My husband and I were in Madrid recently and our hotel recommended this place. All I can say is, for the 100+ euros we paid, it was awful. We didn't have reservations so they sat us in a room away from the rest of the restaurant. Even though when we arrived there was no one there. They were quite unfriendly and when we ordered the paella with lobster the server acted like we had no idea what lobster was by saying very condescendingly "you want lobster"? The Sangria was good, the shrimp appetizer was ridiculous...butter and tiny shrimp (I can make better at home), and lastly the paella was tasteless, the lobster was also very small, cut in two and quite tough. We waited for our check for a while and someone finally came around. What a huge disappointment. This compared to a meal we had our last night that was incredible, the owner, the chef and everyone were awesome. Try Metro Bistro near Plaza Mayor. It is much better, less expensive, and way more enjoyable. read more

Went for the famous seafood paella. It was good but not amazing unfortunately. I have a feeling the place is becoming a tourist attraction. Had a disappointing appetizer. But overall it was a decent experience. The seafood was a little scarce in the paella. I will try a different paella place next time. I was surprised that the week before I had a better pizza during my short stay in Casablanca. . read more

La Barraca - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Overpriced, flavorless, hardly any protein, just full of rice! What little protein there was, was dry and didn't taste fresh. We went as a hotel recommendation... this restaurant is basically a tourist trap. ***Do not accept the bread or olive plate unless you want to pay for it!! read more

We were on a group trip and was generally disappointed with many of the restaurant meals we had in Barcelona and Madrid. I wanted good paella before we left this beautiful country! La Barraca fit the bill - we arrived just as they opened as we did not have a reservation (I would probably recommend) and they were very accommodating. We had the seafood paella, a wonderful salad, really good sangria - even the olives were some of the best we had in Spain. Oh, a treat was the bread they served - it came with a whipped olive oil with garlic. Service was very good - and helpful given our limited Spanish language skills. read more

Very delicious!!!! The paella was just great, and the sangria was really good. The most amazing, however, was the cheese cake, which was way above our expectation! The decoration of the store was also very unique. A great restaurant to have dinner in. Definitely a must go in Madrid. read more

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Overrated on Yelp. The paella is not as good as expected. The flavor is lagging. Definitely not the top ones that I ever had. I stop by the first time with no reservation and can't get in. Tried the second time and find out that most customers are from the US. Probably came because of the good Yelp review. Friends, you can get better paella in the US and South America. read more

When we were planning our Spain trip, I wanted to find a solid paella spot and was super excited when we came across great Yelp reviews for La Barraca. I read reviews about how it's kind of a formal atmosphere but as soon as we arrived, we felt as if we entered an authentico Spanish kitchen - everything felt so cozy and homey! We had 2 servers (1 spoke excellent English and the other didn't but she was still really nice and smiley) and both were very attentive throughout our meal. They started us off with delicious bread and aioli which was sooo addictive, I had to stop from overloading myself with carbs because we had a FEAST to eat, people! FOOD -Castilian Soup (garlic, bread and poached egg): incredibly comforting and delicious - I could seriously eat this everyday of my life and it seems like great hangover food, too! -Grilled Cuttlefish: First time trying cuttlefish. It was served with an herby butter sauce and the taste was similar to calamari but a little tougher; I think I prefer calamari to the cuttle. -Mariniere of the House Paella: this was the true stand-out dish with basically every type of seafood you could imagine embedded in the gorgeous, plump and perfectly cooked saffron rice. The over-sized, head-on prawns was our favorite part - don't forget to slurp all the yummy goodness from the heads = it's seafood butter! Food servings were very generous so I recommend La Barraca for couples and smaller groups but be sure to make a reservation - it's a popular spot! read more

We had paella at La Barraca our last night in Madrid. The paella was great with lots of meat. The environment was a bit stale but the wine went down well. read more

La Barraca - Old Country Paella- pork, chorizo, bacon and Chicken - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

