Great spot to chill.. a little walk away from the royal palace.. BUT, prepare to be mostly ignored…read moreby the servers not when it's even crowded... We started with coffee, wanting to get a light meal with it.. However, judging by my crusty rusted spoon that came with my coffee (I like mine black btw.. I don't need a spoon), we decided to skip the meal.

Great service, plenty of outdoor seating a couple of blocks from the Palacio Real. It does look…read morelike it is located on a touristy area, but the food was great. The croquetas were delicious, crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. I've ordered the mixed ones, got two cod, two cheese and two jamon. The cod one was my absolute favorite. The cheese one had a disproportionate amount of blue cheese that overpowered the other cheeses, but it was still delicious. The house wine was great, and priced very fairly. The grilled vegetables were cooked perfectly and came seasoned with excellent olive oil and salt flakes. Great to balance the fried fat of the croquetas. Touristy, but had plenty of locals too. I would recommend this place.

My wife and I had lunch here at 4:30 PM. Many other tapas places are closed around this time. The…read morestaff was incredibly friendly, and the portions were generous. The restaurant was spotless. It's a short walk from Puerta de Alcalá, making it a perfect place to rest after exploring the sights.

Came here around lunch time, the place looks decently nice, a bit empty at 1pm but I think because…read morewe are early and most people eat lunch even later. There is the choice of sitting inside or outside, and we were indoors. Service was decent and we felt well attented to. Croquettes- Crispy potato-y outside, and cheesey and full of flavor and sauce on the inside. We got a full course, but these are so full and filling and gets monotonous so quickly, we probably should have gotten half instead of whole. 4/5 Red pepper stuffed with monkfish and prawns- By far the best dish here. The sauce is super flavorful, like a wine sauce with sweet tomato. The pepper is slightly sweet as well, and the fish and prawns are cooked very nicely and go great with the sauce. 5/5 Iberian Sausage- the traditional thinly sliced ham is better. We only got half but this tapa is literally just sausage and nothing else, and gets monotonous, and tiring very quickly with how chewy and salty it is. Eat it with the bread they provide. 2/5 Steak with peppers and patatas fritas- The beef is good, soft and flavorful, salted nicely, and on the juicier side. There's too much patatas fritas and that got filling quick. Peppers are salted nicely as well. 4/5 Overall, a very heavy and filling meal, nothing small about the size or heaviness of their tapas. Red pepper (Pimientos rellenos de rape y langostinos) is the dish to order.

We were recommended this spot when visiting, and came for dinner on our first night out. They have…read moreall the classic tapas, and we got quite a few to share along with a pitcher of sangria. The sangria was a little watery for our taste, but not bad. The food came out quickly and we had quite a large spread - jamon, pan con tomate, patatas bravas, pork cheeks, spanish omelette, and calamari. Most of them were good, with my favorites being the pork cheeks, potatoes, and jamon. I would skip the spanish omelette next time as it wasn't quite up to what I was hoping for. Prices were reasonable as well for the portion sizes. Pretty good spot overall but not a must try.

This was one of the recommendations from my friend who's lived in Madrid for the the last 10+…read moreyears. For a chain restaurant, I think it's is close to as good as it gets. They don't take reservations so you have to wait in line, and depending on the time of night, it could take up to an hour wait. We came here on our first night in Madrid - it happened to be just around the corner from our hotel which was super convenient. We had a super late and big lunch that day, so we didn't go until around 11pm. It was a Friday night and we waited about 25min to get a table. It was quite cramped in there, with tables basically on top of each other, though that's typical in Europe. We started with a bottle of red and some small plates including octopus, ceviché, pork with caramelized onions, beef nigiri, etc. In fact, we actually ordered multiple orders of some of them cause they were so delicious! We were so incredibly full with the small plates we didn't get to order many of the other items from their extensive menu. I never thought I'd have room for dessert but when the server said they had hazelnut gelato I knew I had to get it. Well, let's just say we did not waste any of it! Even my husband who's normally not a sweets person ate his fair share cause it was so good! We had a great time there, and the prices were extremely reasonable. We liked it so much that we decided to come back 4 days later for lunch before heading to our next destination - Barcelona!

We were walking back to our hotel one evening and realized bodega de la Ardosa was nearby. We had…read moreit in our list to try but had just finished dinner at another tapas spot so saved it for a different night. I don't eat olives unless I'm in Spain, I don't really like olives at all but for some reason when I'm abroad I can stomach green olives and eat several. Theirs were yummy. The Spanish tortilla and artichoke were my fav! I could have ordered two of each. We had a glass of wine and a few tasty plates and were all set. This place is bustling in a great way! Highly recommend. Bar service was great!

Perfect little stop for vermouth. Cozy, warm vibe with dim lighting and a lively crowd. Small space…read morebut super inviting, and the prices are great.

