I've been visiting Malaespina for over a decade -- from my time living in Madrid to every trip back -- and one thing has never changed: it's easily one of the best spots in Madrid for a no-frills, delicious tapas meal and amazing sangria. The quality of the food has remained consistent for the 10 years I've been visiting! Tucked away just off Sol, Malaespina is the epitome of a classic Madrid taverna. The inviting, unpretentious atmosphere, the cozy charm, the prices, the energy -- it's hard to capture it all in words. There's a certain magic at Malaespina. The tavern has been around for hundreds of years, and I often wonder what it was like a century ago. I'm always amazed that such a gem exists in the heart of Madrid, a city center filled with tourist traps. Malaespina draws both locals and tourists -- and for good reason. The food quality to price ratio is unbeatable. On our most recent visit, we had huevos estrellados, tortilla tapas, sangria, and espressos, and spent about $20 for the two of us. You really can't beat that! Here's hoping they stick around for many more years to come. read more

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Came here for lunch and had a decent experience. Staff were super friendly and restaurant was nice. We sat outside and ate our meal and it was quite pleasant. When we first sat down they gave us a welcome bruschetta and bread for free which were pretty decent portions. We then ordered our food and it was pretty good as well. We ordered their half chicken (pollo asado con patatas), sirloin steak, and Malaspina tosta. The portions were huge and we definitely over ordered. We thought they were more the size of tapas but each dish was a huge portion itself which definitely isn't a bad thing. The food tasted pretty good but I think it just lacked flavor occasionally. All the meat was cooked well and was very juicy, just could use a little more flavor. Otherwise everything was good. Solid 4 stars read more

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This very busy spot was our dinner stop on 03.05.24, and it is located in an extremely hopping location just south of Plaza Del Sol. We were lucky to get a small table, as a lot of people were piling in. Our servers were killing it keeping up with customer demand. We had a couple of drinks, the patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), pimentos de padrón (grilled peppers), and tarta de chocolate (chocolate cake). Our food was delicious! The potatoes were huge and their spicy sauce was just right. Enough bite without being overwhelming. The peppers were on point (huge portion). That chocolate cake, though. I don't even really like sweets but it was soooooo hard to stop eating it. So good. The portions here are big, and they don't do half portions (media raciones). Come hungry and leave satisfied! read more

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Malaspina was our first tapas spot in Spain! As you can imagine, we had no idea how the whole tapas thing worked in Madrid, but the server was really friendly and patient explaining it to us and I assume he's probably used to tourists who look a bit lost. The place was small and packed, and we could easily hear conversations from the next table, but it was a fun experience as tourists. The portions were surprisingly generous, even for us who are used to American-sized dinners. It's a great place to start for both tourists and locals. read more

Malaspina was a nice kickoff to Madrid during my visit. It's in a touristy area, but the place is quite welcoming with a local presence. Their sangria was flavorful and hit the spot. My favorite was their Spanish tortilla with jamón. However, their other tapas were excellent too. Most notable with my experience was their bartender who gave excellent recommendations and prompt service. Check this spot out, it's worth the visit. read more

Malaspina - Sangria with tapas - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Huge portions! Beware! If you're two people, 1-2 dishes will be enough! We got the patatas bravas, peppers stuffed with codfish, and cured Spanish sausage. Everything was pretty on point! I loved all three dishes. I hadn't had anything like the peppers dish yet, so it was good to try. We couldn't finish it all. The place is gritty and low-key. It's in a touristy spot, but it doesn't feel touristy. Service was fine. I'd recommend you stop by for a lunch. read more

Malaspina - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Food was reasonably priced. A Spanish tour group came in after we were seated and it became crowded as it is a small place. Draft beer was cold. Our first tapas but it seemed good. read more

Malaspina is one of those spots that is located in a touristy area, but it has a very low key vibe. We came in around 6-7pm, and we got seated quickly. Started with a Cana and White wine. Decided to keep ordering food, so got the patatas dos salsas, which is just potatoes with an aoili sauce on top, and the other side of the potatoes had the regular patatas bravas sauce. We also had the Jamon iberico toast, which is phenomenal. I mean, how can you go to Madrid and not have Jamon!? Everything was amazing, service was impeccable read more