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Great, great, great. We had been in Madrid for a week, my first time in Spain. I knew I wouldn't get the "real" deal and would have to go to Valencia to get the best paella. But, we found this place, and man, oh man, was it good. The service was attentive but not pushy. (I think it helped that I speak Spanish, but there were people in there speaking Russian and English, and they seemed to get good service.) In any event, we had some great paella and possibly the best tortilla I had the entire time we were in Spain. I'm not kidding about that last part, and i ate tortilla about five times a day, every day, for a week! The decor was exactly what I wanted - it felt like an old Spanish grandmother's house. Paella marisco for two, a tortilla for our daughter, a bottle of reasonable cava, some after-dinner drinks, and a bill that only came to about 100 euros. read more

Tourist traps come in many forms, this is the higher end variety. I knew it was a tourist trap as soon as I saw the tripadvisor sign out front and that their menu comes in five different languages. Paella mixita was 17 euros per person, minimum order of 2. Pretty salty, seafood doesn't taste all that fresh, what a waste of my money. Bread was quite nice but at the cost of 1.75euro, not sure it's worth it. read more

This was our first dinner out in Madrid and we got an early reservation for 8 but ended up being 30 min late and they were very kind about it. We sat in a great corner table in the main room and ordered Rioja. While we enjoyed our wine we started with the grilled octopus which is served on mashed potatoes? I question the type of potato since they were orange but it was delicious. We also ordered the manchego which is delicious!!! Olives are served automatically and they will ask you if you want bread which we did but beware they charge you per piece of bread (the equivalent of $2 a roll which is steep!) which we didn't realize. I think we would have still gotten the bread because it was divine, but it would have been nice to know. They serve you a garlic aioli, I think people must mix it in with the paella but we got it with the bread so my husband put it on his bread lol. The main star of the dinner is the paella! We ordered two for two adults and two kids. One was the seafood and one country which had chicken, ham, etc. Both were phenomenal! The country is a lot more flavorful, but after adding fresh lemon to the shrimp paella it was so tasty. I watched a few of the locals order and next time I would get the salad to start and the lobster paella, the lobsters looked wonderful. I liked the decor here, it feels like an old house, the food is yummy and the service is brisk and fine, I would not say they were overly friendly but it was decent service. read more

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Great location. Restaurant had a good ambience with friendly and helpful employees. Out of all the restaurants in Madrid that serve paella, La Barraca is the best in my opinion! They have a great wine and liquor selection and are willing to make customized paellas to your preferences. Everytime I visit Madrid, La Barraca is a must for me! read more

La Barraca - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

I asked for steak for my kids, any label they use (en su punto, well done, whatever) with the condition to show NO blood in the steak. The steaks went to the kitchen 3 times and still showed full blood. My kids couldn't eat it. I asked for the check and charged me anyways. I have this time to talk to the manager to get my money back just for the portion of the steaks. Sorry, Not planning to go back to this restaurant. read more

Food and value overall was a good experience. The paella I had was very good but not the best in Madrid. This place was over "hyped"! The waitstaff is hit or miss. The male waiters were spot on and very attentive and good. The Asian ladies are lacking in charismatic attention. Unfortunately they were all evening expressing a disappointing sense of "getting through the evening" vibe and acted robotic in their insensitive interactions with clients. For this I've left noted this experience as a "B-" review. This service side of the evening was a real downer. For this restaurant to have survived since 1935 it will be a shame if the Crux of its survival is through disinterested staff composed of foreigners. I wish them luck. I may be back if better suggestions don't surface. read more

I went here for an early dinner (8:30) with a companion on our last evening in Madrid. We wanted a somewhat formal sit-down Spanish meal featuring Paella. We were not disappointed. The staff, especially the main waiter who took care of us, were excellent. Attentive, professional and pleasant. We were seated in the basement dining room, which I suspect is used for tourists without reservations, as everyone else down there seemed to fit that description (including a large group of middle-aged Japanese women). I would recommend reservations unless you go right at 8:30, when dinner starts. Both the Gazpacho and the Sautéed Wild Mushroom appetizers were excellent. I would order the mushrooms again without a moment's hesitation. Garlic and bits of ham. A tiny bit oily but not enough to bother me. We had the Mixed Paella. I am not a huge connoisseur of paella, but this was the best I had in Madrid. Very flavorful and moist. The two person minimum is a bit of a pain because it would have been nice to have tried two different kinds, but there was PLENTY of paella. We didn't completely finish ours. I would love to go back and try the other paella options on the menu. All this washed down with a very refreshing and wine-full sangria. The one disappointment was a creme brûlée that we shared for desert. Deserts are often dicy in Spain, and I definitely could have skipped this one. We had a wonderful dinner and would go back. read more

