The format is Thai tapas for sharing: spring rolls, tom kha gai and tom yam gung soups, papaya salads like som tam Thai, and a full run of curries from green and red to massaman. Pui's Thai Tapas holds a Repsol Solete and is vegetarian-friendly, with prices around €20 to €30 a head. **Order:** - Tom yam gung - Som tam Thai - Massaman curry ### 15. Kai Thai *Thai Select-certified traditional cooking in Argüelles* - **Neighbourhood:** Argüelles - **Address:** Calle Princesa, 13, 28008, Madrid, Spain - **Price:** €€ - **Website:** https://kaithaicomidas.com/ - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/kai-thai Kai Thai is a Thai restaurant on Calle Princesa, in the Argüelles part of Moncloa-Aravaca. Sergio Gallinas, a Spaniard who fell for Thailand on a backpacking trip, opened it in August 2019. It holds the Thai Select certification from Thailand's Ministry of Commerce, which recognises authentic, traditionally prepared Thai food. It's a casual spot with vegetarian options on the menu. Photos from the restaurant show grilled meat skewers served with dipping sauce and a side salad, and grilled shrimp skewers plated on a banana leaf. Prices run €20 to €30 a head, and its listed opening hours look incomplete online, so it's worth checking directly before a visit. **Order:** - Grilled meat skewers - Grilled shrimp skewers ### 16. Es Vietnam Restaurante *Pho and banh mi across Vietnam's three regions in Centro* - **Neighbourhood:** Palacio - **Address:** Calle Vergara, 14, 28013, Madrid, Spain - **Price:** € - **Website:** https://esvietnam.es/product - **Full profile:** https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/es-vietnam-restaurante Es Vietnam is a Vietnamese restaurant in the Palacio part of Centro, one of a small local group of the same name. The kitchen runs to pho and banh mi alongside dishes drawn from Vietnam's northern, central and southern cooking: bánh xèo crepes, thịt xiên nướng grilled pork skewers, nem cuốn fresh spring rolls, bún chả with grilled pork over rice vermicelli, and a beef pho built on a 24-hour broth. It takes reservations as well as doing takeaway and delivery, and the bill runs affordable, with prices around €10 to €20 a head. **Order:** - Phở bò - Bánh xèo - Bún chả ## Honourable mentions - **[Don Lay](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/don-lay)** (Castellana) — Cantonese cooking led by Nieves Ye on Calle de Castelló, reopened in 2019 with lacquered roasted meats and dim sum after its original 2002 Puerta del Ángel location closed; Repsol Recomendado. - **[Bao Li](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/bao-li)** (Cortes) — The Bao brothers' high-end Cantonese dim sum room on Calle de Jovellanos in Cortes, Michelin Selected and Repsol Recomendado, closed Mondays. - **[Casa Pei Plus](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/casa-pei-plus)** (Ríos Rosas) — A mother-and-daughter dumpling spot on Calle Espronceda in Ríos Rosas mixing Chinese and Korean home cooking with specialty coffee; a 2025 Premios Metrópoli under-€40 finalist. - **[Shanghai Mama Las Tablas](https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/restaurants/shanghai-mama)** (Las Tablas) — One of five Shanghai Mama locations across Madrid, this one in Las Tablas, built on homestyle Shanghai cooking from artisanal dim sum to a signature crispy duck. ## The Asian scene in Madrid Madrid's Asian dining runs well past the sushi counters that dominate search results. Chinese cooking splits into distinct registers: China Crown and Soy Kitchen's high-end Cantonese and imperial dishes sit in Recoletos and Almagro, while El Bund recreates a 1930s Shanghai mansion out by the Chinese Embassy in Arturo Soria. Mama Uma and Mi Dang cover Korean food at very different scales, an eight-seat market counter in Justicia against a full Cuatro Caminos dining room with tableside grills. Thai and Vietnamese cooking sit further from the centre: Kai Thai in Argüelles holds Thailand's official Thai Select certification, Pui's Thai Tapas in Arganzuela runs on recipes its chef brought over from Thailand in 2010, and Es Vietnam serves pho and banh mi from Vietnam's three regions in Palacio. A newer wave of pan-Asian rooms, among them Nakeima's reservation-free dumpling bar in Gaztambide and Lelong Asian Club's marble-lined dining room in Cortes, mix several of those traditions on one