Popped in for a quick standing tapas lunch at around noon. It happened to be Spanish mother's day…read moreand they hooked me up with a red carnation, swoon. A nice sized bar and plenty of tables in the front and back area. Tapas all are 2.5 euro. We sampled a bunch and they were all great. Pretty simple, but fresh and delicious. A high five to the thinly pounded, breaded and fried mushroom that was delectable. Their spanish tortilla was mainly egg based vs potato and was a little runny, I was into it. Small beers happened to be 2.5 euros as well, so it was a cheap, filling, delicious and quick lunch! I'd 100% come again and def recommend!

Spectacular food and service! Will return! This was a nice surprise after having walked for hors…read moretrying to find a place that was on my list to try.

One of many branches, El Pimiento Verde on Calle de Castelló is a nicer restaurant for which you'll…read morewant to make a reservation ahead of time. With a decently sized menu, there will be no shortage of dishes to try. We elected to go for some Spanish classics and their featured dishes, which included their Creamy Rice with Lobster, Traditional Tripe Stew, and Aged Beer Rib-eye. The creamy rice with lobster is essentially a risotto, with the rice being cooked al dente. While the texture is nice, because of the smaller portion of lobster and the lack of flavor, by the end it feels like you're just left with a bowl of undercooked rice. The traditional tripe stew was quite good, with the beef being extremely tender and chewy. The rib-eye itself was a large cut, however, a good portion of the meat is fat. Additionally, it's only seasoned with a light touch of salt, so at the end of the day also lacking a bit. If you want to come to El Pimiento Verde, it's primarily for the ambience. The food itself is fine, though nothing to call home about. If you're short on time and looking for places to experience Spanish cuisine, this is probably one restaurant that can be skipped.

Great place for dinner! We had a reservation, which I would recommend. This place wasn't too loud…read moreand our server had great recommendations on the wine and around the food on the menu. Highly recommend the calamari and my cod was so light and flaky.

Came without a reservation and the staff was welcoming! Tried the prawns, breaded cod, and quail…read moredrumettes with a glass of cava. All excellent. Service was excellent and the ambience was moderately noisy with what you would expect in a typical restaurant environment. Highly recommend.

I'm now a fan of lean cut steak, medium rare. Being an American I always think you have order…read moreribeye or some fat marbled derivation. Not so, if you order the sirloin offering at Zerain. Everything was delicious from the white asparagus to the Cardenal brandy, served after dessert. White tablecloths and impeccable service made the visit a high point of our stay in Madrid.

Great start, our hotel made reservations for us…read more We were greeted by Ananda, our server on arrival and she went through the entire menu with recommendations. Great classical music in the background. Excellent choice for winding down after a long hot day. Dinners start real late in Spain. I do enjoy starting the dinner "early" at 8 or 8:30 and it feels like you have the restaurant to yourself. This is Basque food and it is authentic and good. They focus on grilling and not putting on a lot of spices, keeping it simple and highlighting the food. There is also plenty of art from a Basque artist and it helps tell a story about the place and food. Our server did a wonderful job explaining the art and story about the artist and pieces Started with sourdough and olive oil and asparagus. The sourdough was excellent and soft, some of the better bread we have had in Spain. The asparagus was excellent, it is from its own garden and grilled nicely. They have an oil mix with red, green peppers and onions. Yummy. Minor critique is maybe a little more al dente on the cook. As I say this I am sure this is their preference. The main course arrived and Ananda did the work to prepare the fish, the piquillo pepper arrived with the main as well. It was a must. The sea bream was cooked nicely in olive oil and fried garlic. It was tasty but the piquillo peppers were the star of the night. So much flavor. Cheat code, add the peppers to the fish, wow what a dish. Once we found out about the desserts we had to complete the deal. The chocolate is a take on a decadent brownie and I got the the pantxineta. The pantxineta is a custard in the middle with a hint of lemon sauce. The desserts were super delicious. The pantxineta was a perfect pastry with custard and lemon sauce at the bottom with the perfect mix of sweet and sour. The chocolate was like a deconstructed lava cake with caramel encrusted bread toasties for dipping or eating on your own. Very chocolate forward that was also delicious. This is a solid 4.5, I believe the overall rating is low so going with a 5 for the experience, service, locally owned food and near story.