You can stay at the bar and get the tapas plates... or you can go into the dining room down below…read moreand REALLY enjoy the extent of the menu. KUDOS to the chef! There is so much more to try than tapas on bread. See below! This was an excellent dining experience- not rushed, and we had other dishes but these were the all stars - the fried eggplant with sweet molasses was so light and enjoyable. The tuna/potato/egg ensalada rustica was fabulous. This dish we had as a tapa in many places but they REALLY make this special with the capers in it and I think there was a little hint of pickle? We also order the octopus/(pulpo) and it was tender and well seasoned! As well we enjoyed this crispy pork belly over Romesco sauce made with potatoes and Spanish smoked paprika. And then..YES MORE PORK! The stewed pull apart pork with fries Friggin delicious . I want to eat pork every day of my life now, Spain has ruined me. Where is the JAMON In America, prosciutto is def NOT the same thing! Our service was very very good- the waitress took SUCH good care of us, was friendly and helpful when ordering. I love the vibe of this place, great music playing and an upscale atmosphere. We went twice and will go again when we return!

My fellow Yelpers who are visiting Madrid don't let the 3.5 stars deter you. First, Yelp isn't…read moreactually a big European thing. As of this writing there were less than 80 reviews. However, if you Google Mercado de La Reina, it has 4 stars with nearly 7000 reviews. Second, we actually went here TWICE during our Madrid stay. This place was great! Don't let the Gran Via location make you think it is a tourist trap. During our two visits I noticed that the hostess and Chef Alvaro were greeting customers by name and even giving hugs. That means locals. In our first visit he checked in on us and noticing that we are Filipino he excitedly called his Filipino team members over who chatted with us as well. This really made for a welcoming family atmosphere. Food was fantastic. The tapas scene is obviously the thing to do in Spain when it comes to eating. There is a sit-down menu restaurant towards the back but we opted for the tapas bar scene. During both our visits it ranged from mellow to full on crowded-elbow-your-way-to-the-counter. Sounds dismaying but THAT is the way the tapas scene is. I found it amazing that the people behind the counter are able to keep track of all the orders. As tapas go, you order to share and share we did. Everything was tasty and went well with a refreshing red vermouth. We were even surprised with a dessert which was a ridiculously amazing cheesecake. Highly recommend!

Cervecería Alemana is a large establishment with many tables serving a vast assortment tapas and…read morecured meats. With your beer or vermouth, you get a complimentary dish of olives.   Jamón Charcuterie Plate: Slices of various jamón and cured meats are arranged on a large plate. About a dozen of each are placed in rows: Lomo Ibérico, Jamón Ibérico, Queso Machego, Chorizo, Salchichón Ibérico. The chorizo and the salchichón (summer sausage that looks like salami) have the most flavor, while the lomo (tenderloin) has the meatiest texture.   Tortilla Española: Thinly sliced potatoes and whisked eggs are cooked in a pan to form a round omelette or frittata. The tortilla is served as a wedge like a slice of pie. The potatoes have been cooked until soft in olive oil and combined with eggs until light and fluffy on both sides.   Callos a la Madrileña: This is a traditional dish in Madrid consisting of long simmered tripe, cheek, and morcilla (black blood sausage). The stew is yellowish-orange in color and the meat is soft.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Writing this review 10-months later and my experience is still ingrained in my…read morememory. Came here on a recommendation late in the evening mid-week. The service here is beyond awful. They directed us to sit in the back and we pulled up the menu with a QR code. They didn't come by for 15 minutes. When he did, we started to order two small plates and beers in basic Spanish, the guy then says "ingles?" To which we respond "si"...he runs away to ostensibly to get another menu. This wasn't necessary, but whatever. Five minutes later he returns with a Spanish one. We try to order but he doesn't return to our table for about TWENTY FIVE minutes. In the mean time two other tables have sat down and had drinks and appetizers. We had nothing. Frankly the rudest staff I've ever seen. Got treated like dirt, continually. Yes, dirt..... Got a bottled beer, so I can't compliment them on drinks and the food appetizer was average if not overpriced. Funny thing is, I was halfway through my beer, and the waiter came by, cleaned the neighboring table, and took my beer! I waived at him, said "No terminado con mi cerveca!", he kept cleaning, ignoring me completely, almost to my face. He takes all of the stuff he collected back to the staff area and finally I screamed, mostly in English, probably with a few words of profanity, at the top of my lungs - something I've never done at a restaurant. My voice can carry when I want it to. The place went dead-silent, everyone looked at me, he looked back - I pointed and said "mi cerveza!" He looked, realized his mistake, then had the nerve to come back and try to lecture me! I had none of it. Clueless...to the extreme. The Cerveceria supposedly has a lot of history but lacks any charm. Avoid it, walk around the neighborhood, there are plenty of friendly and quality restaurants and bars.

Funny that they have a sign about being nice in 4 different languages yet the service was all…read moreattitude. We stopped in for wine thinking it might have a nice selection but the cava was individual Cordorniu which is not good. And the red wine apparently you don't get a selection you just get poured what is open

The spanish omelette, toast with tomato and cheese, and toast with ham were good but not memorable…read more I think they could have used more flavor. The service was slow. The menu had fairly limited options.

Very nice little café near the Prado Museum. We stopped in and were seated quickly. They have…read moreplenty of outdoor seating as well. The hamburger was quite good, as was the Caesar salad. Several wines and beer are available. Friendly service.

First, my experience with staff was delightful. It was a pop up rain storm so was a random…read moreselection for drinks and apps. Staff were quick to welcome, seat and take order. Olivier salad was flavorful but not heavy. G&T were excellent. Decor was warm and charming with nice architectural features which blended well w the vibe of area. Wish would have thought to grab pics bc the food was delicious and presented well.