Was visiting some family friends in Madrid and they recommended we convene for some authentic Andalusian. It's a good 30+ minute drive from Madrid proper, but fortunately we were already heading to the surrounding suburbs. This meant that I was probably the only foreigner at the place, but the waitstaff were very accommodating.
We started off with thin-cut tomato wheels, lightly salted and soaked in olive oil. Goodness, this was refreshing. We also ordered several flavours of croquetas, which were crispy and scrumptious. The jamón-stuffed ones were particularly indulgent. Afterwards, we dove into what was the largest seafood platter I had ever seen - mussels, prawns, scallops, thick-cut calamari rings... it was a literal cornucopia of the sea. The seafood was all fresh and well-executed. I think food of this quality and quantity would run you a fortune in the States, but our bill at El Tablao was quite reasonable (~€20) when split amongst our group.
At midnight the whole restaurant joined together to sing Salve Rociera (staff were awesome and gave me a lyric sheet, as I had not a clue of what to recite). The staff also surprised us with some creamy, coffee-based digestifs - the perfect way to round out a warm Spanish summer.
In short: charming, unpretentious place for Andalusian if you can find your way out of the city. Huge portions, so bring an appetite. read more