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Number 17 of 20 in Madrid

Lhardy

Behind a carved wooden shop front on the Carrera de San Jerónimo, Lhardy is two places. Downstairs is a shop where Madrileños help themselves to consommé from a samovar. Upstairs are the dining rooms where Madrid's politicians and writers have eaten since the reign of Isabella II.

What it is
Restaurant
Opened
1839
Area
Carrera de San Jerónimo
Nearest museum
Plaza Mayor, 500 m

Madrid this week

    What Lhardy is known for

    1. The samovar

      In the shop, to the left of the door, a samovar of consommé stands for customers to serve themselves, as they have since the early days.

    2. The shop

      Pastries, cold meats, cheeses and dishes to take away, in wooden cases that have hardly changed.

    3. The dining rooms

      Several rooms upstairs, among them salons where Madrid's high society held its banquets. Lhardy also catered for the city's hotels and grand parties.

    What to know

    • Founded in 1839 by Émile Huguenin, who called himself Emilio Lhardy
    • One of the first and oldest restaurants in Madrid
    • The shop on the ground floor is open to all, without a booking

    Where Lhardy is

    Address

    Carrera de San Jerónimo 8
    28014 Madrid, Spain

    Nearest station

    Sol, on lines 1, 2 and 3, or Sevilla, on line 2, each about three minutes away

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.

    A Frenchman's shop on the Carrera de San Jerónimo

    Émile Huguenin, a pastry cook from Montbéliard trained in Besançon and Paris, met Spanish exiles in Bordeaux and, it seems on the advice of Prosper Mérimée, opened a shop in Madrid in 1839, on one of the busiest streets in the city.

    It began as a pastry shop and little by little began serving meals. It has kept both trades, with the shop below and the restaurant above.

    Lhardy: common questions

    Where is Lhardy?
    At Carrera de San Jerónimo 8, in the Centro district of Madrid. The nearest station is Sol, on lines 1, 2 and 3, or Sevilla, on line 2, each about three minutes away.
    Which museums and sights are near Lhardy?
    Plaza Mayor is 500 m away, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is 550 m away, Museo Nacional del Prado is 850 m away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
    What is Lhardy known for?
    The samovar, The shop, The dining rooms. A pastry shop opened by a Frenchman in 1839 that became one of Madrid's first restaurants, with its shop and its silver samovar of consommé on the ground floor and dining rooms upstairs.
    When did Lhardy open?
    In 1839. Founded in 1839 by Émile Huguenin, who called himself Emilio Lhardy.

    What visitors say about Lhardy

    Rating from Google

    4.2

    3,453 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 17 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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