Got the paella mixta for 18.50pp (minimum 2 people for paella) as well as bread (1.80 each) which came with the allioli and olives. They do charge 3 euro for water and nearly 4 euro for soda. This is in line with their upscale environment (white tablecloth, waiters with ties) which is more than I preferred for a lunch but hey, I'm down to come back for the food! Bread/allioli/olives were all on point. Paella was very generous with the protein portion and rice perfectly cooked. I will say it was a bit too salty for me and the shrimps were mediocre (FYI shell and head on which is ok, but they also left them without deveining :/ and because the shrimp quality was only okay, the shell is actually pretty stuck on and took some effort to take off). Restrooms are nice and very good AC which is a relief having being in a few in this city mostly eating at places with no or only crappy AC and super tiny restrooms. This is the perfect place I'd say for a nicer paella dinner, esp around 5-7pm to escape from the oppressive heat! Enjoy a nice leisurely meal here :) read more

1. Good food. This place really deserves a 4.5 for just the food and 3 for the service so i settled for four stars. 2. Service is worse than what i expected in a high end restaurant. Frankly i was a little shocked. 3. Nice interior. Not too hard to find. 4. Paella is only for more than two people so i couldnt get it. Just something to keep in mind if you're traveling alone. read more

Food seems good - the service has much to desire here. My daughter brought a water bottle and the head waiter told her it was not allowed. That seem a tad rude. They charge a service charge for serving the paella!@#$!@#$ That's ridiculous. It should came with the price of the dish!!! Food is good. EXPENSIVE & POOR service! read more

Delicious! Everything from the bread to the risotto to the pasta & of course the wine! So glad to find this place! There was a bit of a wait but it was definitely worth it. I was having such a hard time finding yummy vegetarian food and this place saved me! Best part is that they had an English menu! :) Definitely request it! read more

First night in Madrid, and clueless about where/what to eat. Did want to find a good paella joint, and this place showed up when I googled. Showed up at 8:30 and they didn't have a table available until 9:30pm. Decided to come back an hour later. Got paella mixta (mixed paella, came with shrimp, calamari, sausage, chicken, etc) for two, split amongst 3 people. An order for 2 was plenty for 3 to share. The garlic aioli that comes with their bread is also very good. Paella took like 30 min to arrive but when it did, it was well worth the wait. Not like the cheap paella that you can buy easily at other joints. Could tell this place knew how to cook paella and that every dish was made to order. The meat that came with the paella was very succulent, as were the shrimp. The rice was also cooked perfectly. Tip: When you order, they may ask if you prefer to have the "less salt" version. Say yes! read more

I was recommended this place by my tour guide and the paella rice was the best I've had so far. They have also really soft bread and really tasty garlic mayo dip read more

Paella was decent wasn't as great as I had hoped for. Missed the crunchy bottom layer and seafood portions were average. They also charged for bread. The restaurant did not seem full but we were told if we didn't have reservations to come back in one hour. Overall was somewhat pricey for the meal but it was decent. read more

La Barraca - Seafood paella - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Extremely nice and attentive waiter- and that's hard to find in Spain! The menu has a very nice selection- we ordered The Lubina: the fish of the day and it was very light and tasty. I'm glad we stumbled upon this little gem of a place. read more

The paella and food was amazing! I went with a couple of friends who had special dietary needs, and the manager was nice enough to accommodate every single need! It's a great place for tourists because most of the staff can either understand or speak English! One person in my party had a bunch of questions regarding the menu, and the server was very patient and kind; he even gave us a free sample of the dish a table of locals were eating when we were asking about it! read more

La Barraca - The paella was amazing! - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Great restaurant. It's a good idea to dress up because it's a bit formal. Before serving us our paella it was shown to us to make sure it's to our liking. We really enjoyed the food here. We'll be sure to come back the next time we're in town. read more

