Traditional Madrid cooking built on market produce and simple technique: frying and the griddle, well-poured beer and a good choice of wines. The house has never cared much for long written menus: Ramón has said he'd rather be served good things at a good price without fuss.

The fixtures have barely changed in decades: ensaladilla rusa, boquerones en vinagre, huevos rellenos and grilled lamb sweetbreads. Add well-chosen cured meats, the vegetables of the day and a properly dressed tomato that tastes of tomato. Fresh fish and shellfish are sold at fair prices, the fried fish is light, and there's always a guiso del día, from potaje de cuaresma to chickpeas with squid; ask what it is. Madrid-style callos with a touch of heat, grilled prawns and an old-fashioned pastel de carne have all been house favourites, and desserts are the classics: rice pudding and flan.

Rather than a long printed wine list, Ramón buys the bottles he likes and adds a modest margin, so ask what's open. Guzmán el Bueno opens all day, Monday to Saturday from 09:00 until midnight, and closes on Sunday; the bar works for a morning coffee or a caña as much as a sit-down lunch. Claudio Coello keeps its own hours, so check which one you're heading to.