Excellent service and good food won us over…read more The mixed seafood paella was exactly as described. The rice was a bit crunchy and salt flavored. The squid was incredibly soft and the larger shrimp were great. The smaller ones were a bit tough and dry. Next time would ask them to customize the rice to traditional Spanish as the peppers were there but the flavor never came through. The bread was light and chewy with a medium crust. A delicacy as it's been years since I have had bread like it. The soup, probably a white bean was a treat. The carrots on top gently sweetened it. For dessert, the cheesecake that is leaning on the plate is a must. It's not that sweet and the cream flavor came through. I almost could give the restaurant five stars just for this.

Tourist trap. Upsell on the wine. We asked for an 18 euro…read morebottle. We were brought a 30 euro bottle. Sigh, we foolishly accepted because he said it was so good. We looked up that wine online and discovered it sells for 7 euro. We were "offered" an Amuse Bouche. It was then charged to our bill. My meatballs tasted fine. The next day was a lot of toilet visits.

After spending several hours at the Reina Sofia, Jamie W and I were feeling quite peckish and…read morerather indecisive about where to have lunch. We guessed many options around the Prado area might be tourist traps. Fortunately, this didn't appear to be one of them as it's a taberna that attracts local regulars as well as tourists like us. The manager/owner looked to know quite a few customers. It was pretty busy, so we were seated at a hi-top table in the bar area next to other non-Spanish, English-speaking customers. There were many small-to-medium tapa plates to consider in their menu. We weren't looking to stuff ourselves, so we ordered the 6,9€ half-order of Chiporones à la Plancha, which was grilled baby squids nestled on a mixed salad drizzled with balsamic (Photo 10). Our second dish was the 6,1€ half-order of Parrillada Verdu. It was a simple but satisfying grilled vegetable platter of sliced tomato,, onion, and root veggies (Photo 9). The last dish we ordered was an unexpected taste of home, the 9,9€ Ensalada Cesar. The reason for the higher price point was the addition of chicken and bacon to the lettuce, tomato, cheese, croutons, and Caesar dressing (Photo 8). The combination was pretty hearty and familiar-tasting. Even though we probably ate enough for a mid-afternoon meal, I couldn't help but inquire about the availability of grilled octopus (pulpo) because we saw it look quite tempting on a neighboring table. It was just as well that they were out because we didn't have room in our bellies for that. Our tapas selection was just fine all on its own. FOOD - 4 stars...skilled execution of familiar tapas, pretty tasty AMBIANCE - 4 stars...compact but cozy taberna, crowds quickly at lunch SERVICE - 3.5 stars..,efficient though a tad brusque because it was busy TOTAL - 4 stars...a serious dining option close to the museums RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/WCRoD4CVJE

Just mas please!!! Best sangria we have ever had! Outstanding seafood. So fresh and ample fruit,…read moregreat amount and flavor. Ample inside dining and some outdoor patio dining. About 15 minutes to Atocha station. Helpful service. Pluses A. Best sangria we have had 1. Scallops on the shell were amazing so light and fresh 2. Grilled cuttlefish were nicely charred 3. Octopus was large amount and with potato / he loved it, I thought it was too spicy for me. 4. Grilled shrimp with the heads so juicy in the head 5. Caramel dessert was good 6. We got free shots, twice and yes very good 7. Great value food Areas to improve 1. Bathrooms Highly recommended for sangria and seafood!! Happy faces on the diners.

After sightseeing all day we came in for a very late lunch. From reviews I read I wanted to try the…read moremix paella since it's one of the best in Madrid. We were seated by the table near the window and ordered right away since we knew what we wanted. My friend and I split the mixed paella which comes with shrimp, calamari, crawfish, chicken and sausage. We also ordered two big glasses of the sangria. The paella took about 45 mins to make since all the paellas are made to order. While we were waiting we were sipping on our sangrias which were delicious! The only thing was that it was a bit too sweet for me and I could taste the grains of sugar at the bottom of my glass. The paella finally came and it was a beautiful site to see ! So colorful with the different elements in the dish. The rice was cooked perfectly and everything was seasoned well. It was a bit oily though when you scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the rice but it was delicious!!! During out meal the owner and our waiter has a disagreement about something and were yelling at each other across the restaurant. Kind of disrupted our dining atmosphere but overall the food was good and our service was good. Def. Recommend this place to anyone who wants a good plate of paella and glass of sangria!

