I was so desperate to get something to eat past 10 PM in Madrid. Surprisingly most fast food joints were closed. I went to three different restaurants - one closed for private party, two others were closing kitchen in less than 30 minutes. I happened upon El Madroño, which more and more felt like a tourist trap. I did visit on a cold night in November 2023, and I did sit outside. This should not be the reason that food is served cold! I ordered oxtail, which came with potatoes. The server recommended this dish. It was tasty, but cold food is not pleasant. I don't normally do this, but I asked the server to heat it up. When he came back, the oxtail was lukewarm and the potatoes were cold. Other menu items were not worth mentioning. They charged us cold hard pan/bread for €1. They do have a great location though. During the dinner, some entertainers were playing music and rapping in Spanish asking patrons for money. The meal was over $60 USD for two people. I won't be coming back. read more

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Stopped by this restaurant after the area was recommended by our tour guide. Ambiance was wonderful and the place a local hotpot. Service was exceptional. Both meals were lovely! Enjoyed the addition of a shot of liquor and sweets at the end. read more

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This was my last evening in Madrid. My husband , daughter and I wanted to have a really nice last meal. We couldn't have chosen a nicer place to have that last meal. The ambiance was lovely (drawing below) and all the food we had was delicious! Our waiter was very kind and attentive. read more

El Madroño - Interior of El Madroño - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

Tasty tapas! I think the squid was the best out of the three I've gotten--it had a nice texture and was thinly battered compared to traditional calamari. I wished the patatas bravas were more crunchy and chopped smaller since it was very starchy to eat. The croquettes were soft in the inside. Nice place to have some tapas outside near all the attractions. Waiter was patient with us in terms of communicating between Spanish and English. We caught an error in the bill, and he promptly corrected it. Because this place is in a touristy area, a LOT of people trying to sell us stuff or ask for money came to the outside tables, so be aware of that! read more

El Madroño - Croquettes (bottom) and patatas bravas (top) - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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We found this place after visiting the royal palace of Spain, it's tucked into one of the many side streets and looks unassuming, there is outdoor seating but we opted to sit inside, we ordered a bottle of wine for about 20 euro and batatas bravas as an appetizer, I really enjoyed them here, nice flavor with a slight kick to it, for dinner I had the oxtail which had potatoes in the dish, our server also gave us some bread to have with it, the oxtail was tender and the sauce on it was awesome, savory but not salty, it was a big serving but I managed to finish it all. This place is known for making its own dessert liquor which comes from marmalade from trees, it was served in a shot cup made out of waffle cone with chocolate inside and around the rim, after a few shots it was a great dessert. I recommend this place, we ended up buying this unique bottle to bring home! read more

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Very nice restaurant. The waiters were super friendly although I came in early. Ordered tortilla and vermouth. They seemed a bit surprised when I asked for vermouth, and even gave me one shot to make sure this was what I wanted :) The tortilla was yum! I was initially reluctant to try tortilla because didn't like the eggy smell (never ordered omelette for breakfast in Canada), but this one didn't taste eggy at all. The inside was moisture with soft potato. Really good! They also gave me a plate of cheese, ham and bread to pair with the drink. read more

El Madroño - Outside - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Very short review incoming! This stop was suggested by a local as El Madrono makes their own liquor. Why bother, you may ask? Simple, liquor added to ice cream cup which was dipped in chocolate before! It is basically a chocolate shot, who can argue with that? The liquor was pretty straight forward, but it was the experience and sweetness that sucked me in. You can tell the restaurant is geared towards quick in and outs in terms of people just wanting to try a shot and leave. We were shuffled towards the end of the bar, given our shots and paid and were out in 10 minutes flat! The food smelled good, but I didn't even get a chance to really take a look at anything, but there were quite a few people packed inside (During the Copa Del Rey championship). So ultimately can give this place four stars based on the quick and tasty pit stop! read more

El Madroño - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Their major claim to fame seems to be the chupito of the Osa y el Madrono liquer -- a shot of the liquer served in a chocolate coated wafer shot glass. Overall, this place screams tourist trap. The shot was good, though you can buy a bottle of the liquer at other local liquor stores. The food was fine: neither offensive nor particularly good. Their tripe stew was heavy on the skin bits (with hair included) and light on the actual tripe, which is the part I enjoy more. The service was decent with English speaking hosts (again, the trappings of a tourist place) who added in a bit of sarcastic humor. In short, a totally "ok" place to grab a bite of tourist style local food, but if you've got time, you can probably do better. read more