The atmosphere is wonderful, a little bright but okay. Service is on point and they are very…read morecourteous. The waiter was good about answering questions and brought out exactly what I wanted, there was no regrets on my part. The sausages were amazing with a little hint of heat. The full portion of leeks was spot on and just the right amount of salt. The salad with the spring onions and vinegar and olive oil was just the right touch with the steak. The steak was beautiful and rare and melted in my mouth, with the pepper tapenade was marvelous. Overall a fabulous meal. I'm a fan and will come back, Basque food is my favorite.

I used to live across the street from Tribuetxe and always wanted to try it; I just never found the…read moreright time to pop in! Finally, after visiting the Mercado De San Fernando on Sunday, a few friends and I decided to drop in and try it out. It's definitely a neighborhood bar in its simplicity-- nothing flashy or trendy about it, which I love. The staff was really friendly, you get a real tapa with your drink (not stale potato chips), and they looked like they had a good variety of drinks and snacks. Any bar that has Txacolina is perfect for me! They also had mini bottles of beer from Bilbao that my friends really liked-- and it was a beer we haven't seen elsewhere in Madrid.

The best food we had in Madrid hands down, and that's saying something for a city with so much…read moredeliciousness to offer. I'm almost reluctant to review this place because I want it to be my secret place, even though I'm a tourist and I don't live here, and this place was packed to the brim with locals when we got here. It was definitely intimidating at first, because you can't find a word of English when you first enter. Ask the counter if they have an English menu, of which they seem to have only a single copy. Food is fantastic. We got the patatas, prawn/mushroom/seafood brochettes, and the tuna tartare, and everything was delicious and succulent down to the last lick. The chef has the sauces and flavors down. Masterful, yet approachable. Potatoes were soft and flavorful, and warmed us up on this cold day. The tuna tartare were honestly unlike any other tuna tartare we've had. Portions are generous, and any carbs that come with the orders go perfectly with each corresponding creation. There was only one waitress/bartender on duty, and one chef- and both of them were so nice too! So glad we decided to give this place a try on our last night in Madrid.

While I was being a tourist earlier that day, I saw this restaurant sign "Txoko". When I was…read moreplanning a trip to Spain, one of the area I wanted to visit was Basque region to enjoy their food but my schedule didn't let me. I was happy to see this "Txoko" word and I immediately reserved for lunch on the app "thefork". Ground floor bar is for people without reservation, small bar area, it doesn't look big at all. If you make a reservation, nice dining room area is upstairs. Lunch course meal starts with a salad and five tapas or pintxo since it's Basque food. Followed by the main dish of pork rib. If I knew how big this pork rib was going to be, I would have saved my appetite for the meat. Pork was tender and so flavorful. I wished I had bigger appetite. Lunch for two includes a couple of glass of wine per person. Great place to come for leisurely lunch. We were there for an hour and half. Enjoying wine and delicious Basque region food.

Súper cutie place in the middle of Toledo . Food was delicious and the chuletón was cooked perfectlyread more

This is for me the best basque restaurant in Madrid. Lived there for 16 years and you can't find a…read morebetter leg of lam than here!!!

Yum! Fancy quiet place in a quiet part of town. I'm just a tourist and know nothing about Spanish…read morefoods, but my impression is that their menu is of classic authentic dishes and their kitchen does them well -- as opposed to restaurants that feels the need to innovate. My 2 friends and I had a great time. We spent a lot because we ordered wine and a lot of food. The wait staff were great with their recommendations for dishes from the Basque region.

