Excellent paella and prompt, professional service. We had the mixed paella with queen prawns, cod fritters and a pitcher of sangria. The seafood was fresh, especially in the fritters. I would definitely recommend this place for a traditional Spanish meal. read more

Best paella in all of Spain. I've been to Spain 3 times for extended periods each time and have tried Paella at at least 20 places between Madrid & Barcelona. La Barraca was recommended to me this last trip & was I grateful!!!! It seems to be a classy place, but we walked in with summer dresses and sandals with no problem. The service was stupendous and the restaurant was very clean and tidy. We ordered the mix paella, (meat & seafood) and although it takes about half an hour to make, it was completely worth the wait. One paella can feed 4 people comfortably, 3 if you're really hungry. It wasn't over watery or too salted like so many other paella's. The sangria was amazing, not too lemony or artificial tasting. A perfect blend of flavors. It truly was an extraordinary experience. A full Paella & pitcher of Sangria costs us under 60Euro. Unbelievably delicious! read more

Great find, food and service were both excellent. I hope to go back in a few years.

This is supposed to be the best Paella in Madrid and i was so dissapointed with the service and taste quality. We ordered ham croquette which was nice. Then we ordered Paelle, the one with king prawn, shrimp, fish, mussels, clam and squid. The presentation was nice, big shallow pot, and they served it to individual plate. The rice is a lil al dante which is good, is a bit wet and sticky like japanese rice meet jambalaya kind of texture, the fish was a bit fishy and had bones in it!! The taste is a bit too salty for me, even for my husband who loves sodium. The creme brulle is creamy, smooth, not too sweet, but not enough vanilla bean or the hard sugar on top. Service is really poor. They did not filled my drink, ever. We had to get the servers 3 times to get our check, gosh.... Never again! Avoid, it's overrated. read more

I want to give this place 3.5 stars, for starters this place is filled with tourists, thats not always necessarily a bad thing though. Is this the best paella in madrid? I would hope to think not, otherwise I would be pretty sad. Not that the paella wasn't tasty, because it sure was, but not the salty side, and totally lacking any soccrat (crunchy burnt rice bits). Generous serving size, so come with an appetite. Not a miss, but not a hit either. read more

Read the review but still went. Most of the reviews were right. The place has good atmosphere, friendly staff but even when the restaurant is empty, they will make you wait to be seated. Mediocre food but bit pricy. read more

Refused to seat us, even though the restaurant was empty. Clearly not good enough for this restaurant and their expectations even though we were well dressed Americans. read more

Sorry may be we went there on the wrong night last week, we found the paella overcooked, bland, tasteless, with dry pieces of chicken and some small flavorless shrimp/calamari and yes two mussels. The staff was inattentive as if they were doing us a favor. Very disappointed, may be you need to be a local or be fluent in spanish read more

Extremely authentic spanish restaurant with amazing Paella. This is such a beautiful restaurant and the service is so special. The atmosphere is extremely spanish, with ceramic tiles on the walls to wooden tables and brick walls. It really made me feel like I was in the souther part of Spain. The food is incredible, the aoili they serve with the bread is handmade and exceptional. I recommend the gazpacho and the paella valenciana. read more

Prepare yourself for the best Paella you ever had! The "Arroz de Bogavante" is incredible. Eat it with a Pesquera reserva red wine and you are in heaven... read more

On my second to last day in Spain, I was thinking that I had some pretty good paellas along the way, but none that were out-of-this-world. So I did an online search (Google + Yelp) and found that La Barraca was THE place I should try in Madrid for paellas. So I headed over to La Barraca with my boyfriend. We came late afternoon as they were preparing for their dinner service, but still seated us. They came around with a bread basket, but only had about 5-6 pieces leftover in that huge basket for us to choose from. We figured since we came at a weirder time of day that their bread game wasn't the best. We didn't mind too much, since we were there for a paella instead. Anyways, we ordered their mixed seafgood paella and some sangria. The paella had great seafood flavor, was tasty throughout the whole dish, and I was pleasantly surprised by the generous portion size as far as the seafood was concerned! The one paella was certainly enough for the two of us. Definitely agree with the statement about La Barraca having amazing paellas! read more