The staff were incredibly friendly to our family. They made good suggestions for food choices the…read morekids would like. The food came out hot and quickly. I appreciated their use of ripe veggies- avocado in particular- for many of their starters. The seafood paella had a generous portion of shrimp/langostino and calamari. For dessert they offered natural ice cream served inside its own fruit. Wonderful place!

Very nice ambiance. Great wait servers that spoke English well. We had a great lamb shoulder and…read moregood Asturiana bean soup. Topped off by a couple of Spanish beers, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Outstanding service and delicious late afternoon lunch only blocks away from our hotel in Madrid,…read moreSpain - very near Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, and Museo del Prado. Must try the Vino Albariño. Arroz con Mariscos y Verdes Mixtos pictured:

We ordered some Pankitos, which are strips of breaded chicken, but one of the strips was still raw…read morein the middle. Also, if you go towards the end of the day, they might not have as many tapas available since they will run out.

Perfect little spot that we would return to any time…read more Super nice owner, Nacho, was a great host. Service was excellent and we loved every dish! Nice wine, too. Resolving art display adds to an eclectic, and chill ambiance! One of our favorite stops in Madrid that I highly recommend!

We stopped in based on the recommendation of a friend, and it was certainly very popular. We had a…read morefew tapas: my favorite was the artichoke w/ ham, the squid was a bit chewy, wasn't a fan of the sangria or Campari spritz, but the beer, gambas al ajillo and albondigas were good.

Located in downtown Madrid,this place offers great Spanish food that caters to gluten free and…read morelactose free guests You seat yourself and prepare to wait for your server as they are very busy but well worth the wait. We started with a pitcher of Sangria ($15eur) which was fabulous and then ordered a selection of Tapas. Had the Ensaladilla,Alachofa,Gambas Al ajullo,Albondigas and Croquettes. Everything was made fresh and delicious. Average price $6.00eur. Prices are super affordable. Definitely a good place to try if you want authentic Spanish food while in Madrid.

We loved the atmosphere of the old building and the food, but the service soured our experience…read more We ordered some wine, the mini tapa sampler and a steak sandwich to share. Loved the mini tapas as the stuffed clams were amazing and you have to have anchovies while in Spain. Steak sandwich was great with the addition of roasted peppers and tomato. Unfortunately our server seemed like she really didn't want to be there. We wanted more wine, which never came. We had to wait a strangely long between each transaction. Generally felt unwelcomed.

Popular multilevel sports bar attached to the very nice north hotel in the center of Madrid. The…read moreservers and bartenders really hustle, and are very friendly. A Real Madrid football match against Barcelona was on TV upstairs. We had ham and cheese croquettes and toasted sandwiches of ham, Iberian ham, and liver pate. The Iberian ham is excellent!

I'd had Casa Macareno on my list to try for a few years. I waited patiently as the staff seated…read moreothers who'd arrived after me, before being told I would have to sit on a stool at the narrow bar against the wall since I was solo. Service was slow; I ordered a tinto de verano and a water, and was approached again and had to ask several times. Then, staff were pushy about my ordering plates of food; no media ración or tapa-sized offerings. While trying to decide, I noticed lots of English speakers and direct asks for tips from adjacent guests. Only after I shared that I'd changed my mind about ordering lunch was I offered a complimentary dish of boiled potatoes with mayo (neither I nor any of the surrounding guests finished them)?! I couldn't pay and leave fast enough, though not before being shocked by the price: €8 (!). And yes, the tarjeta machine was set to ask for a tip (nope)! Too bad, as I'd heard good things about this spot and had excellent experiences elsewhere in the neighborhood/city during my month-long stay.

Very good food in a vibrant atmosphere. The staff is brusque but helpful (telling us not to order…read moremore because it would be too much food) (we listened, and they were right). The "false risotto" (orzo) with seafood is a particular highlight.