This is one of the best places we tried in Madrid The food is from Murcia and their wine is remarkably good The servers are so friendly, speak English very well and (this is important to them) Atletico Madrid fans! The ambiance is cozy and comfy not fancy Just make sure you know: their Paella is for two people, you can't order it for one! That's their rule since their pan is large read more

Mindblowingly good! Run, don't walk here! My neighbors back in the USA traveled to Madrid 5 years ago and still remembered this restaurant and told me I had to go, so my last night in Spain I went. It's food from the Murcia region of Spain and was absolutely delicious. I ordered the squid ink arroz and it was excellent. I traveled solo and they were able to make a portion for one although it was definitely enough to feed two! They charge per person regardless but I didn't think the pricing was too bad. It was absolutely delicious, one of the best arroz dishes I've ever had - although I didn't see myself in the mirror after eating and realize when I'd finally got back to the hotel my lips were all black haha. So do a check before leaving! Also, they serve the arroz with three aiolis on the side and I definitely recommend mixing in all three. I paired it with a sangria that was very tasty. For dessert, I got the paparajotes, a traditional dish from Murcia that is fried dough around a lemon leaf covered in powdered sugar and with sides of chocolate, strawberry, and caramel syrup. They were tasty, not overly sweet, and has a great lemon hint in the flavor. The restaurant also gives you a complimentary caramel vodka liqueur to finish, a great touch. The service was excellent and helpful. I'd absolutely recommend stopping here if you're a tourist! read more

Pretty good place. The staff is quite nice, and they are very cleanly and on top of bussing tables and getting you clean silverware. The food is pretty good as well. The calamari with squid ink was a cool dish and The paellas we're pretty good as well. Some bits were a little salty but most was great. read more

El Caldero - Meat paella and squid ink paella - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Meh, slight touristy feel with decent paella and veggie dishes. We ordered the Arroz Negro-tasted like any other squid ink paella outside of the three homemade aioli (how can you go wrong with aioli?). The roasted veggies leaned on the saltier side, which was surprising given all other Spanish dishes we've had thus far. The one irk I have was the bread and olives; while we enjoyed it, it came without asking making us believe it was courtesy of the house. Not $$ but I can imagine some being taken back by it. Oh yeah the vodka caramel...not my cup of tea but appreciated the gesture read more

El Caldero - Arroz negro - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

The food was average. The restaurant had a nice ambience , however the servers were unwelcoming and cold. We tried the eggplant starters and lemon fish which was decent, however the paella was extremely salty as many other reviews have pointed out and spoilt the taste. The bread was awfully hard. They charge for water and do not give the option of tap/unbottled water. At the end , they served some aperitif shots, we thought it was complimentary, but they charged €7.60 for it. We left with a poor impression and will not recommend this place. read more

We were searching for a good paella restaurant in Madrid and this showed up as highly rated in yelp. They first served some aperitivos which we thought was free but later on showed up on the bill. They were good so we didn't mind paying. We ordered 4 portions of paella mariscos and a pitcher of sangria. Overall, it was a good paella! It had lots of seafood bits and enough big seafood pieces per person. After we were served table side, they took away the pan...I wanted to shout "hey, I want to scrape the best part which is the socarrat" but it was too late :) They served us a dessert caramel-flavored liqueur, also complimentary. We enjoyed our meal here and wished we had more time in Madrid as we wanted to try their paella negra and their arroz a la banda. read more

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This place is incredible! Do not miss!! The staff is beyond amazing and kind and the food is to die for!

Was looking for a nice real spanish paella place when we were in Madrid, and El Caldero seemed to be at the right location for the day. Was very happy for it! We arrived around 12:30, relatively early for Spanish lunch, so it's quiet and slow. The food was good and the place was very pleasant. Although it is marked €€€, their seafood paella was barely 10-20% higher than what you would got for any restaurant on the street, and it was deep and delicious. Definitely recommend it. read more

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We were told this was the best paella in town. While it was decent it was certainly not the best we've ever had. The service was good and the place is quaint. This resto is a short walk from Plaza Mayor and shops. read more

El Caldero - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

El Caldero, classy place with great ambience. We went for the paella based on the yelp recommendation. We had made reservation in advance because the restaurant is so popular. We started with the Complimentary olive and bread,followed by the house wine. Finally we waited for a while to get our paella. Presentation was really good but the taste was not as expected. Paella was too much on salt side and we were unable to finish it. Overall the experience was good but food could have been better so 3 stars for that. read more

