Reina Sofia Restaurant: all you need to know to enjoy it
Do you get hungry after going to a museum? If that happens to you after your visit to the Reina Sofia, you won't have to endure much; there you will find two restaurants that triumph for their innovative recipes and traditional flavor.
Nubel's restaurant space | ©Jean-Pierre Dalbéra
With all the activities and plans to do in Madrid, it is normal that we want to recharge our batteries. After touring the many halls of the Reina Sofia Museum you may feel the call of hunger, so you'll be happy to know that sharing the building with the great works of painters like Miró and Picasso are two great restaurants: the Arzábal and NuBel.
Both places have a privileged location, achieving a modern, artistic and friendly atmosphere. As for the food, be prepared to enjoy flavors as exclusive as the paintings you have seen. Both Arzábal and NuBel are known for their market cuisine. Of course, eating so well is not usually cheap, but I can't stop recommending them!
What to eat at the Reina Sofia restaurants
When you finish your visit to the Reina Sofia Museum you will surely be hungry; so much walking and seeing paintings makes anyone tired. To avoid wasting time looking for a restaurant and continue enjoying the art, the best thing to do is to stay for lunch in one of the restaurants in the museum: the Arzábal or NuBel. Both have many alternatives, although the menu of the former is more traditional than that of the latter.
You will see that you will not be able to complain about options, because the Reina Sofia has two restaurants and, in addition, each one has a varied and delicious menu.
While the Arzábal is apparently more typical, in the NuBel restaurant innovation reigns, from the way the table is arranged to the dishes served.
What to eat at Arzábal restaurant
The Arzábal restaurant is defined as dynamic, perhaps because its menu features traditional dishes but always with a different touch. Therefore, expect to find some good croquettes served with sheep's milk, one of its star recipes. But if there is something you have to try are their cheeses; they have a cart just for their more than 20 cheeses. the burrata is spectacular! If you are more of a meat lover, you will be pleased to know that Arzábal's meat is of the highest quality, especially the sirloin.
Who is in charge of the kitchen? Two great chefs: Álvaro Castellanos and Iván Morales, who have been at the helm of this gastronomic project, which has other restaurants around the city of Madrid, for years. Their goal for this establishment was to bring a traditional tavern but with a renewed menu to the most important cultural and contemporary art center of the city.
In this restaurant they know that any meal has to be accompanied with a good drink, so their waiters are always willing to recommend a wine from the specific menu they have. Do you prefer beer? When you try the beer they have there you will. Finally, order their gin, after all, it is digestive, isn't it?
What to eat at NuBel
After contemplating the best paintings of the Reina Sofia you feel like eating something equally exclusive and artistic? Then you have to try NuBel. A cafeteria-restaurant that completes the museum experience through avant-garde gastronomy. A must-try dish? It's hard to choose, but its "raw" section, where raw food is the main ingredient, is one of the best.
The good thing about NuBel is that, no matter what time you go, you'll find a delicious menu prepared by Michelin-starred chef Manuel Berganza. Although it is common to go for lunch after the visit, you can also enjoy their breakfast or brunch menu (their cakes, especially the cheesecake, are amazing).
Although their menu could be too modern, they are a great place for the whole family, so if you have gone to Madrid with children, I encourage you to stay for lunch at NuBel and order some tapas or dishes to share.
Prices of the restaurants of the Reina Sofia Museum
Quality has a price, and if we add the privileged location of both the Arzábal and NuBel restaurants, we can only expect a high price.
Lunch or dinner at the Reina Sofia Museum is what you get, so be prepared to pay approximately 20€ for each main course. In total, a meal for two can go for around 50€-70€ (desserts included), to which wine should be added (around 30€ plus a bottle). Be careful, do not think that you will get a discount for having bought the Museum ticket, as there is no agreement.
Although it may seem so, the Arzábal and NuBel do not have high prices simply because they are where they are, but because of the quality and originality of their recipes. Even the simplest or most traditional recipes have been designed by great chefs, in addition to the fact that only the best products on the market are used in their kitchens.
Opening hours of the two Reina Sofia restaurants
You won't have to worry about opening hours, as the Reina Sofia's restaurants, the Arzabal and NuBel, are open almost all day. However, you will have to check with them in advance, as they tend to change throughout the week.
In general, the Arzábal is open from 10am to 1am and the NuBel from 9am to midnight. As you can see, they are always available within the opening hours of the museum, but extending the closing time so that later visitors can arrive for lunch or dinner.
Arzábal restaurant opening hours
The Arzábal is open every day from 10 am. Closing time does vary from day to day, so check the opening hours on the website. In general, from Monday to Thursday it closes at 1am, Fridays and Saturdays at 2am and Sundays at 8pm. They don't have a weekly break, so you will always have the option of eating there, even when the museum is not open.
Opening hours of the NuBel restaurant
The NuBel does close two days a week, so forget about going to try their food on a Monday or Tuesday, as you can check on their website. However, the rest of the week it has a fairly extensive schedule, always opening at 9am and closing at midnight (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday) and at 2:30am (Friday and Saturday), so that any night you can enjoy their cocktails while a DJ plays some music.
Note, although the schedule is continuous, the different menus of the NuBel may only be available at specific times of the day. For example, the Afternoon Tea menu is only offered from 5pm to 7pm, while the Tapas menu is available from 4pm to 8pm.
