Six of the best tapas bars in Madrid and what to eat at each – a visitor’s guide, including dos and don’ts

It’s clearly the worst sort of tapas behaviour on my part and the bespectacled, miserable maestro in Madrid makes his disdain very clear. In hindsight, it’s actually a double faux pas.

First, the clock has yet to strike six. In some parts of the Spanish capital lunch is barely over, but here I am, walking jet-lagged and hungry into a completely empty tapas joint. This means he has to turn on the plancha [grill] just to cook my handful of gambas [prawns] in a beguiling but simple mix of garlic, salt, parsley and oil.

Second, I’m alone and the gambas al ajillo are all I order, with a glass of Rueda white wine. I also only have a €50 (HK$424) note. Although my bill comes to almost €20, his reaction suggests I tried to pay him in magic beans.

Of course there’s a happy ending to the tale, as these were unquestionably the greatest prawns of my life, the sensational, oily slick underneath greedily mopped up with hunks of crusty bread. The location was La Casa del Abuelo in the heart of the city, a well-known spot that’s been serving locals and nervous visitors for more than a century. The walls are filled with sepia photos of staff ironically far more cheerful than the grinch who had just served me, not to mention snaps of visiting culinary luminaries such as Ferran Adria. At least someone there has a sense of humour as a brass sign announces “se prohibe cantar” – no singing.

The experience has confirmed one thing, namely that eating tapas in their spiritual home can initially feel slightly fraught. In many spots you are expected to drop your paper napkins and other trash on the floor by the bar. In some places you can serve yourself, in others it’s a definite no-no. Of course it doesn’t take much to learn the ropes, but it’s worth reading up beforehand.