This place was great! We went back a second time because we enjoyed it so much and wanted to keep trying more things on the menu. Lovely location on a side street, great service, food is excellent. Tinto de verano and the patatas, and the dessert shot of liquor - all great! Will go again next time I am in Madrid read more

The sangria is some of the best I had during our trip to Spain. The bonus of the Manchego cheese served with the drinks was great. I had the pollo (chicken) which was cooked just right. My wife had the fish and totally enjoyed it. The outside seating area is on the corner of a street that is not very busy, which makes for a nice dinner location. The service was good and had just the right pace for a very pleasant meal experience. read more

THE BEST!!!! Amazing staff amazing food amazing prices! These gentlemen really make you feel like family! The pork was one of my favorite dishes, and the bravas are way better then other places near by. read more

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8.40 for the worst plate of bravas I've ever had. Potatoes were mushy and cut far too large, salsa was bland and greasy. Not typically one to drop bad reviews but please consider walking a bit farther from Plaça Mayor to escape the tourist trap restaurants here. read more

Near the Plaza Mayor, this restaurant is in a little square. We came here our first night in Madrid and really enjoyed it. The best part? Our waiter. He was so friendly, and even though there wasn't a table outside when we got there, he got us a drink inside while we waited. We ordered: croquettes, cooked chorizo, and patatas bravas. Everything was great. The croquettes stoke the show - hot, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside. The chorizo was also delicious. Patatas were bakes potato chunks, rather than the fried ones we were expecting, but delicious. Especially with the bravas sauce ladled on thick. Great place to swing by for some classic Spanish fare. read more

One of the stops on our tapas tour, we got the Madroño shot in the little chocolate cone. It's delicious and a must if you like sweet shots. Salud! read more

El Madroño - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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An absolute must-do on your visit to Madrid! Our city symbol is el oso y el madroño, aka the bear and the tree statue that stands in Sol plaza, which adorns our city shield, as well as garbage cans, manhole covers, lampposts, and more. Legend holds that back when the Christians retook the village of Madrid from the Moors, they did so under the cover of darkness, with only the stars in the sky to guide them... and the brightest constellation was the Ursa Minor constellation, aka the bear constellation. Thus, the bear statue. But -- the tree? The madroño tree is a tree native to Spain, whose berries have the delightful tendency to ferment on the vine... meaning the Madrileño bears would eat them to get a little bit tipsy. And, how appropriate, that the one thing to order at the Madroño bar is a shot of madroño liquor -- served in a chocolate-covered waffle cone shot glass. YES. Drink your shot. Eat your glass. Repeat. Welcome to Madrid! read more

Nice little spot with outside seating. We ordered the tripe stew, eggs with potatoes, padron peppers and pisto(large portion, we thought it was a smalll tapa), and octopus. All of the dishes were good. We also received a free tapa(red pepper on top of a spanish omlette and bread) AND we also received 2 free shots of El Oso y El Madrono which was awesome. Service was excellent. Probably one of the better services we experienced in Spain so far. Definitely recommend this place if you are in the area. read more

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A historic place in Madrid. It's located in a perfect area to sit outside and enjoy the city. Please have liquor de madroño, which is symbolic to Madrid, in chocolate covered wafer shot cups. read more

El Madroño - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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The oxtail with potatoes was the best that I have ever tasted. We were able to eat outside and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the surrounded city. Would highly recommend this place. read more

El Madroño - Ox tail with potatoes, delicious!!! - Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

This is one of my favorite bars to pass by whenever I am in Madrid. I've never come here for a drink or for a bite to eat. Nonetheless,I recommend you get the Madroño shot. It is a sherry that comes from the Madroño tree (which is symbolic of Madrid) and is served in an edible chocolate shot glass. If you are nearby in La Latina then do yourself the favor and pass by for this shot. I believe its like less than 2 euros. read more

One of favorite restaurants during my Euro trip. El Madrono is located near the Latin quarter. It's in a perfect spot in a small plaza. You have the option of either dining inside or outside --I'd suggest outside so you can people watch. During my visit, locals came by and put on a nice dance performance in their traditional Spanish clothing. It was kinda romantic...too bad I wasn't there with the gf :/ The food was exceptional. I ordered a course that came with a few tapas for the starter and ox meat sprinkled with rock salt for the entree. MMMMMM it was gooood. Service was pleasant on a busy afternoon. Nothing to complain about! 5 stars! read more

The madrona shot is worth the stop! Dark sherry in a chocolate cup is the best finishing taste for a night of tapas hunting.

