September is a month of returns. Back after days and weeks of disconnection, away from the stressful noise and frenetic movement of the city. After a relaxing summer, we return loaded with new resolutions and, of course, a long list of (newly opened) restaurants that we can't wait to try.
The most tempting rentrée
The openings ushering in Madrid’s new dining season: new tables, concepts and places well worth discovering.
September is the month of reunions; it restores Madrid to its usual rhythm, but it also brings that sense of a fresh start that accompanies every new season. Calendars are filling up again, outdoor cafes are making the most of the last few days before the cold sets in, and the city is regaining its rhythm of impromptu dinners, long after-dinner chats, and restaurants worth discovering before everyone else starts talking about them.
This year’s “rentrée” brings new openings, revamped projects, and offerings that expand the capital’s culinary map. Here are some of the spots kicking off the season and already giving us new reasons to sit down at the table again.
Nobu Madrid: Tokyo, New York, London, Ibiza… and now Madrid
One of the most anticipated openings of the season has just arrived in Madrid. Nobu is making its debut in the capital as part of the Nobu Hotel Madrid, bringing to the city the cosmopolitan atmosphere that has made Nobu Matsuhisa’s brand an international benchmark. Its Peruvian-inspired Japanese cuisine features some of its most iconic dishes, such as black cod with miso and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, alongside seasonal offerings designed specifically for this new location.
The space spans three levels and offers different ways to enjoy the experience: a lounge with a relaxed atmosphere, an open kitchen, a sushi bar, and a more intimate area on the lower level. All of this is integrated into one of the new luxury hotels in downtown Madrid. More than just an opening, Nobu marks the arrival of a new way of understanding gastronomy, where cuisine, design, and lifestyle coexist under a single language.
Address: Calle de Alcalá, 26, 28014
Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese with Peruvian and South American influences
Average price: Approx. 100–150 € per person. For reference, their Omakase Signature tasting menu costs 135 €
Lhardy Café: Nearly two centuries of history, served in a new way
Lhardy is opening a new chapter in a story that began in Madrid in 1839. Looking beyond its historic home on Carrera de San Jerónimo, the restaurant is introducing Lhardy Café on the ground floor of the Wellington Hotel—a new concept that doesn’t seek to replicate the original, but rather to reinterpret its legacy from a lighter, more contemporary perspective.
Designed to accompany different moments of the day, it brings together a café, bistro, restaurant, and shop all under one roof. The menu features some of the brand’s most recognizable flavors—such as consommé and cocido croquettes—alongside new takes on its recipes, like cocido ravioli, without sacrificing classics like the soufflé.
This concept strikes a balance between the past and the present and demonstrates that tradition can also find new ways to endure.
Address: Calle de Velázquez, 8, on the ground floor of the Wellington Hotel, 28001
Cuisine: Traditional Spanish and Madrid cuisine, reinterpreted in a contemporary café-bistro setting.
Average price: Approx. 40–60 € per person.
SEXTO Atelier: Twenty seats to tell a lifetime’s story
SEXTO embraces a much more intimate approach to haute cuisine. With just twenty guests, a single lunch service, and a fixed-course tasting menu, every meal becomes a carefully curated, unhurried, and almost personal experience. At the helm is Juan Suárez de Lezo, chef at Quintoelemento, who presents a culinary journey here that is deeply rooted in his own memories and career.
Córdoba and the flavors of his childhood intertwine with what he learned in some of the most influential kitchens on the international scene, from Arzak and elBulli to Mugaritz, Per Se, and Eleven Madison Park. The result is a culinary concept with a strong identity, featuring dishes such as the soups of Córdoba, scarlet shrimp, turbot, and roe deer, accompanied by a wine list focused on small-batch productions and carefully selected wines. A dining experience designed for those who value gastronomy as a story, an attention to detail, and time shared together.
Address: Calle de Atocha, 125, 7th floor, 28012
Cuisine: Contemporary haute cuisine with Spanish roots, international influences, and a tasting menu format.
Price: 150 € per person, drinks not included. Optional wine pairing: 90 €.
Bar Mistela Chamartín: The taste of Valencia, now also in Madrid
Mistela opens in Chamartín as Grupo Gastroadictos’ first Madrid location, bringing to the capital a culinary philosophy deeply rooted in Valencia. Its star attraction is the “esmorzaret,” a ritual halfway between breakfast and lunch where sandwiches, pickles, peanuts, and “cremaet” turn an everyday break into a small celebration.
The new venue maintains the brand’s informal and generous spirit, featuring rice dishes, grilled meats, hearty stews, and cuisine designed for sharing and lingering over the meal. It’s a concept that finds a new home in Madrid without losing its roots—and serves as a reminder that some traditions, when truly understood, travel exceptionally well.
Address: Calle de Manuel de Falla, 5, 28036
Cuisine: Casual Valencian cuisine: esmorzaret, rice dishes, grilled meats, hearty stews, and dishes meant for sharing.
Average price: Approx. 20–30 € per person.
Ultramarinos Marín: the pleasure of sitting at a good bar and letting the food do the rest
Ultramarinos Marín arrives in Malasaña with a simple yet very specific idea: to rekindle the pleasure of eating well at a counter. Borja García Ordoño’s project will occupy a former neighborhood establishment, preserving original elements such as the encaustic cement floor tiles and the wood-and-marble counter, which lend the space a sense of history.
The cuisine follows that same philosophy. Fish and shellfish, marinated dishes, salt-cured foods, house-made cured meats, and products from small-scale producers make up a menu where fire, the grill, and the season set the pace. Behind this apparent simplicity lies a career forged in kitchens such as Etxebarri, Alain Ducasse, and Noma.
Rather than seeking to make a splash, Ultramarinos Marín focuses on the craft, the ingredients, and the pleasure of eating well at the bar.
Address: Calle de San Andrés, 31, at the corner of Manuela Malasaña, 13, 28004
Cuisine: Ingredient- and market-driven cuisine, with a special focus on fish, shellfish, salted fish, marinated dishes, and grilled and flame-cooked preparations.
Average price: Approx. 40–60 € per person.