Food was on point! Service was so so. Took a little long to get served. Manager was good but back…read moreup help could use some direction. Had to ask for water refill. My biggest peeve. Gaspaco and appetizer was very good. Assumed it was complimentary, but they charge you. Also charged for the olive oil they served with the bread. Wish they would have disclosed that. Seafood paella was very enjoyable! Ibérico was fine quality! Octopus with patatas was Devine. Our two riojas were a good choice! Just know what to expect. If you want a good meal, you will be pleased.

The starters were better than the paella I had here. The walk through the picturesque Salamanca…read moreneighborhood was better than the paella I had here. The beautiful bathroom was even better than the paella I had here. I did my research before visiting Spain. Even though paella is a fan favorite of, well, everyone who doesn't live in Spain, I knew that it would be wiser to order it in Valencia, where the dish originates from, instead of anywhere else in Spain. St. James's paella seems like it's hit or miss -- most reviews either 1. happily report that the place was recommended for paella and deservingly so or 2. disappointedly report that the place was recommended for paella and wonder why. The seafood paella is a misnomer because it was 99% salty rice and was a struggle to get down as it was just so bland, but I didn't want €60 to go down the drain any more than it already had. I felt as though I had been bamboozled since the restaurant was so empty -- it's a definite tourist trap. I've had better paella in London and San Francisco. I'll have to add Valencia to my list the next time in Spain so I can try more authentic paella.

We've been in Madrid just for two days. This is the first place we ate that is in Yelp…read more Outside the resto-bar has a good view. The bartender and server are very nice and spoke well English. The paella a d callos is better than what we had two nights ago. The sangria also has better alcohol content and the wine they use taste better. For this experience I will bit 4.3

I was happy to see they had a vegetarian Paella option. We also tried the potato omelette or…read moretortilla de patatas and it was hood. Service was good and the sangria was nice as well. Simple but classic.

Amazing tapas and paella. Service was good considering there was only one food attendant. She was…read morevery nice and speaks good English. Ambience was very nice as well. It's just kind of hidden in Madrid.

We started off our trip in Madrid sad because we weren't able to find good food or sangria…read more I research restaurants that are open in Madrid on January 1st and this place popped up so we decided to try it. I'm so so glad that we did! First off, we've been traveling for two weeks now, and the owners being able to speak English and Tagalog was a breath of fresh air. It made me feel at ease to be able to communicate. It's also nice that this place wasnt super busy. So I guess not a lot of people know about it? They were super hospitable and were courteous to let us know that they charge 20% extra since it's New Year's Day. First, the sangria was amazing. It has a good amount of alcohol in it and it has a nice sparkle to it. Then came the pulpo which was so so good! Then finally, the paella. The flavor has a great balance of salty and the savor of the seafood. It also has a good amount of seafood! Disclaimer: they do charge 1.50 euro extra for the bread that comes with it. As tourists, we had no clue but we were told it's customary here in Madrid. We left feeling a slight buzz and a happy stomach, thank you for making our last lunch in Madrid an amazing one! This spot is a hidden gem in Madrid!

Delicious select menu of shrimp tapas and select other items, with standing tables and servers who…read morewalk sing and dance around you. Truly an experience and a must stop tapas spot if there's room inside this small but extremely popular spot at the heart of Madrid!

We'd heard that "you haven't been to Madrid until you've been to La Casa del Abuelo," but this was…read morea definite skip for us. We are huge garlic prawn fans and their signature bowl was 17.5 EUR -- small shrimp, garlic flavor not fragrant / strong enough at all, portion small for the price. Completely underwhelming. The dry, hard bread (which you are charged for!) is slightly improved by dipping into the garlic oil. The Spanish omelette we got was fine, but also more expensive compared to other tapas places. 100% a tourist trap. Dined: September 15, 2022

Nice spot with an unsuspecting entrance. We were ushered…read moreinto a room which seemed like all the tourists sat (everyone spoke English). Everything we ordered was good from the shishito peppers to a variety of paella. Oddly, they come show you the paella but serve it from the back. Wish they had just set the paellas down and let us serve ourselves.

First things first: make a reservation, or you could end up waiting an hour depending on your party…read moresize. The paella here is absolutely amazing! They even offer a Valencia-style version with rabbit if you're feeling adventurous, but I went for the Queen of the shellfish one. Note: paella must be ordered for at least two people, but I was hungry enough to eat for two myself, don't judge! The king red shrimp was hands down the best shrimp I've ever had.

