Having spent a week in Madrid, and getting countless tapas, we needed a change of pace and we were thrilled to stumble across authentic Italian restaurant. They managed somehow to accommodate a group of 16, giving us the very charming outdoor patio spot. Dishes from different pastas, pizzas, and almost every type of wine on the menu. The food was incredibly fresh, flavors popped, and the service was impeccable. I highly recommend this location for those looking for a little something different in between the croquetas and jimon ibérico of the surrounding areas. read more

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Bland, undercooked pasta. Cheap cuts of meat. Indifferent staff. I've had many a fantastic meal in Madrid; this is not one of them. Ended up here out of convenience and took a chance; seems to cater more to tourists than locals. alla Norma pasta dish had a few tiny pieces of eggplant (the item that makes the dish Norma); entrecôte looked and taste like no one cared wha came out of the kitchen. Avoid. Or just come for a glass of wine. read more

Extraordinary; the best Italian restaurant on the planet is in Madrid; who'd've guessed it. This place is worth a trip to Madrid in itself if you love Italian food. Excellent ambiance, great service, and unbelievable food. Absolutely a must. read more

This is a must stop if you're looking for a great Italian meal! They also own the churro place next door which you have to try. Our server Eto was very attentive. The food was as good as any Italian we had in Italy! Fantastic service and food!! read more

Mushroom pasta amazing and service was great. Another dim light white tablecloth date place. glass stairs lead to lower brick level.

Todo riquísimo. Couldn't be more happy. The appetizers, the entree. One of the best Italian restaurants I've been to in quite some time

Horrible, slow service. I don't like to write too many bad reviews because I know how it can hurt the business, especially since it's international and mostly Americans see this. First, they didn't give us a menu for 20 minutes. After, she gave us a crazy look, we asked for menus. Then, when we ordered our drinks, we waited for our drinks for another 25 minutes. She totally forgot about us and had to flag down a different waiter. When our food came both pastas were like salt water. Absolutely disgusting and unbearable. The worst I've had in my life. Pizzas were decent though. We also had to flag down our waiter to get the check after waiting another 30 minutes of finishing. They tried to charge us for some bread we didn't order. This was in Spanish, maybe they thought we couldn't catch it? I wouldn't waste your time here. This is the worst dinning experience in Spain we had. read more

la pasta está buenisima. nunca ha tenido una pasta tan buena. y los vibes del restaurante son muy bien. El servicio es muy bien. read more

Malatesta - Italian Near Me - Madrid, M

We are an italian family and we're EXTREMELY pleased with this food!! Closest flavors to the traditional foods our family makes that has been passed down for generations. In fact, we are only in Madrid for 3 days and it was so good we made a reservation for our last night here because we want the food again!!! If you are in madrid, this italian place is AMAZING! Only warning is if you're not from around, all the dinner places don't really open until 8PM. read more

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Good Italian place if you need a break from tapas in Madrid. - Eggplant lasagna appetizer was really good - Thin crust wood oven pizza was also above average - The rest (see my photos) were average Italian food read more

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I don't usually write reviews but after the HORRIBLE experience we had at this establishment, I'd thought I warn others. We were the only Asians at this restaurant and were treated horribly by the waitress. She seated us and took our drink order after 20 minutes. After waiting another 20 minutes, our drinks still haven't arrived. In this time, we witnessed 4 other tables that were seating AFTER us get served their drinks AND food. We had to flag down another waiter to put in another drink order n order our food. Their seafood and spaghetti bolognese were the worst saltiest we've ever tasted. It was inedible and we had to return the dish. They only refunded us one dish. This was by far the worst restaurant experience we had in Madrid. read more

FANTASTIC ITALIAN FOOD!!! Good service and and nice surroundings! MUST VISIT FOR FANS OF ITALIAN CUSINE. Really nice place, cozy enviroment, both outside and inside, they have a nice cellar downstairs. Food is autentic italian, nice pizzas and pastas, really in love with this place! After a visit to another local Italian restaurant, there is no doubt Malatesta is fantastic on all fronts, quality is High, great menu and affordable prices! Been there 3 times now. Would recommend: provolone al forno bolognese tiramisu read more

Malatesta - Pasta dish with seafood - Italian Near Me - Madrid, M

I came here tonight with my wife and was shocked that a restaurant in Spain could offer such amazing Italian food. The dinner for 2 (table d'hote back home in North America) is a must as the appetizers, mains and desserts are all equally delicious. Although the eggplant appetizer was the highlight of the meal! Service was fantastic and as a bonus our waiter was able to communicate in perfect English and the suggestions he made were key to us getting a good meal. read more