I was excited since this was advertised as the best place to get paella in Madrid but I was slightly disappointed. Although the restaurant was really fancy and the service was excellent, I found the dish to be dry and heavy and the prawns overcooked but perhaps I didn't know what to expect from authentic paella. read more

This well known restaurant offers a variety of paellas. I had the seafood paella which was simply amazing. Service is also outstanding with a very pleasant atmosphere. I definitively recommend it if you want a memorable paella in Madrid. read more

Very tasty Paella & great service. Traditional Spanish restaurant with white table cloths, etc. Hey my mother is Spanish and my parents live close to Valencia, the Paella region of Spain, so I know what I'm talking about ;) read more

The standard in paella in Madrid. Kind of a tourist spot, but we were actually directed there by some extremely cool locals we met. You can't really go wrong with any of the paellas on the menu, just order one up, grab a couple bottles of wine, and relax because it takes a bit. You'll leave stuffed beyond belief, it's very delicious. read more

Got to visit this spot again! Wonderful! Staff. Paella. Ambiance. Save me a seat!

Very nice place with wonderful homemade paella. Found the restaurant via Yelp - and you can trust it, when people say it's great food!

Our son recommended this place and we really wanted to like it since we both love paella. We shared the mixed paella and, although the meats and seafood were cooked perfectly, the chicken was kind of dry. The primary reason we were disappointed was that it tasted like it was cooked in chicken broth with very little seasoning. Maybe that's the way they do it in Valencia, but most of the paellas that we've had had a bit of spiciness. We were also disappointed that there wasn't any crusty rice. It came out displayed in a paella pan, but we suspect that it may be cooked in a pot and transferred to the pan to give it some flair. Again, maybe Valencia paella doesn't come with a rice crust. read more

I spent 3 days near the area and couldn't get a reservation. Luckily we were able to make a reservation for 10PM the last day. It was worth the wait. Had an excellent time with friends. Best Paella I ever had. Great wine and service. read more

To be honest. On the advice of some of the locals, I need to try the paella with chicken, rabbit and sausage and cool it with the seafood paella. You see, not only was the seafood paella here kinda bland....it was that way at few establishments in this city. I HAVE HAD nicely seasoned and lick your lips good seafood paella in the states. So i'm inclined to think I haven't found the right place. Anyhow this place is nicely appointed and the service was good. The tempura crawfish tails were tasty and the cod fritters were, well, cod fritters. My search continues read more

Often cited as the best Paella in Madrid. Not so great for me...very buttery and chewy seafood. Staff was very unfriendly. Tons of tourists.

A bit expensive, but the Paellas are very good! The place looks very nice, elegant without being snob. Loved the food!

My visit on April13 with my Son and Daughter-in-Law was the third time I had visited La Barraca over the years. The first time was four years ago on the recommendation of the Concierge at The Westin Palace. I loved it then and loved it this third time! The variety and quality of their appetizers is outstanding, and their wine list is superb. On this visit, we had a bottle of Pago de Carraovejas red Spanish wine that my Son recommended - outstanding! But the centerpiece of the evening was their Paella Senyoret. You expect great Paella in Madrid - but La Barraca's is simply the best I've ever had! Highly recommended! read more

Please consider this THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH for paella!! Worth a visit to Madrid just to eat the wonderful rice dishes. Good ambience. Traditional service. read more

The Best Restaurant in Madrid! My husband and I went to Spain for our honeymoon. We were in Madrid for four nights. Every night we ate at La Barraca! The staff is great and friendly. The food is INCREDIBLE!!!! We miss it sooo much!!! WIsh we could have their Valencian paella every weekend! I recommend this restaurant to everyone!! read more

