The Cocido Madrileño Pilgrimage

A great pot of chickpeas, meats and vegetables, served in three acts: first the broth as soup, then the chickpeas and veg, then the parade of meats. Lunch as a marathon.

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Why this dish?

Cocido madrileño is Madrid's grand winter ritual: chickpeas slow-simmered with beef, chicken, chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), pork belly, bones and vegetables for hours, then served in "vuelcos" (turns) - first the rich broth poured over fine noodles, then the chickpeas, potatoes and cabbage, and finally the platter of meats. You work through it course by course, and you do not leave hungry.

This is comfort cooking on a civic scale, the kind of thing Madrileños build a long, boozy weekday lunch around. You can't replicate the ceremony - or the broth - at home, and the best cocido houses have been refining theirs for a century. Fly in, find a traditional taberna, settle in for the three acts with a glass of red, and waddle out into the Madrid afternoon. That's the pilgrimage.

Our Picks

La Bola

Address: Calle de la Bola 5, Madrid
What to order: The cocido madrileño (it's the whole point), with bread and a glass of Rioja.
Book ahead: Worth booking - small and popular.
Pro tip: Eat it at lunch and clear your afternoon; the three courses are enormous and there's no rushing it.

Malacatín

Calle de la Ruda 5, Madrid

A tiny, century-old cocido institution near La Latina, all tiled walls and old-Madrid atmosphere.

What to order: The full cocido (they're famous for it); go with an appetite and a group.

Good to know

Cocido is winter food and a midday affair - many places only serve it at lunch, sometimes only certain days, so check ahead. It comes in three "vuelcos" (turns); pace yourself and don't fill up on the soup. La Latina is Madrid's great tapas-and-taberna neighbourhood for a wander afterwards.

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