Delicious Eating at Spain's Museums

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Savouring a delicious recipe by one of Spain's most prestigious chefs is always a delight. However, if you happen to be enjoying it after looking at some of the world's most important works of art, then the idea becomes irresistible. Find out which of Spain's main museums, besides famous paintings and sculptures, also have high quality restaurants. The culinary art awaits you. Is your palate prepared?

More and more people are looking for haute cuisine and originality when it comes to eating out. If you are one of them and you are also into art, then you will love Spain. Many of the country's main museums, located in major cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia, are also home to restaurants whose menus are pure imagination. Come and discover galleries where the works of art are not only to be found on the walls.

Madrid

One destination not to be missed is Madrid, the Spanish capital and one of the world's most important artistic centres. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is situated in the so-called "art triangle". A walk around this gallery, which covers the history of European painting, is a wonderful experience in itself, while savouring a dish at its café-restaurant, set in a beautiful garden, is something simply not to be missed. Can you imagine trying dishes such as "Majorca Abstraction" or "Catalonian Landscape"? These are the names of two dishes that the restaurant created for an exhibition on Miró. We would recommend a visit to this museum in summer, because on July and August nights you can also discover its "Mirador" - a wonderful rooftop terrace where you can sample delicious Mediterranean cuisine whilst enjoying stunning views of the city.

Reina Sofía National Art Centre

Also in Madrid, and just a few minutes' walk from the Thyssen, is another of its most important museums, the Reina Sofía National Art Centre. It has a restaurant with interior design that fits in perfectly with the gallery's vision of modern and contemporary art. Their promotional slogan says it all: "edible creativity". To complete the visit to the "art triangle", don't miss the amazing Prado Museum, which also has a pleasant restaurant - "Café Prado" - and a terrace that opens from May to September. It is perfect for relaxing after enjoying the spectacular artworks on display in this museum.

For one last proposal in Madrid, we would suggest a restaurant that is very fashionable at the moment, at the Clothing Museum. After looking at its wonderful collection of clothing (some items go back as far as the 16th century), what could be better than savouring the flavours of its restaurant. The Bokado Group runs this restaurant and is in charge of showing you the typical cuisine of the Basque Country, combining tradition and modernity in original dishes such as "king prawns making waves". Sampling delicious pinchos (tapas), sitting on a pleasant terrace with the gentle sound of the piano washing over you, you are sure to be delighted.

The coast, leading the gastronomic avant-garde

Guggenheim Museum

We now head to northern Spain, to the Basque Country, specifically to its famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. If the building, designed by Frank Gehry, is in itself a tribute to the avant-garde, then its exceptional choice of restaurants is no less. Come with your nearest and dearest and share the gastronomic pleasures of haute cuisine at Nerua restaurant, awarded a Michelin star and managed by chef Josen Martínez Alija. What would you like? An exquisite aperitif or a dish of grilled red chicory, with shellfish consommé and grapefruit cream? The restaurant staff has everything waiting for you. If you prefer a more informal place, we recommend the Bistro restaurant in the museum, which also opens from Thursday to Saturday in the evening

Valencia Institute of Modern Art

Our gastronomic journey continues to the heart of the Mediterranean coast, and the city of Valencia with its Valencia Institute of Modern Art (IVAM). Succulent recipes, innovation, and a select, minimalist atmosphere come together in its bright restaurant, "La Sucursal", awarded a Michelin star. Chef Jorge Bretón heads the team at this establishment where you can savour a shoulder of baby lamb with sage yoghurt and parsnip "angel hair", or alternatively try the exquisite gourmet set menu - each dish is a unique sensation for the palate. Furthermore, we would suggest you order some wine because at this restaurant, besides the wonderful reinterpretation of traditional Valencia recipes, you can also choose from a full wine list, managed by Manuela Romeralo, winner of the National Gastronomy Award for the best sommelier.

Picasso Museum

Also on the Mediterranean, but now in Catalonia, in the city of Barcelona, there are two more museums with recommended restaurants for art lovers whose palates are in search of new sensations. The first will bring you into contact with one of the main figures in the history of painting, Pablo Picasso. We are talking about the Picasso Museum, which also has a café-restaurant with an intimate, cosy atmosphere and an outdoor terrace you will love. Make the most of your stay in Barcelona to visit the Catalonia National Art Museum as well, with its Oleum Restaurant. Why is it so special? Because its large windows offer splendid views of Barcelona, because it is set in the old Throne Room of King Alfonso XIII, because it has a climate-controlled wine cellar and because it serves delicious, creative Mediterranean cuisine. There is no shortage of reasons…

Inland Spain… delicious too

Museum of Contemporary Art

The final place we would recommend to give your stomach a treat is in inland Spain, in the city of León (Castile-León Region): the Vivaldi Restaurant at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MUSAC). An example of what to expect there? Tasty miniature menus to taste the typical products of Castile-León. Enough to make your mouth water.

As you can see, the main museums in Spain do not only offer a wide range of colours, but also of delicious flavours and aromas through the dishes served at their restaurants. To make sure you get in, we would recommend you book a table in advance, and you can check average prices at each museum's website. Come on! Try combining art and gastronomy. You will be pleasing every sense in your body.