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first off - wow. My family just flew in and they were starving! Was trying to find tapas and stumbled upon here from yelp. We were a total of 8 and when I asked if they had a table for that many, they told us 30 min. We ended up getting seated in literally 5. Vibes were great but be prepared to be seated in tight quarters!! Food was delicious and well worth the wait! read more

Came here for dinner with a group and had a good experience. We shared the patatas bravas, malaspina salad, Pisto Manchego con huevo and a half portion of Jamon iberico (which was the best thing we ate). Overall solid. Prices were also low. read more

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If you are looking for a great authentic Spanish place, this is it! The place is rather small so you might have to wait a bit, but it is worth it! What we ordered: I went with 4 friends. We ordered 2 glasses of wine, the dos salsas patatas bravas, the Philadelphia salmon bocadillo, green peppers, and tortilla española. This meal also came with bread and they gave us glasses of water for free. We split this 5 ways and it came out to 5.5€ each, which is a steal! The food was fantastic! The flavor was great and not that I know what "authentic" tastes like, but I think this is the most authentic Spanish food I have had in Madrid! read more

Malaspina - Tortilla española - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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I would rate this just below BK chicken fries. The sangria is watered down wine and orange juice. Salad- horrible. Just avoid. The steak, brie cheese, and peppers tapas- overly salted on top of cheese that's also salty. The steak lacked any flavor. Tuna belly tapas- better than the other two, but edible. I think TripA really hyped this place up. read more

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My husband found this spot on Yelp and it was close to our hotel so we decided to try it out on our trip. It's located around a few other restaurants, in a fun lively area. Our waiter was great, very attentive. The food was good and at good prices. We really enjoyed dinner here and would recommend it to any of our friends visiting Madrid! read more

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This is a great option if you're looking for tapas in a relaxed setting! We got the tosta jamon iberico, tosta queso de cabra, tosta salmon ahumad, and sangria. The portions are fairly big so I think it's better to wait to order more food than order more than you can eat. The sangria was alright and I liked the tosta jamon iberico and tosta salmon ahumad. read more

Malaspina - tosta jamon iberico, tosta queso de cabra, tosta salmon ahumad, and sangria - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

This is one of my favorite "hole-in-the-wall" bar/taverns with tapas in Madrid. I think it is very important to keep in mind that this is a tapas bar and not a formal sit down restaurant. So with respect to other tapas bars in the area, it was certainly one of the best. We stopped by around 11 PM and the place was half-full during a weekday. The decor and size are pretty much what you see in the photos online. Some outdoor seating as well. We were seated right away and the main server took our drink orders. We had already eaten dinner earlier so we only tried a couple of tapas. The main take away regarding the tapas - the portions are generous and worth the Euros. The food overall was good. Again, not to be compared with the fine dining experience but all the food went really well with our beers, sangrias, and tequila. We had the Galician ham, cheese, tomato dish with Peppers from Padron. Tasty and prepared quickly. Regarding the service, it was the typical service you would expect in Spain. You have to flag down your server but once he got the order, he was on it. We had a surge of other patrons that came in when we were trying to make some more orders and had to wait a bit but was not because of the good company and drinks. Overall, a great "bang for your buck" bar with authentic tones from the food and local patrons. read more

Malaspina - Galician ham, cheese, tomato, oregano, & paprika on bread - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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The food here is really good, and the plate portions are huge! Definitely ask the waiter how much you should order for your group. The prices are great for the amount of food you get. I wasn't a fan of their tomato bread, but everything else was really good. There's limited seating here. read more