Mesón Txistu (pronounced, meh-zan CHEE-stoo) is a Basque-inspired restaurant and Real Madrid…read morehangout of legends, past and present. On any given night you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with both sporting and pop-culture icons. Opening its doors in 1972, the restaurant's see-and-be-seen scene has become Madrid lore. It has become an institution revered for delectable kitchen offerings, a prolific collection of wines, and impeccable service. One of Mesón Txistu's hallowed passageways is lined with a photo galaxy of Real Madrid stars, including: Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Luca Modrić, Roberto Carlos, Hugo Sánchez, and Raúl. Scattered amongst these portraits are those of other global sports heroes such as, Diego Maradona, Pele, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Pau Gasol. Yet alongside those are even more: A-Listers of cinema like, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, and Salma Hayek. It's immediately clear that Mesón Txistu holds a special status in Madrid. There are few places capable of attracting such an illustrious crowd from both sporting and entertain- ment worlds. This restaurant is a Spanish treasure, tucked just beyond the shadows of the Santiago Bernabéu. Through still another passage, one is greeted by a bar adorned with legs of jamón ibérico, hanging from hooks around its entire perimeter. It serves as a visual invitation to savor something exceptional-- tempting you to sample the cured delicacy if so inclined. My wife and I chose seats at the bar to begin the evening's delights. She ordered a sensational glass of the House red. Being a lover of exceptional whiskies, I started with Lagavulin 16. Both selections proved foundational to the savory joys that would follow. Our expert bartender presented us with an intimate plate of complimentary tapas, including locally sourced and just-right-brined olives. The tapas brilliantly punctuated the start of an unforgettable meal. Exceptionally generous pours soon arrived. Hers in an exquisite crystal stem and mine, properly neat. After a few sips, our host arrived to join us for a cocktail. We were warmly welcomed by the Manager, who then personally escorted us to our table. Seated, we were then greeted with a double amuse-bouche. One presentation held guindillas-- tangy green peppers from the Basque region. Immaculately pickled, they gave us a curious "kick". The second featured chistorra, a Basque-cured sausage fried to perfection with a gentle measure of smoked paprika. Each was precisely on-point. So good in fact, I could have savored a platter without hesitation. The first appetizer to arrive was a hearty salad meant to be shared among the four of us. It was accompanied by beautiful cuts of fresh tuna paired with large slices of farm-fresh tomatoes. Simple. Delicious. Magnificently executed. Our host ordered bottles of Alión 2021 Ribera del Duero for the table. A refreshing, tantalizing red, it opened with a fruity aroma, yet carried with cleanly balanced spiced wood notes. It was an outstanding selection. (Later that night, curiosity got the better of me and I looked it up. Not surprisingly, the wine achieved mid-to-upper 90s ratings across multiple publications.) Next came the Gambas al Ajillo. These plump, finely garlicked shrimp are served sizzling in a traditional clay dish. Rich, aromatic, and deeply satisfying, they immediately reminded me of the signature dish at La Casa del Abuelo, located between the Sol and Barrio de las Letras neighborhoods. Our third appetizer, substantial enough to be a main course on its own, was the Pulpo a la Brasa: fresh-grilled octopus served atop hearty papas. The octopus was wonderfully rustic, expertly seasoned, and succulent. When I see octopus on a menu, I order it. This, because the dish tests any chef's command of instincts and technique. Mesón Txistu passed with aplomb. The highlight of the evening was the main course: Chuletón Txistu. These rich, buttery-tender ribeye strips arrive thinly-sliced, seasoned only with large, glistening flakes of imported sea salt. Doing so allows the meat to take center stage, as it should. A table-top flat grill plate allows guests to custom cook the protein to their liking. Thusly, the experience becomes interactive as each finishes his or her strips to varying degrees of doneness. It takes only moments, especially if one enjoys ribeye medium-rare, as I do. The strips were astonishingly tender. Each bite, phenomenal. Chuletón Txistu rivals the full-bodied richness of Japanese Wagyu. Even at this stage of our meal we savored every morsel. Smiles crossed our faces out of equal parts appreciation for the dinner, and gratitude for the shared moment. The wine, the company, and conversation-- all entwined with an atmosphere of country elegance-- assured an unforgettable experience. Recalling it now feels distinctly Madrileño. We look forward to our return someday. Until then...

Loved my dining experience here. It's such a cozy restaurant and is perfect for a dinner with…read morefamily, a date, or a fancy dinner with colleagues. Reservations are recommended because they tend to get busy. We were a party of three. We got the ensaladilla rusa, carabineros ajillo, and the chuleton. Everything was delicious. I especially enjoyed the meat. It was seared to perfection on the hot cast iron plate on our table. Minimally seasoned, it tasted really delicious and we could tell the meat was high quality. I also liked the other dishes we ordered. We got bread at the table and at the end of the meal, we got small desserts and glasses of what tasted like frozen lemonade. The waiter told us those were good for digestion. Loved my experience here and I recommend this place!

Mediocre food, mediocre service. We expected more with such a high rating on Google and yelp. We…read morecame for a midday lunch and seriously disappointed. The server was rude, and the food was un-appetizing.

This is a good place for northern Spanish food near the Plaza de Espana. You can make reservations…read moreonline, which is a good idea, as the place gets crowded. I liked that most of the guests were Spanish speakers. The menu is fairly self-explanatory, but it's better if you are able to read Spanish (not a problem for me!). Service was fast. The food was generally good, although the seafood rice was fishy, and the sangria was not memorable at all. But the fried calamari was delicious, and my family enjoyed the jamon iberico. The gambas were pretty good, as were the patatas bravas. They are very family friendly as the menu is simple enough that the kids will eat it, and nothing is so fancy that you'd feel uncomfortable with hangry kids.