Two more great budget restaurants in Madrid

Adding to my list of good cheap eats in Madrid, here are two more of my favorite places to get a delicious but cheap meal in Madrid:

Samara (Cardenal Cisneros, 13; Metro Bilbao) This popular Egyptian restaurant is pretty small, so if you go on the weekends you may have to wait or resign yourself to standing at the bar to eat. It’s worth it, though! For €8 you can get a huge plate with rice pilaf, tomato and onion salad, hummus, and either chicken, kafta, or chawerma (shaved lamb). For an extra €1,50 you get chunks of lamb. Beware of the hot sauce – even a drop of it is too spicy for most people!

Yo Leonardo (Embajadores, 130; Metro Delicias) Small Italian restaurant with an ample selection of salads, pizzas, and pasta. I always go for the pizza – wood-fired with a thin crust and just the right amount of cheese and sauce. An “individual” size (too big for me to finish) is about €9. This restaurant also has aceite picante (hot pepper oil) that you can drizzle on the pizzas. While not as hot as the sauce at Samara, it still gives quite a kick!

(Find online menus for restaurants in Madrid)