Fabulous Restaurant My husband and I were on a tour and we asked the guide to recommend a good restaurant for paella. Without hesitation she exclaimed... LA BARRACA. We immediately made our way there for lunch. We forgot that lunch in Madrid is at around 3pm and it was only 1:30pm. It worked to our advantage because they were able to get us a nice table! We had cocretas as an appetizer, then we ordered a HUGE paella and for desert we had fresas con nata! We accompanied it with a nice bottle of vino tinto. It was incredible! We are taking our friends with us this time!!! We highly recommend it! read more

Good paella but I am disappointed by the very small quantity of prawns. Only one per plate. According to the reputation of the restaurant, I was expecting more. read more

La Barraca culminated our week-long food tour across Madrid. After a week of dining at formal hotspots like Horcher, Botín, and Arriba, we were ready for a meal unlike the others. Though Valencia is Spain's paella maestro, La Barraca blew us away with its perfectly-cooked and freshly-simmered dishes. We started off with an out-of-this-world grilled cuttlefish (served whole, a la plancha); having had the same dish at the restaurants above and at the Mercado de San Miguel, my family of 13 and I were in accordance that this deserved first prize. Not only was it tender, and not overcooked, but it was a perfect representation of the sea it came from: fresh, naturally salty, and flavored by the grill it sizzling on seconds before. The tripe and tendon stew was also exquisite. Our mains were equally, if not even more, impressive. We shared 3 paellas: 1 seafood paella for four, one chicken and rabbit paella for four, and a squid ink paella for two. Each was unique and deserving of the highest praise in its own right. The seafood paella was piled high with succulent lobster, crab, fish, mussels, squid, and shrimp; the rice was al dente and seasoned by the natural juices of the shrimp and crab guacamole. YUM. The chicken and rabbit paella was just as good, and more reminiscent of rice simmering in chicken stew for hours. And finally, the winner of the night (at least for the majority of our family): the squid ink paella. Moist, rich, and delectable, this paella starred the main ingredient: rice. Unlike other paellas trumpeted by their toppings, the squid ink brought to life the chewiness and wholesome quality of the arborio rice; this was nothing short of refreshing. And since this was our final night in Madrid, we topped the meal off with a Baked Alaska, a visual and delicious feast for the eyes and mouth. From the presentation of the dessert to the "baking" of the meringue, nothing could have ended such a perfect meal. La Barraca will be the first place I visit next time I'm in Madrid. This restaurant promises amazing dishes of spectacular quality and taste, along with a charming and intimate dining atmosphere. read more

SPEND YOUR MONEY ELSEWHERE. We went there without reservation after visiting the nearby Prado Museum. The decor was cozy with celebrity photos and autographs all over the walls. But these are the end of my compliments. The menu had very limited selection (from starters to entrees and desserts). We ordered the seafood paella, like almost everyone else because the restaurant was known for it. While waiting for over 20 minutes, we were served with very dry bread (not free btw) with overly garlic seasoned butter. Finally when the paella came, the server divided it on plates for you. Although the gesture was nice, the server executed in such a I-could-not-care-less-about-you way that made us feel very unwelcome. First, she was scratching the utensils so loud against the pan that my bf had to cover his ears. Second, she practically tossed the plates on the table afterwards. Third,the shrimp was not fresh; the rice was undercooked, the price tag was 37 Euro (the average price for paella is about 25 even in touristy places). They charged for a bottle of wine but only decant whatever could fit in their "house jar" - you don't see the rest 1/3 bottle. We were not in the mood for dessert afterwards, but judged from what others ordered in the adjacent table, we were glad that we did not.a read more

We made a reservation at this restaurant because we had heard it had the best paella in Madrid and the restaurant gets very busy. We first started with Iberia ham and cheese, delicious. Then we ordered the paella, outstanding. It was the best paella we have ever had. The restaurant is quiet and the wait staff is excellent. We can't wait to go back to Madrid for the paella! read more