Split opinion between me and my buddy on the two occasions we came here. The first time we came here we wanted to grab some beers and tapas. The tapas were good, but the beer refills took awhile, I got it this is Spain and service speed is not a priority but it took a while for us to get our check. The second trip on a tip from our tour guide we went into the bar for the Madrono shot. HOT TIP: The house special at the BAR ONLY, the Madrono shot is only a single Euro. The chocolate filled cone is a nice little treat. read more

I am generally a very easy person to please, especially if I'm incredibly hungry and am fed a large amount of food. However my experience at El Madrono was very disappointing. We were seated outside and I don't know if it was the wind or our waiter's icy attitude that was making me colder. The menu was fairly expensive for Madrid. We ordered the menu item that included 4tapas for the table and one main course for each person for ~20euros per person. The food tasted fine, though perhaps not as good as one would expect at that price. In their defense this was on Fiesta de San Isidro so it was incredibly busy all over Madrid. I would not recommend this place, and defer hungry potential patrons to some of the other smaller tapas establishments in the area. This area is generally a little more expensive and touristy, so you may have to walk a bit. read more

Got the daily menu of macoron y chorizo and chicken y salsa(gross sauce). Was heated up in microwave, low quality food. Other items on the menu were overpriced, ex €16.50 for 4 tapas per person. Came for the madroño shot -really just a orange liqueur in a chocolate coated ice cream cone. read more

Trying the madroño is part of the experience of being in Madrid. It's worth a stop and it's only 1.70. It's a sweet liquor served in a chocolate covered cup (similar to an ice cream cone) which makes it all the more fun as you can eat the cup when you're done with the beverage! Although the service was slightly rude and we weren't allowed to sit outside in the sun to enjoy our modroño (apparently you can only sit outside if you order food) I would still recommend stopping here for the drink. read more

Very fun, the bar tenders are great. Tapas are ok. Get the Madrono shot - it's a sherry, sweet, but served in a chocolate filled waffle shot glass, drinking it is an experience. The place has been around for a while and really enjoy having the atmosphere sink in. Friendly locals. read more

One of my go-to Madrid stops. The albondigas (meatballs) are the best I've had in Spain. The huevos rotos (fried eggs over great ham and homemade potato chips) are good too. The guys who work there are champs. Yes, get the shot in the ice cream cup but make sure you eat the food first! read more

I really wanted to try this sherry chocolate shot I read about, but I went on a Tuesday night at 1am and they were closed. The hours are wrong on here. read more

We stopped by as we were walking around and looking at neighborhoods. We ordered this menu special and grilled octopus. The octopus and steak was very good. They also gave us a small dish of shrimps for free in the beginning. The flan for dessert was also very tasty. read more

With locals tour guide stopped in and showed us this unique little shop. Very cool, fun and tasty. We only had a drink which was fun but didn't get to try the tapas.. would recommend. read more

Really enjoyed most of the experience but didn't order bread but got charged for it even though I didn't order it or even eat it, but the food we ordered was very very nice and the experience was great but wish they hadn't charged us for bread we did not even order. We visited at lunch time. It was fairly quiet considering it was august. read more

Apparently, closing at 2 am is only a "margin" (the waiter's words.) We showed up at 12:50 am and were told the kitchen was closed, were served cold tortilla, stale bread, and had to pay immediately. Super rude. read more

When the place we originally wanted to go to wasn't open yet, we decided to try Madroño. I was hesitant since it looked a bit cheap from the menu on the door, but we were pleasantly surprised. The food was really good and the waiters both attentive and nice. The portions are well sized. Prices are moderate but worth it. read more