I don't think I've ever been more excited to write a review for a restaurant. But if I could, I…read morewould give Nina Pasta bar all the stars! The restaurant is on a nice small street, so while wandering the area we just happened to stumble upon it on our first day in Madrid. When I saw that it was authentic pasta, I figured it would be great to give it a try, and I'm so glad that we did.
We went on a Sunday, the same day as El Rastro, huge weekly flea market in the La Latina neighborhood. The streets were packed and so was Nina. However, we snagged a large community table in the back. One important tip about going on Sunday- they have a limited menu due to the amount of people coming because of El Rastro. The menu offers 2-3 tapas, and only 2 lunch options. But don't worry because both options are AMAZING. Their carbonara and Gnocci are to die for! We also had tinto de Verano to drink (sangria) that was also really yummy.
We loved this place so much that on our last full day we had to return for one more meal! We went on a Tuesday afternoon for lunch, perfect time because it wasn't crowded and they also had their full menu available. We were happy to be greeted by the same lovely servers who remembered us from Sunday. My fiancé went with the carbonara again and I tried one of their daily specials, and OMG I am so glad so did. They offered a pappardelle black truffle and parmesan pasta and it was life changing to say the least. I spent time thinking about how I can bring some back to the US. I also tried to savor each bite by eating very slowly lol. During that meal we also had the gnocchi bravas, their take on the classic patatas bravas. That also was amazing, and a nice change since we'd been eating the traditional bravos all week.
Please, please, please if you're in Madrid stop by Ninas Pasta Bar for lunch. You will not regret it and you probably will think about the pasta for the rest of your trip, like I did!!