What to eat in Madrid at Easter: cod, potaje and torrijas at key venues

Holy Week transforms Madrid’s gastronomic offering. Dishes such as cod, stew and torrijas take centre stage in leading restaurants. New versions and traditional recipes coexist on terraces and in emblematic establishments. An opportunity to rediscover the city through its cooking.

With the arrival of Holy Week, Madrid’s gastronomy fills with familiar flavours and proposals that invite people to go out and share a table. Cod, vigil stew and torrijas appear on menus in restaurants across different neighbourhoods, some faithful to tradition and others opting for reinterpretations that surprise even the regulars.

At Grupo Cachivache establishments, cod is presented in versions as varied as fritters with Biscayan sauce, green curry at La Raquetista or Roman-style fillets with tartare sauce at Cachivache Taberna. The journey ends with the juicy El Macho sobao torrija, accompanied by meringue-milk ice cream, available at Cachivache and La Raquetista.

Infame, in La Latina, retains Alex Santamaría’s Basque essence with a Holy Week menu that includes vigil stew, cod pil pil and torrijas. The restaurant opens on every public holiday and becomes a strategic spot for those who want to enjoy tradition and the processions in the centre.

In Chueca, Celso y Manolo pays tribute to cod with croquettes made with spinach, raisins and pine nuts, an omelette with confit onion and a Catalan-style scramble. La Carmencita, Madrid’s second-oldest tavern, opts for cod scramble and battered cod with baker’s potatoes and tomato concassé, maintaining the balance between memory and the present.

Almara, newly opened on Castellana, offers a cod pil pil omelette and a caramelised torrija with dulce de leche ice cream, in a space designed to make the most of good weather on its terrace. La Ancha, with two establishments in the city, remains faithful to its traditional recipe book with cod with porrusalda cream, vigil stew and a classic torrija that never fails.

The Club Financiero, between 27 March and 5 April, opens its terraces to the public and adds a classic torrija to its menu, perfect for those looking to enjoy views of Madrid and a sweet finishing touch at height. Barra Alta, meanwhile, stands out these days with its lightly smoked cod fritter, accompanied by honey and romesco.

Holy Week in Madrid is not only experienced in the streets, but also at the table. Traditional dishes and new proposals coexist in a city that takes every opportunity to reinvent its gastronomic and social calendar.

The tradition of torrijas, cod and vigil stew has deep roots in Madrid culture. Many of these dishes arose in response to abstinence from meat during Lent, but they have evolved into symbols of local culinary identity. Today, in both centuries-old taverns and signature restaurants, Holy Week is an excuse to rediscover flavours and share moments around the table. Madrid begins to move in that direction every spring.

Key dishes and addresses (1 Apr 2026):

Cachivache Taberna (Serrano 221, Roman-style fillets + sobao torrija ~12€);

Infame (Cava Baja 20, vigil stew 18€, book now);

Almara (Castellana, pil pil omelette 15€ terrace);

La Ancha (various, traditional stew).

Open on public holidays non-stop.