menu rather than picking a single country. ## Know before you go ### 1. Reservation habits vary a lot by kitchen Nakeima takes no reservations and fills by a door list before each of its two daily sittings, while Ugo Chan and Yugo the Bunker book online well ahead for their tasting menus. ### 2. Korean counters here run small Mama Uma seats only eight, inside a market stall with no dining room, and it's closed on weekends. Plan around opening hours rather than walking in expecting space. ### 3. A few restaurants close for summer or run limited hours Pury takes a break in August, and Kai Thai's listed hours look incomplete online, so it's worth checking directly before a visit. ### 4. Michelin and Repsol recognition doesn't map onto price Benares, China Crown, Soy Kitchen, Bao Li, Ugo Chan and Yugo the Bunker all carry Michelin recognition, but several Repsol Solete-holders here, like Kitchen 154 and Pui's Thai Tapas, run at a fraction of the price. ## Glossary - **Dim sum** — A Cantonese tradition of small, shareable steamed or fried dishes, usually dumplings, served in bamboo steamers. - **Pan-Asian** — A kitchen that draws on more than one Asian culinary tradition at once rather than specialising in a single country's cuisine. - **Banchan** — The small side dishes that accompany a Korean meal, refilled through the course of eating. - **Izakaya** — A casual Japanese tavern format built around small plates meant to be shared alongside drinks. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best Asian restaurant in Madrid? It depends on the cuisine. Benares holds Michelin recognition for Indian food, China Crown and Soy Kitchen do the same for Chinese, and Ugo Chan and Yugo the Bunker both hold a Michelin star for Japanese cooking. For pan-Asian menus that mix several traditions, Lelong Asian Club and Nakeima are the picks on this list. ### Where can I find Korean food in Madrid? Mi Dang, in Cuatro Caminos, runs a full Korean menu with tableside grills and stone-bowl bibimbap. Mama Uma is an eight-seat counter inside the Mercado Barceló, and Pury serves traditional Korean food in the middle of Sol. ### Is there certified authentic Thai food in Madrid? Kai Thai, in Argüelles, holds the Thai Select certification from Thailand's Ministry of Commerce, which recognises authentic, traditionally prepared Thai cooking. ### Where can I get Vietnamese pho in Madrid? Es Vietnam Restaurante, in the Palacio area of Centro, serves pho and banh mi alongside dishes from Vietnam's northern, central and southern regions. ### Which Madrid restaurants hold a Michelin star for Asian food outside Japanese cooking? None of the Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese or Indian restaurants on this list hold a Michelin star. Benares, China Crown, Soy Kitchen and Bao Li hold the Michelin Selected badge without a star. Ugo Chan and Yugo the Bunker, both Japanese, hold one star each. ### Where can I try dim sum in Madrid? El Bund, in Arturo Soria, makes more than 30 dim sum preparations fresh daily across Cantonese, Shanghainese and Sichuan styles. ### Is there Filipino or Indonesian food in Madrid? Filipino and Indonesian kitchens are thin on the ground in Madrid compared with Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking. Sources point to a small number of specialists, including El Arco Pinoy and Manila Bar for Filipino food, though we don't yet have a verified page for either. ### Is there a walk-in, reservation-free Asian restaurant in Madrid? Nakeima, in Gaztambide, is walk-in only: it takes a list at the door about half an hour before each of its two daily sittings and seats only 20 people a night. ## About the author **Justin Mota** — Guidavera founder Justin Mota is the founder of Guidavera. He has lived in Spain for over 10 years and runs a native AI agency alongside building this platform. Food has always been the way Justin connects with friends, and Guidavera started as the list he kept sending to everyone visiting Barcelona. He built it for himself and his friends first, and now hopes it can transform the way people discover great food experiences everywhere. More: https://guidavera.com/about --- This guide is the canonical machine-readable version of https://guidavera.com/spain/madrid/best-asian. Every claim is verifiable against the linked restaurant profiles. Source: Guidavera (https://guidavera.com).