Vegan Travel Tips for Madrid I love writing about food :) If you enter a bar in Madrid, do you think you won’t be able to order any vegan dish? For me, these are the best tricks to survive at Madrid’s bars. Order “pimientos del padrón”, which are delicious, small grilled green peppers. It is said that some of them are spicy and others aren’t, test your luck. The “Patatas bravas” are originally from Madrid. They’re boiled potatoes which are then fried in large chunks, and then a spicy pepper sauce is added to them. Be careful that they don’t add mayonnaise; the traditional ones never have it. The eternal “aceitunas” (olives) are always used as an appetiser in Madrid, and they’re delicious and healthy. Try "champiñones al ajillo", mushrooms cooked in olive oil with garlic and parsley. Just in case, tell them to not add any ham. The "pisto " is delicious. They’re vegetables cooked in a sauce that contains onions and tomato. Ask them to not add meat or egg to the original recipe. Though it isn’t a dish from Madrid, but rather from the south, if you come to Madrid in the summer you’ll find a lot of “gazpacho” and “salmorejo” at the restaurants. They’re both cold soups made of vegetables. Just tell them not to add egg or ham on top or as a side dish. You will always be safe in a restaurant in Madrid by asking for a “parrillada de verduras” or “trigueros a la plancha”, which are grilled vegetables with olive oil and salt. The “guacamole” and the “hummus” are not originally from Spain, but there are many pubs which have them in their menus, so you will be able to take advantage of this during your gastronomic walks. If you want a vegan breakfast from Madrid, you need to ask for “churros”. They’re a flour dough that is fried. If you feel like having something less fatty, order “pan con tomate”. Vegetable milk and margarine are nowadays greatly extended in cafes, but make sure they have them first. Be aware of “salads” and “vegetable sandwiches”, they usually have all kinds of animal ingredients such as eggs, tuna, mayonnaise… so ask first. If you don’t want to take a risk, in most restaurants the chef can quickly prepare you some pasta or rice with tomato sauce and vegetables. Generally, Spanish restaurants are happy to satisfy the requests of their customers and will make everything they can for you to eat great, plentiful food.