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Six of the best gourmet burger joints in Madrid

To celebrate World Hamburger Day (yes, it really exists) here is The Local's pick of some of the best burgers in Madrid.

Published: 28 May 2015 16:35 CEST
Six of the best gourmet burger joints in Madrid
It's World Hamburger Day. Photo: Silver Diner / Wikimedia

Sometimes only a burger will do. The satisfying combination of meat wrapped in a freshly baked bun with a myriad combination of sides and toppings is one of the world’s most popular dishes and Madrid has recently welcomed a host of new gourmet burger bars. 

Here’s The Local’s pick of Madrid’s best burger joints.

Let us know where you can get the best burgers in your town or city in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

MAD Café

Cava Alta 13 / Tel: 911 88 46 04 / Opening times: 1.30pm – 4pm and 8.30pm -11.30pm 

If you ever fancy a change from La Latina’s tapas, why not try the mouth-watering burgers at Mad Cafe. They are all freshly made and sides include crunchy onion rings, buffalo wings and “Mad nachos”. They also have a sister restaurant called Mad Grill near Alonso Martínez. 

San Wich

Calle Hortaleza 78 and Espíritu Santo, 3 / Tel: 913 19 84 82 / Opening times: 1.30pm – 4pm and 8pm – 12pm 

Sanwich takes inspiration from the homeland of its owner with some delicious sandwiches and burgers all centred around typical Chilean ingredients. Sip on a Pisco Sour, a traditional Chilean cocktail as you enjoy a slice of Chile in the heart of Madrid.

Home Burger Bar

Calle Espíritu Santo 12 / Tel: 91 522 97 28 / Opening times: 2pm – 5pm and 8.30pm – 12am

All of Home Burger’s meat is organic, while they pride themselves on making all their menus and packaging recyclable. Huge burgers come in variety of gourmet styles and any burger can be made veggie on the customer’s request. They now have four restaurants in Madrid so check out their website to find your local. 

Alfredos Barbacoa

Lagasca, 5 / Tel: 91 576 62 71 / Opening times: 1pm – 4.30pm and 8.30 – 1am 

Alredos has been going strong for over three decades. Run by an American expat, this is the place to come if you want authentic, huge, juicy American burgers, ribs and steaks, with barbecue sauce to die for. 

Roll 

Calle Amaniel 23 / Telephone: 918 05 79 30 / Opening times: 10am – 1am 

Step off the streets of Madrid and into Roll, a Chicago burger joint in the heart of Spain's capital. Founded by Chicago native Ryan Day, Roll offers some authentic American hamburgers with an international twist as well as delicious brunches. 

Tommy Mel's 

Calle Hortaleza 34 / Telephone: 915 212 358 / Opening times: 1pm – 1am 

If you ever wanted to feel like an extra in Grease, Tommy Mel's provides all the fun of a 1950s American diner, complete with cute booths and rockabilly music, you are sure to never be far away from a vintage burger bar experience. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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