Madrid Gran Vía

Restaurante La Alhambra de Santo Domingo, Jacometrezo, 15 (☎91 548 43 31), Come to La Alhambra de Santo Domingo to order cheap and fast Mediterranean food. Their menú of the day includes an appetizer, entree, bread, drink, and dessert (€8) and is a great deal for backpackers looking to fill up for cheap. For a smaller meal, explore their kebab plates (€4), pizzas (€3), or desserts (€3.50). Callao. Walk east down Jacometrezo, restaurant will be on your left. Meals around €10. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
[H]arina, Plaza de la Independencia, 10 (☎91 522 87 85; www.harinamadrid.com), Go through the sliding glass doors of this chic bakery for a delicious dessert and drink or a small salad before visiting nearby Retiro Park. Outside the entrance to Retiro park in the Plaza de la Independencia. Food €5-15. Open M-Su 9am-9pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Ototoi, C. Alcalá 35 (☎91 522 64 39; www.ototoi.es), Craving food from the East in the middle of Madrid? Put down that MSG-laden General Gao's chicken and head to Ototoi, a Japanese and Mediterranean fusion restaurant steps away from Gran Vía. With a chic decor inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, you'll feel thrown back in time to a Spanish version of the Edo period. Try a sushi mix, a warm Mediterranean dish, or some combination of both. Sevilla. Walk straight east up C. Alcalá. Entrees €5-20. Open M-Th 8:30am-2am, F 8:30am-3am, Sa noon-3am, Su noon-5pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Has internet. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
Gino's, C. de Alcalá, 23 (☎91 522 96 74; www.grupovips.com), Head to Gino's for reasonably priced Italian favorites. Get their menú del día (€10.95) to eat like an Italian king, or try their salads (€8-9), panini (€3-8), or antipasto (€7.95) to sample standard motherland fare. Seville. €5-15. Open M-Th 1:30-3:30pm and 8:30pm-midnight, F-Sa 1:30-3:30pm and 8:30pm-1am. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Has internet. Has air conditioning. Has outdoor seating.
The Wok, C. de la Virgen de los Peligros, 1, (☎912 758 125; www.grupovips.com), This restaurant offers a break from Spanish tapas and a taste of Asian fusion food in a modern, Eastern-inspired environment. Entrees are full of interesting flavors and pay tribute to Japanese, Chinese, and Thai cooking. Get appetizers to share like their dumplings (€6.70), or dine solo with an individual wok dish (€11). Natural fruit juice offerings like the papaya, passion, and orange juice mix (€2.75) highlight their diverse menu. Seville. Food €7-20. Open daily M-Su 10am-10pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Has internet. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Vitamina, C. Gran Vía, 47 (☎91 541 55 23; www.vitaminass.es/), If a diner married a buffet but was simultaneously meeting a passionate juice bar on the side, that love triangle would be Vitamina, a restaurant perfect for big groups and families that can't agree on their fare. For lunch, take advantage of their full buffet and drink (€8.90), or try one of their salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, pizzas, or pastas (€7-10). One full page of the menu is dedicated to fruit shakes of every combination (€3-€4), so tame that oppressive heat with a pre-made concoction or choose three fruits and design a drink of your own. Gran Vía. Food €5-10. M-Su 8am-1am. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Mercado de la Reina, C. Gran Vía, 12 (☎91 521 31 98; www.mercadodelareina.es), The classy Mercado de la Reina is an upscale break from Gran Vía shopping. Business suits flock to this mercado's back tables during their lunch breaks, so plop down into one of the high stools in the front of the restaurant to taste pinchos made from organic ingredients that come paired with wine. From Gran Vía metro stop walk straight east down Gran Vía, restaurant will be on your right. Entrees €10-20. Open M-Th 9am-midnight, Sa-Su 10am-1am. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.