The modern ambiance of the Reina Sofia's restaurants
As it could not be otherwise being in the Reina Sofia Museum, the NuBel and Arzabal restaurants enjoy a dynamic, modern and somehow also artistic atmosphere. Not only in their dishes, but also in the spaces, which act as an extension of the museum and are open and decorated with care.
In addition, everyone who goes there agrees that the waiters are pleasant and always advise you on the best of the menu, which can sometimes be a bit confusing if you do not know a gastronomic term.
Both spaces are suitable for the whole family, although the NuBel is especially so as it has original and colorful furniture, something that the little ones always like. For example, instead of traditional chairs there are sofas or armchairs. This does not make the space feel chaotic, as it is spacious and allows the movement of baby strollers.
The Arzábal, on the other hand, although innovative, is still a traditional tavern. The interior spaces can accommodate many diners at the same time, but you will see that the terrace is spectacular.
The best thing is that it is partially indoors, so on rainy and cold days it can still be enjoyed. Overall, there is a cozy and inviting atmosphere to chat with a glass of wine and a tasty dish on the table.
The decoration of the museum's restaurants
The great chefs know that the gastronomic experience does not begin on the plate, but in the restaurant itself. As you can imagine, if we add to this the fact that the Arzábal and the NuBel are located in a contemporary art museum such as the Reina Sofía, it is to be expected that their decoration is well cared for, but at the same time the decoration of one is very different from the other.
The Arzábal has a style that mixes the traditional and the innovative in the same space, just as it does in its dishes. Inside, it is a warm restaurant with traditional aesthetic elements (such as the wooden bar) but in perhaps more elegant colors (black predominates). In addition, to highlight its extensive wine list, the bottles are part of the decoration and are displayed in stained glass windows, as if they were paintings.
El NuBel has much more color, with a predominant orange tone thanks to the lamps that illuminate every corner and every table. In addition, being located under the red dome of the Nouvel building (built as an extension of the museum), its interior is bright and has a very modern feel.
Do I have to book a table at the Reina Sofia restaurants?
If you want to secure a table at one of the Reina Sofia's two restaurants , my advice is to make a reservation. Especially at busy times (lunch and dinner) they can get crowded, although both have plenty of indoor and outdoor space.
I know it is very difficult to know at what time you will finish your tour of the museum, so usually both Arzábal and NuBel staff take this into account and keep the table for about half an hour.
The reservation can be done easily from their websites, both Arzábal and NuBel, which is very convenient to check the availability of tables as you get to the end of your visit to the Museum. If you can't make a reservation, I still recommend you go over to see if there are any free tables or space at the bar.
The impressive and artistic views from the Reina Sofia's restaurants
If there's one good thing about eating at the Reina Sofia Museum, it's that you have even more time to contemplate its art. What do I mean? This museum has some of its works on display in its courtyard, so from the windows and terraces of the Arzábal and, mainly, the NuBel, you will have a privileged view of them.
The terrace of the NuBel is located in the courtyard of the Nouvel building. If you sit at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables, you will share a meal with Roy Lichtenstein's "Brushstroke" (Brushstroke), a monumental sculpture that has been there since 2004.
Although the panoramic view from the Arzábal is perhaps not as artistic, the views impress anyone, especially diners who are lucky enough to sit in its garden. This space is reminiscent of the Alhambra or a greenhouse, full of plants and with a very Mediterranean feel.
Beyond the food: the nights at the museum's restaurants
Not everything is going to be about eating, especially when there are such large spaces in which to celebrate. That's why the Reina Sofia's restaurants take advantage of all the hours they are open to organize events, concerts or DJ sessions. Which ones are you going to join?
El NuBel, which closes at 2:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, extends dinners by inviting local DJs and other musical groups to liven up the night. It also has a varied cocktail menu to combine the best of gastronomy and music. On their website you can check all the events they are organizing.
The Arzábal is not far behind and also usually has DJs to liven up the dinners. This is when there are more young people enjoying a drink.
Highlights of the Reina Sofía restaurants
Perhaps one of the elements that stands out in both restaurants of the Museum is that they are based on Spanish gastronomy.
Modernity or concepts such as "fusion" do not eliminate tradition, allowing you to savor traditional dishes with a modern touch. In addition to the chefs' creations, something that caught my attention is the personality of each restaurant and what makes them so different even though they are practically in the same space.
El Arzábal, for example, is more welcoming and its great advantage is the semi-covered terrace. On the other hand, NuBel's vanguard gives it its great advantage: its versatility. You can go there for breakfast before your visit to the Reina Sofia Museum or for lunch when you finish. If you're running late, you have an excuse to stay for their cocktail and music evenings.
Is it worth eating at one of the Reina Sofia's restaurants?
As in everything, there are better opinions than others, but generally everyone who eats at NuBel or Arzábal leaves satisfied and even wanting to repeat. If there is something that people emphasize is the quality of the products and also how nice they are inside.
In the end, when a good atmosphere and good food are combined in the same restaurant, success is almost certain. At NuBel in particular, I like its most avant-garde dishes, which have the clear signature of a Michelin-starred chef. Of course, as it usually happens with the most modern restaurants, the quantities can be a little scarce, although that perhaps enhances its flavor.
El Arzábal is another great option for its menu, but if there is one aspect that always gets the best ratings is its decoration, especially on the terrace. It could be said that it is worth eating there just to spend some time among plants, although there are those who think that the total price is somewhat expensive for the quantity served.
Do you already know what you are going to order? Surely reading my tips has made your mouth water, so do not hesitate to eat in one of the two restaurants of the Reina Sofia Museum.