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Calle de Cádiz initially looks like a creepy narrow street you don't want to venture down...however, in reality this street is home to several restaurants where locals drink and dine, and are a lot cheaper the touristy restaurants at the nearby Puerte del Sol. "TAPAS with Hot Bread"...I didn't see this anywhere else in Spain, but its basically a huge slice of bread, with some tasty things on top... 5.50€ "Malaspina"...Galecian ham, queso, oregano, and paprika...and its huge! While not especially creative, its good, cheap and very filling. 5.50€ Iberian Sirlion with brie and peppers...and its huge! Not exciting but it had huge chunks of pork sirloin for some good grubbing. Also the house wines were less than €2 a glass, and came with a nice free tapas of anchovies and tomatoes on bread, yum! Its a small pub with a vintage look...or maybe its just always been like this? The staff was extremely friendly and took well to my crappy Spanish(1 semester online). Will definitely come back here someday! read more

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Great value, opens early when everything else is closed. Good patatas bravas and great bread. read more

Malaspina - Half eaten patatas bravas - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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For a hole in the wall spot this place is fantastic. Host was super nice and they sat us quick. The place has a chill vibe and music was great. The food was delicious. I asked for recommendations and he gave us great ones. That patatas bravas are spicy for those who don't have that flavor palate but for me they were just right. The croquets were cheesy deliciousness and the hamburgers were juicy. The wine was great but the sangria tasted ok. read more

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Avoid at all costs. The food was truly horrible. The Tapas are MASSIVE and so bland. Iberico was basically jerky and calameres were so tough while also undercooked. Only redeeming thing about this place was the cheap wine. If you're looking for good, traditional tapas, avoid avoid avoid. It's too close to a major tourist area and they are preying on Americans who have never had tapas before. While ordering wine (in Spanish) waiter assumed we were ordering water and walked away and also cut us off while ordering. If you sit outside, you will be approached by folks looking for cash. Overall, I'm bummed I lost a night of my short trip here. read more

A little harder to find, but once we got there it was worth it. There was a line outside and a ton of people waiting once we left. It is a smaller place with small tables, I would say max seating is a group of 6. The ambiance reminds me of old Spain. We had the calamari and cod in a roasted red pepper sauce, it was amazing. I had the best white wine, Monte Blanco. The menu is in Spanish, if you don't speak any Spanish you should look at the menu before going. Most of the wait staff speaks limited English. I personally love places like this, it feels more authentic and I do not think everyone has to speak English. The food came out quick and the portions are huge, don't over order, lol. read more

Malaspina - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

I read about this place on Yelp and on our way back to the hotel after eating at La Taberna de Marciano, we walked by here. It was only natural that I'd want to try it the next night. So at our new dinner time, 10:30, we walked in and was greeted by a cheerful "Hola!" from the bartender, who motioned us to the bar. The waitress told us it would be 15 minutes for a table, so we decided to eat at the bar. The prices are very reasonable. We ordered a bottle of Ramon Bilbao which was very good. Javie, the bartender, brought us two complimentary tapas, salami on toasted bread. We ordered the spicy chorizo and the house "Malaspina" which was grilled sliced tomatoes, jamon, and melted queso. The chorizo reminded me of Hawaiian portuguese sausage, so yeah, onolicious! The Malaspina was great! Kinda reminded me of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich...LOL! We then ordered a bottle of Secreto, since we could see all the wine bottles on the shelves behind the bar. We also ordered a hamburgesa con beicon y queso (because we needed something to go with the wine). Two open faced burgers came with some crispy shoestring fries. These were very tasty! The lone female waitress asked where we were from and when we said California, everyone's eyes lit up. She has never been but had seen the movie "Sideways" and said California had some very good wines. She also said we have very good weather. However, the weather in Madrid has been about the same as San Diego. The waitress was from Russia and spoke fluent Spanish. We also talked a little politics as we remembered the cold war opposition between the U.S. and Russia. Me: Russia has the best vodka though! Our server/bartender, Javie, spoke no English, but somehow managed to learn Italian after spending two weeks there. Everyone was very friendly, and when we said goodnight, we said we'd stop back by the next day....so maybe early snacks and wine! The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and upbeat. A definite try if you're in the area. Oh, and then they gave free shots of some house liquor which tasted like licorice...very nice of them! Don't go by the negative reviews. I tend to question them when they have very few friends, not many reviews, and some of the places they go to don't look very special. If you bring negative energy somewhere, naturally you're not going to have a great experience. So sad for them! read more

