One word. SQUID. Actually...not squid, CUTTLEFISH. (Bc they are different now that I looked it up on google.) Get the grilled cuttlefish with garlic salt. Top notch, the most drool-inducing cephalopods I've ever tasted/consumed in my life. Walking in sans reservations on a drizzly Monday evening in Madrid, the restaurant was about 60 % full. The space is rather deep and essentially occupies the first floors of two adjoining townhouses. Deceptively large since upon entering you walk backwards thru the restaurant but u-turning right and walking back towards the front of the building, there is an equally long space with tables lining both sides of the wall and a larger open seating area by the front windows of the restaurant. Service was polished and super professional. The atmosphere was a bit on the more formal side and most men wore sports jackets. Being a seafood restaurant, the menu had an extensive list of options, including both oven-finished and fire-top grilled items. We ordered as appetizers: a plate of Iberico ham, fried white anchovies with roasted red peppers, sea bass and scarlet prawn ceviche. For mains: grilled cuttlefish, baked hake, grilled sole. For dessert we split one item: (we were stuffed by then!): brioche French toast with a scoop of ice cream. We had a bottle of white wine recommended by the restaurant and it paired well with the food. The servings were very generous--and all was cooked well. The olives they served on the side before the meal were delectable. The fried anchovies were a bit difficult for me to eat since they were fried pretty much so you could eat bones and all, but I couldn't help being a bit paranoid about some of the slightly larger bones, but the amazing-ness of the squid ...oops, CUTTLEFISH... alone would bring me back here in an instant. read more

See all

Lots of freebies! Warm friendly service despite the server having to manage many tables. They were able to accommodate us without a reservation and groups. I especially enjoyed the tomato salad, the chorizo, olives, and bread. The grilled octopus could have used more flavor other than just olive oil and the chocolate cake slice was dry. read more

See all

Gambas Rojas exquisitas, el bacalao, las croquetas de jamón, la tarta de Santiago, la leche frita... la atención excelente.. muy buen ambiente. read more

El Barril - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

See all

Excellent food and service The wine was good and .,., Place is neat The water personality is welcoming read more

Food was very good but overpriced. Tough to get charged for the bread (that was not clear to us at the time) and not get olive oil.

Made a last minute reservation and ate early (7:00). Restaurant was quiet but staff were pleasant. Comfortable elegance. Excellent food--very fresh fish nicely prepared. An enjoyable meal. read more

Very nice dining experience. Food was very good. Our favorite was the scallop appetizer.

Ecellent place for seafood. They open for late lunch on Sunday which is great when your traveling. Food is top notch. The ham (jabugo) in this seafood place is so Good. Had the cigalas, ceviche, percebes, rice with carabineros is amazing. read more

See all

In a Spaniah city with so much good and honest food this was a waste of time and money. I've made pulpo a la Gallega just once at home and it was 10x better than this mediocre version that just got 5min of heat from a broiler. I expect "croquetas del chef" to be an explosion of flavour and it was merely a dry tasteless croquette with a couple small bites of what I think was regular ham. Oh, I forgot to mention that half or what I initially ordered just wasn't available and it was still very early in the night. This was not worth €72... read more

See all

This was recommended by hotel conseri. They made reservations but not needed. There is another El Barril across the street with same owner. This location is upscale compared to the original, but the menu looks the same. Food was outstanding along with the service. In this area, there are many good eating establishments to choose from. Walk around, if it's crowded with locals, it's good. read more

El Barril - Seafood paella - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

We loved this place in the quiet of August. The grilled squid was tender and so tasty and we've had alot of squid. The garlic monkfish was also delicious even though we would like more garlic. The complimentary sides on both dishes were incredibly tasty. And generous portions as well which is not our priority but they were full platters. Charming street off main Recoleto with some outside seats as well. The Carmel cheesecake and home made chocolate ice cream soooo good. We are foodies. Great experience! Service outstanding of course it's mid August. A winner. read more

When we visited El Barril for dinner, we enjoyed a wonderful meal, which featured exceptional food and great service! Our very welcoming and friendly server made a number of spot-on recommendations, including a delcious and inexpensive house red wine. The dishes we enjoyed during our visit included oysters, grilled artichokes, foie, and fideo with shrimp. Despite the fact that the menu included numerous other tantalizing dishes, our server suggest that we not order too much because the portion sizes here are immense! We were also given a small rice dish as a complimentary tapas :-) Bottom line: Every aspect of the dining experience here is over-the-top wonderful, from the food to the service. Additionally, the ambiance is sublime, and even the architecture of the restaurant is interesting. Highly recommended! read more

