The carta changes daily around what suppliers flag the night before, drawn from a repertoire of more than 300 dishes. Beyond the boiled red gamba, look for eel with pear, carabinero with sobrasada, battered kokotxas, lamb kidneys with caviar, lamb brains in black butter with capers, and classic stews like albóndigas, callos and lamprey elevated to the extreme.

Juanjo López Bedmar grew up among stoves: his father, Serafín López, ran a casa de comidas called La Tasquita, so named because it stood opposite an old restaurant called La Gran Tasca. Until he was 40, Juanjo was a director at a large insurance company, and the keenest diner and traveller he knew. When his father died, he left that job, took over the kitchen and turned an eight-table dining room on Calle Ballesta into one of the reference points for product cooking in Spain. He took over in 1999, and the restaurant celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024.

He shares the pass with Nacho Trujillo, who started out washing dishes in London, learned the trade from that kitchen's head chef, and worked his way up at La Tasquita, where the two have cooked together for more than 14 years. Juanjo still greets diners from a small table by the door that doubles as his office. The Guía Repsol gave it a first Sol in 2007 and a second in 2009, which it still holds, and OAD ranked it 108th in its Europe Top Restaurants list for 2025 and 88th in 2026.

The cooking holds to radical simplicity, rarely more than three ingredients a dish, prepared that day with exact textures and temperatures. The carta changes daily: suppliers tell the cooks the night before what they can send, and the kitchen draws on a repertoire of more than 300 dishes. Eel with pear, carabinero with sobrasada, battered kokotxas and prawn salpicón sit alongside classic stews such as albóndigas, callos and lamprey, and on special request, at particular moments, there is a cocido madrileño. At Madrid Fusión 2025, its steak tartare was named the best in Spain.

There are also two tasting menus: nine courses at €110, built on love and respect for the product, and the 11-course Experiencia Tasquita at €150, built on Juanjo's most irreverent whims and whatever is in season.

The house classics include the ensaladilla rusa with bonito belly, the lobster salpicón, carabinero, pigeon and callos.

For private occasions, La Tasquita runs Tasquita Hedonista, the restaurant's experience in a private, made-to-measure format. Enquiries go by email to tasquitahedonista@gmail.com.

In early 2026 López Bedmar opened a second restaurant, La Cocina de Juanjo, at Calle Estafeta 2 in La Moraleja, Alcobendas. It carries over La Tasquita's philosophy and many of its dishes, recreated or reinterpreted by head chef Javier Sánchez, who came from Sacha in Madrid, alongside some dishes you'll only find there. Cristina García runs the room, the average bill is around €70, and a terrace opens from Easter. It closes on Monday and Tuesday and on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.

The room holds about 16 diners. La Tasquita serves lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sunday and Monday. Book through the restaurant's website or Instagram for up to six people; from Thursday to Saturday, those are the only channels. For larger groups, call 91 532 54 49. A credit card is needed to guarantee the booking, and the table is not confirmed until you receive the confirmation email. The nearest car parks are Barco 1 and Plaza de la Luna.