We visited a few friends in Madrid this past weekend. We had already seen the touristy spots in a couple previous visits so decided to live like the locals for this one. The only strong opinion we really had was to grab paella at some point - preferably dinner. Well after laughing for a good bit the two Spaniards in our group explained that the Spanish would never eat such a heavy meal at night. This is in addition to the strange social norms of beer before liquor and 3pm lunches so what would I know...They chatted amongst themselves for a bit then decided on our lunch spot - La Barraca. We got there in time for our 3pm reservation (still can't believe that is a normal thing) and quickly scanned the menu. For our group of six we decided to share a few starters, wine and and two kinds of paella: the Paella Mixta La Barraca and Paella Marinera de la Casa. The starters came out quickly and were decent. After a while the main course arrived and it smelled divine. The platters were huge so they set them on the table next to us and served up a portion of both paellas for each person. I much preferred this method as we would not have room for the paella on our tables. Both kinds were well cooked and had great flavours. No clue if this is the best paella in Madrid but we certainly enjoyed it and would come back if given the chance. Now that I am home and can look at Yelp I see a few mixed reviews about the service. We had amazing service but that might be because four people in our group are locals and speak fluent Spanish. As for the price - definitely not cheap but I did not think it was unclear that the prices were per person. At any rate - great food and a nice experience. read more

An excellent paella! Very nice location, attentive service and delicious, paella choices. We started with the gazpacho and vegetal salad -- both were fresh and absolutely delicious. There were at least ten rice/paella choices. We had the "mixta", which was perfect. The two of us could not finish it and had absolutely no room for dessert. It is a bit pricey, but quality of the food and atmosphere are worth it. Be careful ordering your drinks. I ordered a pitcher of sangria, but the listed price was for one person. The pitcher was twice the listed price. I expected that for the paella -- and the menu warns you of that with the paella -- but not the drinks. Worth the cash. read more

Was craving paella and decided to try this place based on the pretty good reviews. We had the paella marinera de la casa with the shrimp, prawn, squid, and fish. The paella was bland and seafood was not fresh...got sick from it afterwards. Definitely got the feeling that it was a tourist trap. Also they took my credit card away instead of bringing the card machine to the table. This was the only restaurant this happened at the whole time we were in Spain. Will definitely be keeping an eye on my account but made me feel very uneasy as I was forewarned about this before my trip. This place is definitely overrated especially for the price. read more

This was a great restaurant for Paella. They have so many different varieties and all are made fresh. They do require 2 person minimum and they could have had more seafood but the taste was really good. Service was acceptable but we were sent by our conceirge at the hotel so perhaps they treated us better. Either way this was way better than our La Botin experience the other night. read more

According to the info posted for this restaurant, they open from 1:30 to 5:30. We got there at 4::05 p.m for a late lunch after arriving in Madrid. My 80 y.o. mother walked 8 blocks to get there and we were informed we could not be served because the kitchen was already closed. They should post the correct time when they stop accepting clients. If we'd had correct information we would have gone elsewhere directly. read more

one of the best paella restaurants in madrid. service was excellent.