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Great food and service! Reasonably priced. We had the tortilla española, croquettes, "malaspiña", hamburger and roasted chicken. All were delicious. I would highly recommend this for a quick bite to eat! read more

The entire experience was just great, sitting outside w/ my wife at a nice little table, eating tapas and enjoying a glass of beer as we people watch. What we ordered was pretty much a tapas sampler, the bread is lightly toasted and drizzled w/ insanely good olive oil. The Iberia jamon (prosciutto) is bananas, it's so friggin good, i can't explain it. The smoked salmon was awesome, anchovies, cheese, bleu cheese, the other ham, sopressata OMG...everything was so good, the bill was cheap and we didn't leave feeling like stuffed pigs... read more

Malaspina - Tabla de tapas $16, w wine $2.30 a glass, great lunch - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

We came here for breakfast after reading the reviews for this place. It was a short walk from our hotel room so it wasn't hard to convince us. We opted to sit outside and people watch, but it's in a narrow alley way so not many people walk by in general, or maybe it was too early since people in the area like to party till 6am and we were up for breakfast at 10am. We ordered coffee and they brought out muffins for our daughters to enjoy as well. The fresh squeezed orange juice were served in small, plastic cups for my daughters, nice touch! We wanted to order 4 things but the waiter said that the malaspina is huge and we wouldn't finish everything. So we got the malaspina tapa (iberico ham, chese and saffron) spanish potato omelette, and pan con tomate which is a bruschetta with oil and tomato rubbed on the bread. Everything was really good and the prices were very reasonable. I wasn't blown away but everything was really good. read more

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One of many tapas bars/cafés in the Sol region. Just enough turns down a side street or two, and easy to pass by, but it seems to get its equal share of tourists/locals. The bartender offered a hearty, "Hola!!" to each and every guest, and service was prompt and friendly. The Malaspina is an open faced sammie w/ a base of salsa (excellent flavor), a layer of generous ham, and thick melted cheese on top. Pretty damn good, and worth coming for. We also had the tortilla Espanola which was typical, but still very tasty. Served w/ bread spread w/ salsa. I'd come back just for the Malaspina . . . Cheers! RS read more

Malaspina - Malaspina: ham, cheese, salsa on a slice of French bread. Simple, yet oh so tasty - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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This is the place to be if you want some traditional tapas experience! We were so lucky to get a table, since it has a line up at the store front right after we arrived. The stuffed peppers with cod is so delicious, and the sauce is so good with bread. Their free tapas is a full sized tapas they would charge for almost 5 euros, while your wine is around 2.50! The servers are friendly and responsive. Will definitely come back when I can. read more

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Pimientos de píquillo - please try this dish. It was SO good. Very tasty, well cooked and served on a cute cazuela de barro the people next to us even asked what it was called because it called their attention. It looks and tasted delicious. If I ever go back to Madrid I will stop by AGAIN!! read more

Malaspina - Pimiento de píquelo y un mojito - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Our first restaurant stop in Madrid after flight from Copenhagen. As other reviews indicate, the portion sizes are large even though it's tapas. The cod wrapped in peppers, the signature tapas, was warm and delicious. Ham and cheese was good for picky son who enjoyed it. The sangria was a bit light but tasty, most everyone orders it. Would have liked to try the butter calamari since it looked pretty good, but too much food. Restaurant is small indoor with some outside seating, Spanish music playing, very nice ambience. Service is quick and efficient. Overall a good place for tapas. read more

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For some reason it was tough to find this restaurant, the sign on the outside (after we found it) seemed obvious, but it was not at first. It was only a few minutes walk from the hotel and with the high reviews on Yelp, we had to stop by! It was very packed by the time we got here but fortunately there was one table open for us to sit down. Upon sitting down, they brought us some pinchos on the house. It was a piece of smoked salmon with lettuce. Very nice gesture and tasty! We ordered two glasses of red sangria, it tasted watered down. For food, we ordered the following dishes/"tapas": Malaspina: I am not sure what the hype is behind this dish that every Yelper is ordering & raving about....it's regular ass ham, regular ass cheese, regular ass tomato on a regular ass piece of bread. Nothing to see here. Smoked salmon on top of bread with cream cheese spread: Again, another hyped dish here, it's regular ass smoked salmon on regular ass cream cheese on a regular ass piece of bread. Nothing to see here. Chicken with fries: The orange sauce that they serve is delicious. The half-chicken was ok, the white meat was a bit dry. The fries are fries. Nice staff, efficient service, but the food/drinks was not tasty, at least not what we ordered. read more

Malaspina - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Great service, good music, and good food. The sangria is one of the best ones I've tried.