Malatesta - The eggplant appetizer - Italian Near Me - Madrid, M

What happens when you mix Italian cruise with Spanish dishes? You get a load of awesomeness or savory food. For the quality, location, decor and presentation of the food, I am shocked the prices not expensive! I HIGHLY recommend visiting this gem. read more

Great restaurant in Plaza Mayor, excellent food and service and this last one is the most important because in Madrid is so difficult to find good service, i'm from NY and i love great service. I totally recommend this place for a date or a special dinner. read more

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Eaten pizza all over Europe and this is the best pizza I've had in Europe. Perfect cheese to sauce ratio. Sauce very very good. Crust perfectly done. Perfectly priced, great service, great location, and the downstairs dining experience is awesome. I always make it a point to eat there when in Madrid. Better to have reservations on weekends and better to keep pizza simple cuz too many toppings ruin it. read more

Malatesta - Italian Near Me - Madrid, M

Fantastic authentic Italian place owned by guy from Tornio. Opens At 20:30. Get reservations or go early. Right next to chocolateria .

Wow, what a joke. Please look at my reviews. I don't write bad reviews but this was the worst experience I have ever had. From multiple reviews they slip mystery items onto the check. They asked us if we wanted house break and we said no. They brought us bread and it appeared on the check as an added charge. I asked the waitress for a good wine, she recommended one... not good. I ordered the fois gras ravioli with Marsala sauce. Zero Marsala flavor and the ravioli were soggy and tasted like old canned meat. My guests tasted the sauce and confirmed "no taste." The waitress disappeared and never asked us how the food was or if we would like any parmesan cheese or anything. Finally after 15 minutes of sitting with my food in front of us I flagged her down. I told her that the dish wasn't good and could I have the gnocchi with mushroom which my friend had which was really fresh and flavorful. She said ok. Finally the check comes and BOTH dishes I had ordered were on the bill plus the bread we didn't order! I talked to the head waiter and he said that I would have to pay for both items, but he would remove the bread?? I told him that the ravioli were not good and that I told the waitress that they were not good and she brought me something else. Never did she say btw you will have to pay for both meals or I would have never ordered something else. The second waiter was rude and pompous and we never saw the first waitress again. Anyway, I would never return to this restaurant. The service was dishonest and beyond horrible. And when we left there was a whole tray of parmesan that was never offered to us. Incredible. read more

We needed a change of pace and this restaurant certainly delivered. It's a very good Italian place that I think would be competitive wherever it was located. This place is definitely a very good place to eat. Eggplant lasagna appetizer was really good. Eggplant was cooked nicely in the dish. It wasn't mushy like it's sometimes prepared in this dish. Creamy cheese and a flavorful sauce rounded out he dish. Well executed. Lasagna - Lasagna noodles were cooked perfectly and the meat/sauce ratios were on point. This was a really good dish. Tagliatelle Bolognese - I thought this dish was ok. It didn't wow me. It's your run of the mill - good but not great. Pizza - Big fan of their pizzas. I listed the two I had below. Both are very freshly made. The crust is excellent and the pizza size is enough for two people to share. -Tomato, mozzarella, spicy salami -Tomato, mozzarella, ricotta, ham, spicy salami Overall: I'd recommend this restaurant, without hesitation, to anyone in Madrid looking for a good Italian meal. read more

Good lasagna (but small portion). Their spaghetti were so so. If I had to do it over I would order pizza. Having Italian food in the center of Madrid sounded like a bad idea, and it was. We showed up around 8:15pm and were told to wait outside until 8:30pm, the opening time. (Maybe you should change your opening time of 8pm on Yelp?) Waitresses were rude. read more

Been here three times. The food is wonderful, pizza, pasta and wine. The servers are very unhappy. I don't know why but maybe management needs to find out. Don't hesitate to check this place out, it's Italy! read more

Malatesta - HARMAN waiting for a table! - Italian Near Me - Madrid, M

I NEVER WRITE BAD REVIEWS. I always give businesses the benefit of the doubt. But I have never been treated so rudely! PLEASE NOTE all good reviews are old! My husband and I came for dinner at 9:45 tonight. The outside seating was full so we went in to wait for a seat. 75% of the restaurant was empty but they asked us to wait which was still fine. We stood there while he cleared a table that we weren't even going to sit at. Then we asked to sit near a window because it was warm in the restaurant and the guy rolled his eyes and finished clearing the table. By this time there was nobody inside the restaurant. He finished clearing the table and said "you're welcome" before we even sat down then turned around and said something about Americans to the bartender. We left. Not going to give you our money. There are thousands of restaurants around here and you are going to treat tourists that way- good luck to you! read more