Stumbled upon this since it was near my hotel. To my surprise, the dishes were flavorful and…read moreinteresting. The reviews all raved about the oxtail stew and garlic prawn, so that's exactly what I ordered. Oxtail was tender and delicious. The garlic prawn was bursting with flavor, but it was NOT prawn. It was mini shrimps (assuming it's frozen), which was quite disappointing. Shouldn't advertise "prawn" if it's small shrimps - I much rather they have 6-8 large prawns instead of a bunch of small shrimps. So would've given the place a 5 star, but the shrimp was misleading. Despite the misleading description, the flavor was amazing! The servers were friendly and attentive. One of the few restaurants that we've been to that has AC!

When in Madrid, do like the Madrileños and Medrileñas do. Except that my stomach said lunchtime is…read moreat 1 pm. It was hard to find an open restaurant, especially when I was craving Rabo de Toro / oxtail stew! I ended up walking about 20 minutes to La Fragua de Vulcano which was open until 2 pm when it closes for siesta. The restaurant has a bar with main dining area and a smaller room. My server was pretty attentive as I was the only one seated in the smaller room for most of the time. The room is like a traditional Spanish tavern, with dark wood paneled walls, Spanish paintings and bullfighting posters. Scary gothic gargoyle cornices abound near the wooden beams. The Rabo de Toro was hearty and delicious with an amazing thick sauce. Oxtails were fall-off-the-bone tender. It was an epically huge, tasty portion, along with an equally huge pile of French fries. Along with a cup of soup, I was stuffed, but in a good gluttonous way. I'd definitely come back again for the Rabo!

Casa Benigna isn't just a restaurant. It's three generations of pure dedication to authentic…read moreSpanish cuisine, and every bite proves it. The paella, the centerpiece of the meal, was unlike anything we've ever tasted rich, perfectly cooked, and bursting with flavor. The details set this place apart: butter imported from exclusive French farms that supply royal families, and Norwegian salmon smoked in-house, so tender it melts in your mouth like butter itself. We had the honor of meeting the owner, Lars, in person. His passion and energy are the soul of this restaurant, and you can taste it in every dish. We began reaching out months before our trip to Madrid just to secure a table, and Celia went above and beyond to make it happen. This wasn't just a meal, t was an experience, and without question, the best restaurant we've ever had the pleasure of dining at.

Extraordinary. The service was perfect, the restaurant had this exclusive feeling to it where you…read morecan't even walk in without knocking on the door. The front door, this old wooden looking door, had this old-school metal knocking mechanism because otherwise, the door is sealed shut. White tablecloth dining and romantic, family, friendly vibes. The actual food was very good as well. We tried three of the paella dishes, a couple of the appetizers, and we're blown away by everything. This felt like a treat. The one interesting thing about the menu is they have a couple of salmon dishes, because apparently one of the family members is Norwegian. Very interesting twist, which did not feel to deliver: the salmon that was hot smoked, came out perfectly, medium rare and delicious.

We just left from a rather disappointing dinner here, our last night in Madrid. We stayed at hotel…read moreand saw that this place was on the Michelin Guide, so we made reservations for Sunday evening. The kind host gave us amazing recommendations and really took the time to explain the menu, we loved him. But, that is where the good service ended. Our waitress couldn't be bothered will helping us. Aside from taking our initial order, she never checked back on us. We had to flag her down to order more food and with that, she seemed annoyed. We asked for refills on our wine glasses. We never got those, she completely forgot about them. We wanted to order dessert, but we were so annoyed by that point, we just wanted to leave. Mind you, there was only one other table sitting next to us, who was also rather annoyed that it took almost 20 minutes for them to get the bill. The sad thing is, the food was excellent. The Oxtail Crunch Roll was one of the most amazing dishes we've had in Spain and the wine we got was incredible. It's a shame that the poor service put a damper on the remainder of the evening.

Good place to try Spaniah Cuisine. Small portions but…read moredelicious food. I had lunch there,I ate marinated tomatoes,croquette filled with ham,tempura cod,salmon with asparagus and for the dessert (the best position for me) famous Antonita's Soap ,which was a delightful white chocolate mousse with a lemon foam. The dessert was unusual and so delicious !!! Unfortunately I have to deduct one star for the waitress who's serviced us ,he was very rude and unkind because one of our group didn't want to ordered anything to eat because he ate already.It was very so unprofessional.