Tortilla de patatas is everyone’s favourite snack food here in Madrid. Safe for vegetarians, it usually features just 3 ingredients; eggs, potatoes and onion. What’s not to love? Bar Casa Paco has the classic potato version of course, plus another 13 incredible variations on the theme. They are all freshly made, and all priced the same for a portion. Flavours include caramelized leek, steak, crispy onion and parmesan or gammon with “tetilla” cheese.

Its second speciality is another dish beloved by the Spanish; croquetas, which are made from breaded bechamel, served piping hot and typically feature little bits of ham. Here they have 5 different croquetas every day, with ingredients like porcini mushrooms, steak with honey and mustard or blue cheese.

The raucous atmosphere in the evening is incredible; don’t come here for a quiet dinner! The customers are young and hungry, and the waiters survive the onslaught with energy and good humour. There are other dishes of course, and I recommend the very reasonably priced lunch menu too.

You can get tortilla and croquetas in almost every bar in Madrid, but often they are indifferent. Don’t settle – make a pilgrimage to Bar Casa Paco and experience some of the best!