Ended up at La Barraca after Google searching paella in Madrid. Apparently this is the place to go, and I wasn't disappointed! First and foremost the service was impeccable. White linen type of old world service you just don't see anymore. When I glanced over the menu excited to choose my paella, I was sad to see the note that paella and rice dishes are for two or more people! Oh no! I'm traveling and dining alone. I reluctantly had a back-up prepared, but when I asked my server about ordering paella for one, without any hesitation or reservations he told me not to worry I can order whatever I want. I started with the garden salad and it was very delicious. Something about fresh vegetables just tasting better! The tomatoes had delicious texture and taste. The side of freshly baked bread was served with a garlicky cream sauce that was delicious. For the main course I had the Marinera House Paella. The presentation was amazing. It was first brought out and displayed on the traditional paella baking dish. The server then took it away and served it on a plate for me. Loaded with fish, clams, squid, shrimp and a Longastino, the flavor and texture were perfect. If you are coming to Madrid and looking for a great dining experience and delicious paella, La Barraca is the place. read more

La Barraca - Marinera Paella de Casa - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

We we're taken to this restaurant by a local friend and we were not disappointed. The tapas was delicious especially the jamon. My wife and I got the Paella de Mariscos for 2. ABSOLUTELY delicious and loaded with seafood. This restaurant was also recommended by the tour guide of the tapas and tavern tour we took the night before. This place is a must visit in Madrid. read more

First off let me say this place was recommended by a friend for true paella.. my family and I traveled here upon visiting Madrid for the first time... we glanced at the menu before going inside and I already had a feeling this was not the place for us.. we arrived shortly after 3pm and lunch hours were from 1-4, however unlike in America there is rarely any difference in price from lunch to dinner menus! Anyway, we were seated by a bossy maitre d' who seemed less than interested that we were dining in the restaurant... she rushed us to order and was very rude to the other workers, not only that but she got our order wrong! She also scoffed at the fact we didn't order an appetizer since the food took about 30 mins to prepare.. In Spain you don't tip so the wait staff is very inattentive to your needs other than to serve you food.. Once they put something down they disappear for hours and sometimes have to be summoned back! Anyway, Our Spanish seafood paella was lack luster, I've had better in America which is the worst part! Going to Spain for an authentic experience and being upset! The price was terrible and the service was blah. I didn't feel welcome and won't be returning! Do yourself a favor particularly if your traveling--skip this "fancy and over priced restaurant" you'll be better ordering paella from your local Spanish restaurant at home, wherever that may be! read more

La Barraca - Blahhh - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Deliciosa Paella! the reviews did not lie! I have to say this is one of the few places in Madrid where you can get what you really pay for... We had the Paella and it was so flavourfull and moist, it was so yummy!! also the restaurant is very nice decorated and the service is really good! this was one of our favorite restaurants during our trip to Spain. read more

It was a Monday night. We wanted paella; we got paella. I wanted seafood, my husband wanted meat. We got the paella mixta and a bottle of cava. The paella was a gigantic serving, to the point that we couldn't eat it all (but we got pretty close). Delicious, well seasoned, fresh seafood. What more can I say? It was not the best paella we had in Spain, but it was pretty damn good. read more

We went on a Sunday night after returning from a day trip to Toledo. We researched a bunch of reviews on Yelp before deciding on this place. It was great and they took us with no reservation. read more

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Not too many choices on a Sunday in Europe in general so definitely make sure your restaurant is open. We wanted to get Paella our first night in Madrid and this place didn't disappoint. I'm a sucker for seafood and we got the pre-shelled mixto paella which had five different seat food items in the Paella. It was very good and one of the better paellas I have ever had in Europe. Highly recommend. We also tried the La Barraca muscled which were also incredible. That to start, paella as a main, rioja wine and a cappuccino to finish make this meal a solid one. I felt it was also reasonably priced. Definitely try this place if you are looking for solid paella in Madrid. read more

I recently visited this restaurant in the Gran Via area and was very pleased . The Paella was delicious. All the ingredients were fresh and prepared very well. The staff was very courteous and welcoming. I am definitely returning while in Madrid. read more

Solid paella but nothing over the top. We did really like the croquetas de jamon and cheese. The beer and wine were fine as well, but again pretty typical of Madrid. read more