El Caldero - Chicken and vegetable paella - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

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Since my last posting, I had two other families from the U.S. we know tell me they had the identical experience. Is this due to some anti-American or anti-tourist sentiment? read more

My first yelp review. After researching seafood and paella in Madrid on a short stay here we ended up in El Caldero - First of all a basic grasp of Spanish is almost essential in nearly every restaurant, in El Caldero they have the options written in English so after some pointing and broken speaking we managed to order, Ordered the squid to start - would recommend, nice flavor, nice touch that it's cut into slices by your waiter and then served, The seafood paella was next - again very well prepared and served, overall a nice meal, possibly would come back but wouldn't crave it. El Caldero earned a solid 3 stars as I'm sure there is better out there but the service was good read more

El Caldero - Squid entree - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Sadly, disappointed. It wasn't packed at all during lunch (for Paella being a "lunch" food). We ordered the squid ink paella, it was okay. the aiolis that it came with were more exciting. Also, it seemed like they were filming some sort of commercial for the restaurant while we were there.. so that was more of their concern than us... there was only 1 other table with customers at the time while we were there.. read more

El Caldero - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

El Caldero is a classy, seemingly local-favorite restaurant. This place served the best paella I tried in Madrid. First, we started with an order of fried eggplants -- delicious eggplant chips and bread with some goooooood ass olive oil. Then the waiter brought out the paella and let it sit for a few minutes to finish cooking (or to tease us..who knows). When it was ready the waiter served it to us and it was devoured in a few minutes. -One thing I noticed that was popular around the restaurant was a huge cauldron of rice that was brought out and hung on a tripod to cook at your table (hence the name "el caldero"). So, you may want to give that a go. The service was good, but the only problem was our waiter had to cover all the tables in restaurant! There were a couple other people that looked like they could have helped but they just stood around the opposite side of the room. I didn't understand why! read more

We traveled around in Spain for over 2 weeks and had paella 4 times and this was, by far, the best paella we had (the worst was a place in Bilbao that made me think I was eating a salt lick). The restaurant itself is lovely--the staff was attentive (although I think the pour on the wine could've been a bit more generous and they charge for the bread and olives they bring out, which I think should have been made clearer). The paella itself (for 2) was absolutely delicious -- we got the one that was cooked in seafood broth with the seafood presented on the side. We also ordered the fried eggplant (on the recommendation of another Yelper) and it did not disappoint. Although we were too full for dessert, we did get complimentary glasses of caramel vodka, which really packed a wallop! read more

Delicious! The best paella we tried in Madrid! My husband loved the octopus, and said it was the best he had ever had! Reservations are recommended. Casual atmosphere. Loved the caramel vodka shots to finish the meal! White sangria is a must! read more

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One of the things I was really excited to try in Spain was authentic paella. While I've had my share in NYC, I feel the version I had at El Caldero blows everything I've had here out of the water. The seafood was fresh and the rice was aromatic and flavorful. Although the grilled vegetables were a tab bit expensive, they were expertly done and a great complement to our paella. The service was spot on, except they were rather slow with giving us the complimentary shot that everyone else seemed to get with their check. Yes, I do have table envy. It was also cool to order the wine on the iPads. It was a lot easier to read about the different types of wines and where they hailed from. The decor was also very clean and classic. Definitely enjoyed my experience there! read more

Food seams to be well prepared. We had Jamon croquet, typical tomato salad and the Special Paella. Paella wasn't to my taste but I can't complain. The old waiter that serviced us was rough and unwelcoming which ruined the experience. read more

Wanted paella. I guess this place is known for it. Four of us walked in, got seated. Noisy and hot in here. But the food ruled. The basket of bread was so welcoming after a day of walking Toledo. Served with olives and fish paste. We ordered grilled octopus to start. And paella as a main. They were very accommodating for our shellfish allergic table. Everything was great. Dessert was ok. They also had other cool rice dishes I would have loved to try. And the paella a coming out looked spectacular, seafood looked amazing. read more

