Let me put it this way....La Fragua was the first restaurant we went to on our month long journey…read morethrough Spain. We came back to Madrid two days early so we could visit La Fragua one more time before we flew home. This is a very simple restaurant plopped down in the middle of a Madrid suburban neighborhood. From the outside it is only a door in a wall of an office building but inside it is a delightful restaurante serving a great version of Cocido Madrileno. The patrons we observed on both of our visits appeared not to be strangers which made us believe the quality of food brings locals back time and again. The English here is limited to non-existent but communication is easy. On our second visit the house was full and we arrived without reservations but they made a table for us anyway and treated us very graciously. To be sure we sampled other dishes during our two visits but the Cocido will have us coming back. Their house wine is Ramon Bilbao and the inventive tapas that accompany every meal are not only tasty but mini works of art. We came here twice...we will come back again.

So I'm told San Sebastián and Barcelona are where you hit when you want to experience the cutting…read moreedge creative styles that have given contemporary Spanish cuisine its GOATED reputation for the past few decades. Madrid, on the other hand I quickly came to realize for the most part leans into traditional styles, to the point that some could deride it as verging on tired and stuffy. That being said, you could do far worse than getting a taste of Madrid here, where said traditional dishes are presented in updated and fresh ways in an extremely lively convivial atmosphere, in a gorgeous sultry dark wood barroom setting. I originally popped in here during the height of lunchtime, the Spaniards most important meal, if not overall part of the day. Perhaps not surprisingly the place was packed to the gills and electric, with a typically fashionable Madrid crowd gathered around the bar nibbling on tapas and sipping on Tinto de Verano and vermouth with chatter and laugher filling the room. We came back a few hours later (Madrid proved to be the exception to anywhere else we traveled in Spain in that a good number of places were actually open during the traditional siesta hours of 3;30-7:30 whereas most every establishment elsewhere would be completely shuttered) to find the place pretty much empty and were able to steal ourselves a very nice snacky meal. I am in general a sucker for chorizo of all stripes from the soft and spreadable Mexican vartieties to the more solid traditional Spanish version and the simple presentation here of thick slices of thee sausage served in its own thick, syrupy delicious juices and topped with a fat green pimiento pepper were as lovely as any I can remember, I gobbled the dish down way too fast. Also scrumptious as hell was the squid sandwich or calamari boccadillo. A smallish yet well stuffed sandwich on a soft roll, packed with perfectly lightly fried yet wonderfully crisp squid and smattering of aioli alongside some house made potato chips, this is apparently curiously one of the landlocked cities signature dishes, despite the considerable distance from the sea. I've heard that mediocre versions of the dish are quite common so if you want to sample it when in town I would certainly recommend stopping off here for one. This place is very centrally located to tourist heavy Centro district yet still manages to retain an authentic and sophisticated, decidedly non touristy vibe and clientele and the staff was uniformly gracious and professional. Definitely worth a stop in and if you want to partake in the lively lunchtime bar scene maybe arrive as early as possible in hopes of securing a coveted bar seat before they are inevitably quickly snatched up.

An absolutely fantastic place for dinner - small, charming, and intimate with an obvious local…read morefollowing. The staff was friendly, engaging, knowledgeable, and spoke English very well. It was just far enough of the Main Street to be removed from the noise and chaos that you see in many Madrid restaurants, but close enough to not feel isolated. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. There was quite a variety of dishes and they obviously make a priority of using locally sourced meats and vegetables. Highly recommended!

Excelente servicio de parte de Fernando. El desayuno…read moresencillo pero delicioso, la tortilla española y el jamón ibérico con buen sabor. Súper recomendado

We stopped here for lunch between our visit to the Cathedral and the Royal Palace. It's slightly…read moreoff the main tourist track, and you could tell by the quality. We really enjoyed the salmorejo, a cold tomato cream dish served with a slice of tuna. It was fresh, flavorful, and a perfect light lunch during a day of sightseeing.

One word. SQUID. Actually...not squid, CUTTLEFISH. (Bc they are different now that I looked it up…read moreon 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.

Lots of freebies! Warm friendly service despite the server having to manage many tables. They were…read moreable 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.

The servers were very friendly and, since we do not speak Spanish, got us someone who spoke English…read moreto answer our questions. The place was quite busy on a Thursday night at 8:30 but we were seated at a nice table away from the noisy bar area. I ordered an ox burger with carmelized onions; it was delicious although a little more well done than I was expecting (I told them "pink"). I would definitely order it again. My husband ordered the rabbit. It was very flavorful (watch out for small bones!) and he would recommend it. Red wIne by the glass was very good and extremely reasonable. We also ordered the crepes; good but not special. We plan to go back again.

Amazing food and beautiful ambiance. The vegetarian paella was the best I've had in Spain. The…read moreoctopus was delicious. We also tried the beef steak and fabada asturiana...all absolutely superb. The owner personally comes to serve you. Can't ask for a better dinner experience.