Lucio Blázquez owns Madrid’s buzziest restaurants. Casa Lucio, in a simple two-story building on the edge of the old city, has whitewashed walls and hams hanging from the beams, but everybody wants to dine here, from actors and artists to King Juan Carlos and visiting U.S. presidents. The menu includes such classic Madrileño fare as roast pig, hake in green sauce, and steaks, but the unlikely specialty is huevos de Lucio—"broken" eggs with fried potatoes (Cava Baja 35; 365-8217; entrées from $20). Lucio himself can usually be found playing cards at the first-floor corner table, while his friend Angel Gonzalez looks after the sister property El Landó, an equally buzzy but slightly plusher spot with paneled walls adorned with rows of wine bottles.

Photograph courtesy Casa Lucio