Emma is one of the few places near the tourist-heavy Plaza Mayor where you’ll find actual locals having a leisurely lunch or some quick tapas and vino with friends. Order a glass of wine from whatever’s offered on the daily chalkboard and pair it with some meatballs, stewed beef cheek, heaping plates of cured lomo and chorizo, and platters of Spanish cheeses.

Locals (and Emma) take jamón and queso as seriously as the French take Champagne—Spain’s Manchego cheese has an official certification, as it comes straight from the La Mancha region, and Emma plates it (slightly sweaty) in a delicious bed of olive oil alongside crunchy, bite-sized breadsticks, picos.