Madrid’s paella gets nod
A Madrid restaurant famous for its rice and paella quietly entered the World’s 50 Best Discovery list — the write-up calls it “one of the best arroces” in recent memory, a must‑try if you’re planning a Spain food trip. The accolade has put an otherwise under-the-radar place on fine-dining and rice lovers’ radars La historia del inesperado restaurante con el mejor arroz de Madrid que ha entrado en la lista mundial 50 Best Discovery.
Casa Benigna sits at Calle de Benigno Soto 9 in the Ciudad Jardín/Prosperidad area of Chamartín, Madrid (contact +34 914 13 33 56). (esmadrid.com) The restaurant has been serving paellas since 1990 and is fronted by Norberto Jorge, who [trained under Juan Mari Arzak] (theworlds50best.com) and [designed and patented] his own pan — the Patella — to chase the ideal socarrat. (theworlds50best.com) Menu staples include arroz a banda, arroz negro with octopus and a bomba-rice dish with costilla de cerdo ibérico (many mains listed around €28), while 50 Best lists the average spend per person at about $61. (tripadvisor.es) 50 Best’s Discovery profile frames Casa Benigna as a homey, family-style paella spot where Jorge’s theatrical hosting and the pan technique are central to the experience. (theworlds50best.com) Online reviews reflect steady demand: Casa Benigna holds roughly a 4.5/5 rating on TripAdvisor from over 1,000 reviews and ranks inside the top few hundred Madrid restaurants on that platform. (tripadvisor.com) In context, Spain accounted for 103 entries in the 50 Best Discovery guide in 2025 — 24 of them in Madrid out of a global Discovery list of about 3,700 venues — underscoring how selective the spotlight is. (gastroeconomy.com)
