Café Gijón Restaurant

If anything contains the essence of Madrid, it’s the cafés. And, without a doubt, the star is the famous Café Gijón on Paseo de Recoletos, which was opened by an Asturian immigrant in May of 1888.
I imagine that most already know the significance of this café, but for those that don’t, I’d like to mention that people like Severo Ochoa, Benito Pérez Galdós, Pio Baroja, and Jacinto Benavente, among others, were once regulars there.
A lot of history has passed through the doors of Café Gijón. In 1927, it was frequented by Camilo José Cela and his generation, and was also popular among the Joventud Creadora (Creative Youth) during the post-war years.

Even in Madrid, there are people who don’t know that the basement of the legendary Café Gijón houses an old restaurant of wood-paneled walls and paintings that demand contemplation.
Scrambled eggs and blood sausage, homemade croquetas, delicious jumbo prawns over cheese crisps and greens, sea bass, juicy steaks, and Basque-style hake are only some of the plates one can sample in this historic restaurant.