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El Caldero is a small, classy yet casual restaurant. Decorated in seemingly dark colors (orange walls with dark wood) it has its characteristic beauty and ambiance. I ordered the morcilla (Im a fan of black pudding) and the rice with clams. The waiters seemed to rush but they served a large clientele. Trying to get their attention was somewhat of a challenge, however, not impossible. Their signature dish is the arroz en el caldero (rice in the cauldron), which is served in a large cast iron pot hung on a tripod: a real nice rustic touch. At the end of the dinner, the house offered us home-made caramel liquor. It was very delicious and a nice end to our dinner. We did not feel rushed to finish and leave. It may be a bit pricey, but everything in Europe is. Overall, we had a great experience and I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

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We went here for paella on the recommendation of a guide book. I think the experience here will be hit or miss. It sounded like the people seated next to us had great service, with a friendly, attentive waiter. Our waiter was rude and made it clear he would rather we not be there. We don't speak Spanish, but do try to order in Spanish. The paella was very underwhelming. It was overly salty and tasted like fried rice with some chicken and seafood. No saffron and no flavor. Much better food elsewhere. read more

Real nice place. paella is the better menu option but overall all is good. You might need to wait to get sited. The place is real busy. Perhaps a call to put your name on the list would help - we did not think of it and had to wait for 45 min. Some Spanish helps the order process. The menu has everything in English so it is not hard to figure it out .. and we had the daughters with us to help :-) All in all we would come back if we had the time. read more

you need to understand that sepia is my favorite seafood... and anytime i'm in spain - it's a requirement that we hunt down the best sepia we can find. not only was this the best sepia of the trip... this sepia a la plancha was the best sepia of my life. tiny charred bits and the thick pieces of sepia just melt in your damn mouth. and that was just the appetizer!! we also ordered paella alicantina for two and it was wonderful with clams, shrimp, squid and chicken. they put the paella on your plate here - no scraping the bottom yourself (which is something we typically love to do) but i also noticed when he was making the plates - that there really was no crusty rice at the bottom that we were missing out on in this particular paella - so i guess it all worked out. at the end of the meal - they brought a baby carafe of caramel vodka. beware. this doesn't taste like vodka. at all. so you'll start to treat it like "not vodka." we started having a shot here.... a shot there.... finished the carafe... and it knocked us on our asses. i went right from this meal to bed for an hour long nap to recover. this place is magic. go eat here. read more

Nice restaurant on Huertas (an otherwise party street) and is a decently priced paella. Overall quality is good, make sure you get the caldero itself (the namesake of the restaurant) which is a slightly soupier paella/risotto style. My friend ordered a giant steak! (Lomo de buey) which was also good. Other things we had were all nice too: - fried eggplant - roasted artichoke - deep fried lemon leaves for dessert. (Weird but good!) - and the always favourite cava and lemon sorbet (better here than most other places in Madrid). The staff is very friendly and accommodating. read more

the best restaurant i have had in Madrid recently. We ordered Paella ，Grilled Octopus and pork Jaw. All of them have the exellent quality and taste. Service r nice too. really recommend this restaurant if u want to find one of the best Paella in Madrid. read more

Lovely restaurant just off of lovely Plaza Santa Anna. Charming ambiance w traditional Spanish service. Sea bass was lovely. Presentation was lovely. Desserts by American standard were not too sweet. Wonderful evening had by all. read more

I would've given 5 stars if they hadn't charged an extra fee for "seating us" without mentioning anything. It's already a relatively pricey place so it felt slightly deceiving. The paella alicantina is fantastic. read more

The food was very good. The restaurant is famous for paella, but we've had paella elsewhere that was equally good. Unfortunately, the abrupt and even surly service left a bad impression that pretty much negated whatever satisfaction we should have taken away from the meal. It began with the waiter talking to us in Spanish even after we said we only spoke English, so his curt explanations of menu were not much help. I had looked forward to eating there for days, so I'm especially disappointed that it wasn't a more positive experience. read more

Rick Steve recommended this paella restaurant. The seafood paella's are very good and the ambience is pleasant. The vegetables roasted on a hot volcanic stone was the best part of our meal. The desserts we're fabulous. The service is great. read more

Very nice ambiance and kind staff however the food left much to be desired. The bread was hard and the paella salty.

What an amazing place for paella! And amazing restaurant overall. We loved our experience and considered going back again before our 7 day trip was over. Service was good. Prices were fine, however bread and water is not complimentary. The paella price is per person even though the minimum is for 2 ppl. Overall, a great gem! read more