La Barraca - Mixed paella, which has a little bit of everything. - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Every review will tell you this is the place to go for paella, and it didn't disappoint. First it opens at 8pm, which is good for tourists who are used to eating earlier, and you can book online. I loved the interior, it made me feel like I was eating in someone's house. We ordered a lot of different appetizers, stand outs were the croquettes and gaspacho. The tomato salad was nothing too special. For the paellas, it is a price per person and you have to order at least two person worth of each. So it is good to come in a group, if you have only two people you won't be able to try different flavors. What stood out for me was the quality of the meat and seafood in the paella. The rice was also cooked to the perfect texture. I was expecting maybe more flavor in the rice, but at least it was very balanced and not overpowering. Also try the sangria, a perfect drink on a summer evening read more

We did our research of restaurants in Madrid that served good paella, and La Barraca was on a few of the lists from several bloggers. We chose to go here on our last night in the city because I wanted traditional paella. We arrived around 9:00 PM on a Thursday night without a reservation, and there was no wait. The host was very friendly and seated us right away. We ordered wine, cheese, and the paella mariniere, which had a lot of seafood. They also brought the appetizer bread and olives (not free, by the way, but not pricey either). When the server brought out the pan, she asked us if we wanted to take a photo before she served us paella on our plates. I can't speak enough on the flavors. Amazing! There was only a little rice and a couple pieces of fish left on our plates. It was certainly enough to feed two people. We couldn't even order dessert, although their offerings looked just as delicious. Overall we enjoyed our experience. I am very satisfied with La Barraca and would return. read more

The food here is good. I cannot judge whether it is the best paella in Madrid but it tasted damn fine to our group. The reason why this review drops to 3 stars is the service and partly our seating location. We were seated in the basement dining area which was simply too hot and stuffy. On service, our waiter was friendly enough but the maitre d' who took our order and oversaw the room was quite snooty and spent the night looking down his nose at his customers. When placing the paella order we had ordered the apple pie for two of our party since the menu stated we order this in advance. There was clearly some mistake and it was not delivered at the same time as the other deserts. In fact it came 20 mins later at which point most in our party were ready to leave. Our waiter readily cancelled the order but the mood was spoiled. Too many good restaurants in Madrid - I would skip this one in a future visit. One final detail which might help families - they also have a (limited) children's menu which you don't see listed on the website. read more

Came looking for "the best Paella in Madrid" and this restaurant did not disappoint. Every part of our meal was delicious from the bread and the garlic aioli, the gazpacho, the croquettes were to die for the best I've had in Spain so far. The setting is very cool - lots of rooms and we really enjoyed ourselves. Possibly one of the best meals we have had on our trip. read more

After reading all the reviews on Yelp, we decided to check it out. The prices were comparable to most places, if not cheaper. I showed up at 8pm on a Saturday with a coworker and found the restaurant to be empty. Despite us not having a reservation, the lady seated us immediately. It's a nice restaurant, the atmosphere is quiet and is very clean. We ordered the gazpacho for an appetizer, it was amazingly refreshing. It is on the thinner side compared to what was served at Botin, but still very good. The bread comes with an aioli which was amazing, WAY better than butter. We ordered the Paella Mixta and it could most likely feed 3, or 2 people with a big appetite. The rice was perfect, the calamari melted in your mouth, the fish and mussels were really good, the chicken and pork, yes were slightly on the drier side, but what can you expect, it's paella. The blend of flavors was perfect. I ordered the flan for dessert and it wasn't up to par with Botin or Cafe Julian, but that could just be my preference. It's not the "well done" style flan and there was almost an orange hue/flavor to it as well. The scoop of vanilla ice cream that accompanied it was out of this world. If I were to go back, I would order any of the desserts that included the ice cream, it tasted homemade and was super rich. They were very english friendly even though I ordered and spoke Spanish. They accept credit cards and have no problems splitting the bill (just tell them how much you want charged to your card). The service was spot on, no problems whatsoever. It is a nice restaurant, and expect a "nice" restaurant bill. My share of the tab came to about 35 Euro plus a 3 Euro tip. read more

Please, please don't spend your money here. The hosts are arrogant, the service is inattentive at best (took 15-20 mins to give in our order and the same to get our check), the food is just ok and everything is overpriced. You can do a lot better in this area. Going here just supports a tourist trap that thinks it is much better than it is. read more