We wanted a good restaurant and close to our hotel, and we found this. We made reservations on a Saturday night but when we arrived, it wasn't busy. The food was excellent! We had clams for our appetizers and it was sooo good. Forgot what it's called but the waiter recommended it. Highly recommend. I had hake fish, very good too. And my son tried grilled lamb for the first time and he enjoyed it a lot that he doesn't wanna share with us. Overall, fine dining at its best with excellent service too. read more

See all

Great ambience.. I came in with high expectations but food was 4 star Kinda over prepared.. over cooked a bit. All kinda mushy but great flavors read more

Nice classy place around the corner from our hotel. All the dishes were flavorful and in proper Madrid order. I love it that they allowed me to order off the menu. Would definately come back for dinner. read more

See all

All dishes and wine were deliciously fresh. Top notch service! A few feet from AC Recoletos. read more

See all

We had a fantastic dinner tonight. We were debating where to go and found this place just five minutes away. What a gem. We were a party of 8, 4 kids 11-14 and 4 adults. They gave us a private area room perfect for our family. The fish and seafood was fresh and some of the best we've had in a city that is known for great seafood. Shrimp, monkfish, squid, were all amazing. The service was perfecto. Very kind and helpful. We have had a lot of amazing food and eaten at a lot of "recommended" places. This one is not on those list. But it is on ours and it should be on yours. Enjoy!!! read more

After a week of touring with a group and being about to fall on our feet, we found this restaurant near the downtown of Madrid. I might add that we would not have even been in this neighborhood, but there were demonstrations that we were trying to avoid in other areas of the city. We had spent alot of time eating various versions of paella and this was by far the best. Additiionally, two of us have celiac, and the restaurant had fantastic gf rolls. The sangria was sensational. Wish I could return, but other cities call. read more

If you are looking for great food in Madrid...come eat here! We stayed at a very nice, hotel nearby (maybe 1 block away) and just walked right into this restaurant around 1030pm because it looked very nice, clean, and authentic upon passing. We are well traveled and accustomed to different types of food and fine dining. We even consider ourselves 'foodies' and are very particular with the quality of food we eat, especially with finding the best local dishes and seafood. The seafood here is amazing and the staff and service is top notch. As foreigners (with very limited but, some Spanish comprehension) we felt very welcomed here! Even when they were shutting down, they did not rush us out. Some of the staff spoke English and the ones that had limited English capabilities enthusiastically tried to communicate with us. They provided a wonderful dining experience for us and we plan on visiting again and spreading the word to all our visiting friends and family. read more

El Barril - Pulpo and Mediterranean Langoustine...not pictured was the delicious ceviche and local Madrid wine. Meals come with fresh, warm bread. - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

See all

This the place of you want to have Spanish seafood at it's best. Cigalas, Bogavante, Carabineros, oysters, pulp, navajos. Service impeccable make sure you accompany your meal with Alabariño Win and bring your high limit platinum or black credit card. read more

This has been on of my favorite restaurants in Madrid, the service excellent, we were taken by Bernadette and Buba ....... awesome......!!! The food is excellent and is reasonably priced you need to try the gazpacho and the Baby de Carne....!!! Excellent read more

Food preparation: 5 stars Food presentation: 5 stars Ambiance: 5 stars Service: 4 (and 1/2) stars Wine list: well-curated, reasonably priced. Seafood was fresh, beautiful and tasty. We had the grilled octopus and the razor clams with some salads; everything was outstanding. Their bread was fresh from their own oven. Coffee was great. I only regret not tasting their desserts. Over all 5 stars. Will repeat before we leave Madrid. read more

El Barril is one of my favorite restaurants in Madrid. In Calle de Recoletos right off Serrano, you will find a gem of an Spanish restaurant. Great decor, attentive service and one of the best seafood paellas you can find in Madrid. read more

We enjoyed a delicious lunch here. The fried artichokes with salt were outstanding! A lot of the seafood dishes require 2 people to order them. Prices are on the high side, but quality was great. read more

Went for 3 pm lunch on cool fall day and sat outside on one of the four outdoor tables. Service was excellent and we split the salt cooked sea bass very good. We ordered the lava cake with mint ice cream also excellent. With 5 glasses of wine 84 euros. Would highly recommend for a upscale restaurant. read more

Top quality seafood, excellent service and ambience. A great way to enjoy Friday lunch. Choice of wines extensive and to suit all budgets. Choice of shellfish and fish was excellent. Fresh everyday. You cannot be disappointed here. read more