This was my very first meal in Madrid and it was absolutely delicious. Some of the best lasagna I've ever had in my life! It was perfectly creamy and the pasta is all fresh and hand-made. The portion size of lasagna was huge. My husband had the calzone and it was very good, but a bit dry. I think we're more used to calzones with sauce inside and this one just had cheese and ham. On the plus side, the calzone was huge- easily a meal for two or three hungry. Others in our group ordered the ravioli and the margarita pizza. Both said their dishes were delicious, although I did not try either of these dishes. Another thing - they brought a basket of bread to our table without us asking, and then charged a euro per person, which I was not expecting (as an America). Overall though, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and I would recommend this place to others! read more

Hands down the best Italian food I've every had amazing aubergine starter, and had a mushroom and truffle pasta to die for, waiters were attentive and helpful, make sure to visit it's not to be missed. Highly recommended read more

Malatesta - mango mascapone mouse - Italian Near Me - Madrid, M

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Extremely rude service. They don't even want your business. I hope they are able to continue to sell out every seat, but over time if no Yelpers go due to service, perhaps they will regret their rudeness. read more

What a great find here on our last night in Madrid. The service by Luigi was excellent. We shared the barrata and then had the Luigi pizza, tagatelli boleignese, and the chicken with spaghetti. We finished with the tiramisu and lemoncello. Everything was fantastic including Luigi. read more

Had dinner here since we wanted some good pizza and pasta. I can't express how delectable every single dish was. The food was fresh and served quickly. The adults had pasta while the kids ordered pizzas. The pizzas were so amazing that the adults had to all take a slice and try it. The outside patio was the perfect ambience and the waiters were all great. read more

Still the best in madrid. Consistently the best tasting and best selection of napolitano pizzas. Pizza leonardo ranks as my #1

We had a pizza as a starter and it was so delicious. But by far the best was our main course. My girlfriend had the Tagliatelle de la Casa and I had the spaghetti Carbonara. Both dishes were super tasty. Highly recommended when you are in Madrid and want to escape the typical Tapas and Paella read more

We sat at a table just outside the restaurant and as typical this cost us a 10% premium but worth it. That said, they have some really neat seating downstairs in cave-like rooms. The burrata starter (like caprese salad) and then our goat cheese/walnut pizza were both just excellent. The bonus is that this place is right next the famous 24/7 San Gines chocolate and churro place - soooooo good. read more

Charming restaurant with fresh pasta and pizza. A great diversion from the traditional and tapas cuisine in Madrid. Highly recommended.

Very nice Italian food and atmosphere. The menu provides lots of different choices for pasta and pizza. The one thing that stood out the most for me was the tiramisu. I really loved it. On the downside, the service was slow and not the most pleasant, but the restaurant was completely full so that's probably why. read more

This place may appear to be "touristy" because of the location but please do not be mislead by this. Malatesta has to be one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever eaten at. It is comparable to eating in Italy (which I've visited many times) - everything was incredibly fresh and absolutely delicious. The service was also outstanding. I can't remember the name of our waiter but he was incredibly kind and patient with us as we waited for a table to free up. And trust me, it was well worth the 20 min wait. This was only because we arrived without reservation during peak lunch hours. We had the saltimbocca, ravioli, and margherita pizza....unreal. I rarely leave reviews on yelp but I have to say this spot is a MUST for anyone in the area craving authentic Italian food. Will definitely return!!! read more

Amazing food!!! Service was great too!!! Thank you Alex, Ivan, & Luigi.

This was a surprise. We expected yet another tourist trap but the pizza was above average. We stayed for dessert. Price was fair.

The food was delicious and the service was good. I would highly recommend this restaurant especially if you can get a table outside. The pizza is outstanding and the pasta is fresh and flavorful. read more

Hands down the best pasta I've eat while traveling in Spain for the lest couple of weeks, also the bread is perfect, don't miss this one!

We were there yesterday evening and it was brilliant. The restaurant was filled with a lot of people, so you may reserve a place before you come in. Try to find a table on the ground level - it's a pleasant atmosphere. But most important: Fantastic food (housemade pasta) and a very enjoyable service. We'll definitely come back when we return to Madrid. read more