Over-rated, Over-cooked, Over-priced tourist trap. WHY YOU SHOULDN'T GO I'm Spanish & have had Paella many times & I can make Paella. I fell into the trap that this had high ratings but should have noticed that mostly tourists gave this place high ratings. I even checked with the hotel about where to have a good Paella & he recommended this place & another that was further out from me so I went to this one since it's walking distance near Gran Via. I should have known to walk out when I only saw 3 American tourists eating here, -none of them Spanish, but it was late, I was hungry & tired. The lady host seemed friendly & sat us down. We asked her for a recommendation since they have various styles of Paella. Little by little I was starting to see there was going to be a problem. I'm going to lay it out here because if you do go against my judgement be prepared on how they try to play you: Clue #1 - she asked me if I ever had a Paella before, I told her I had but not in Madrid, then she asked again in Spanish, "never here"? and I said, "No, I just got to Madrid yesterday and haven't had a Paella yet &I heard this was a good place to have one". Then she smiles & takes the menu & says, "I'll take care of you". We ordered a glass of house wine since all red house wines are good in Spain. I also asked for a glass of water. Clue #2 - a waitress comes & brings a new bottle pours us both a glass & leaves the bottle. I kindly tell her that we will only have 1 glass each & did not want the entire bottle (I was already noticing how in Spain some establishments try to get over on trying to make you pay more). She took away the bottle with a serious face. Clue #3- She comes with a new bottle of water & had already opened up the screw top & was about to pour us both a glass. I told her that tap water was fine (I researched it is good). She said they don't sell tap water & leaves the bottle on the table & walks away. The head host starts talking with the girl in the back . I don't see her again. Now there is a man who is bringing the bread. Eventually he brings the appetizer - which was really good. It was cod fish with roasted red peppers. Very delicious. I avoided eating the bread because since it was late, I was going to get my starch from the rice. Clue # 4 -The bomb: The paella comes and we start eating it. It was so dry. I had 2 large prawns on the top -dry! My mussels & clams were dry. This was really annoying. Since we were hungry & it was late, I started to eat only the rice & drink wine. My husband saw I was disappointed & told me not to get upset, not to let the atmosphere ruin our romantic trip, etc, etc. The man see's us talking-goes to the head host & tells her something - probably that we weren't eating. She comes over & says in Spanish, "You have more paella, would you like me to refill your plate?" & I say in Spanish, "No thank you, we don't want any more, if we can have the check that would be fine." She says, "Do you want dessert?" and I said, "No thank you, we will go somewhere else for dessert, we want to explore the city". She clears the table & then brings the check & leaves. She charged us twice for the paella so it was $36.00, they charged for the water - I forgot how much it was $3-$4 maybe, they charged for the bread (.50 cents) and I read another charge for $1.50. I tell my husband, "You know what, I want to ask her to break this down because it seems weird & pricey." So we ask the male waiter for her & she comes out. I ask her about the double charge & she said that it's 1 paella per person (just so you know because that was not in the menu & she didn't tell me either. I feel if you know that "American's" or "Out of town-ers" are coming to your restaurant you should tell them it's 1 per person or how it works, you can't expect your client's to know how you do things unless you put it in the menu). Ok -pricey. Then I asked her what the $1.50 was for. Get this: She said it was A TABLE SET-UP FEE / CHARGE. I was like, "what do you mean?" She said: "Well, you are paying for the table, the tablecloth, the plates...." & she said it with such a sarcastic tone/smile & starts to walk away backwards to leave & I say, "Wait a minute, you charge for that? That's ridiculous no one charges for that? Even in NYC they don't charge you for tablecloths?! She says, "Well, I wouldn't know, I've never been there" & walks away. I was so shocked at her rudeness/trickery & my husband said, "Let it go, we will go somewhere else to eat." I can tell her workers are afraid of her. Just cleaning our table they had this fearful look as if they thought we were going to raise hell (They must have seen that happen before). My compassionate husband left the waiters a tip (not their fault) & the place was EMPTY!!. She was not in sight. My revenge? I took my $$$ bottle of water & left :) DON'T GO! Maybe hotels must get incentives for recommending? read more

Great place to eat, not to mention the Paella is really good. Service was top notch. It is a casual dressing type of location.

SERVICE!!! ok, so this is my first ever sub 3 star review, I would actually give this a 1, but their Sangria and dessert were good. We were offered bread and olives. We had a glass of sangria which was really good. Ordered the Iberico sirloin, and received an over cooked pork loin strip in a puddle of thick almost congealed white sauce that was tepid at best. I know, their Paella is what they're known for. We also ordered the house seafood paella, which had 2 shrimp, 2 prawns, 4 clams and 2 mussels. It was ok at best. We only ate a small portion of the paella, and wanted to try their dessert, so when we asked the waiter to please box the leftovers for takeout he happily agreed as we ordered dessert. Had the Carmel flan, which was really good. Still waiting for the leftovers, we asked for the bill. I was surprised to find that the bread and olives had a charge. Somewhat surprised, we paid the bill and left. 5 minutes later we realized that we had forgotten our takeaway, and called the restaurant. The server laughed and casually said he had thrown it away. Seeing how upset my wife is I just changed the review to 1 star, because honestly the flan wasn't that gre read more