Great place to have tapas. Our regular place was closed during summer, so we stopped by here instead. Friendly staff, good tapas. read more

Totally overrated. Huevos cabreados were greasy and fries overfried. I was expecting a classic and tasty Spanish dish, but it was not like this. The toast I got was ok. The girls who attend me was very nice. But overall pretty overrated. read more

The food was amazing! The portions are huge... this is not a small bite tapas place. Friendly, kind staff, a little crowded place (no air conditioning, but outside seating). It was really good. read more

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Tourist spot. We stopped for a drink after escaping a tourist trap only to dive into another. We ordered some wine and received our tapas of smoked salmon on bread. It was OK. read more

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Down a small, crowded alley we trudged to reach Malaspina. This is the indie movie Spanish experience the hipsters want--a tiny road off the main drag lined with authentic tapas bars and outdoor seating for your slim-smoking pleasure. However, the rather undesirable aspect is the beggars; not actual homeless people, but workers of the tapas bars trying so desperately to get you in their spot. There was a man who literally followed me down the road trying to get me in, and then once I had my meal elsewhere and walked past him again, he followed me and asked why I didn't come to his restaurant. Like really? Either way, Malaspina was certainly the superior choice. Between the three of us, we ordered pimientos del piquillo (stuffed red peppers, deep fried in a pepper cream sauce), chorizo on toast, croquettas de jamon, and carne asado. The meal also began with a complimentary Spanish tortilla and ended with a shot...so essentially this could be my home. Not only that, but it cost us only 32€ for that and drinks! The food was absolutely delicious, service on point and extremely helpful, and the atmosphere was tavern-y and warm. Overall an excellent first meal in Madrid. read more

Malaspina - Pimientos del piquillo...to DIE for! - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

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Food was good. We tried iberian jamon, bread, croquettes, patatas bravas, wine, and normal salad. All was tasty and came out fast. The service however during prime dinner time was lacking (for an American), possibly normal for Spain. We came here twice. The first time around 5 pm on. a week day and the place was empty. Service and food were great. The second time we came on a week day night and wanted to get a table only to be skipped by at least one other couple. Finally, we sat at a bar expecting to get a table in 10 minutes (we were told by a waiter). The bartender lady kept asking us "Is that all?" after every order. For some reason, we were not offered to try the free bread or tapa every one else did even though we ordered a drink. Forty minutes later, we got noticed again and were told that a table opened up but we already ordered food and ate most of it. Moreover, the place where we were seated only had one stool, so my date had to stand the whole time. Do not recommend if you expect a cozy place or a chill date, at least not at 9-10 pm at night. In summary: Good food, disappointing service and the amount of attention given to patrons. read more

The tapas were spectacular and the sangrias were great too! Best tapas we had in Spain and for a very reasonable price!

Located on one of the many beautiful streets in Madrid. Tiny establishment with delicious tapas and sangria. Shared patatas bravas, sangria and croquetas read more

Malaspina - Tapas Bars Near Me - Madrid, M

I've been to some tapas places in Madrid and this is is easily the best so far. We ordered a bunch of items, but the stars were the Potatas Fritas and the Malaspina. The Fritas were cooked extremely well... Warm and soft on the outside and coated in a delicious sauce. The Malaspina was the highlight though. Ham, cheese and sauce on bread simply melting in your mouth. I could moot get enough! The restaurant was packed with locals - although it took a while to get seats, it was definitely worth it. They also give free tapas to begin, which are like mini hamburgers! Would definitely return here. read more

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