We were looking for something walkable from Retiro and this was it...an exceptional dining experience. The service and the food were fantastic. The fried anchovies they bring to the table to get us started were perfect. Great little bite-sized croquetas too. The Rabo de Toro was super tender and flavorful. My family had the Iberian Pork, Sirlion, and Hake and loved all of it. Los postres estaba increibles tambien! Highly recommended!! read more

Buen ambiente, cálido, meseros agradables, buena comida, buenos precios......................................... read more

La Castela - Arroz con calamar - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

Love love love this place. The vibe, the food, the service all great. Classy wine bar with great tapas. My fav in Madrid.

Rude service, mid food. Mal servicio, comida no tan buena. Lots of hairs in the food. Habían pelos en la comida

Bar y tapas! Great food and atmosphere. People wait in line to enjoy the food and camaraderie. Some people literally stand at bar, eating and drinking for hours. We enjoyed a little table, lots of great seafood and some wonderful wine! Staff were amazing. Great place to see and be seen, eat and drink! This is a bar and tapas place one should not miss! read more

First dinner in Madrid. Looks small from the street entrance but there are dining tables in the rear of the bar. We walked in at 10pm (prime dinner time) and got seated without a reservation. 4 of us dined on the best tasting dinners! - Hake (halibut ?) filet with sliced potatoes = perfectly cooked deliciousness. - Iberian pork - super tender deliciously mouthwatering - Lamb chops - well seasoned and perfectly tasty & juicy - Iberian jamon - bit too dry and old but had flavor if you chewed it - Sirloin steak was more like a filet mignon in tenderness - foie gras was a bit over the top but fatty deliciousness. - Tuna and red pepper layer cold dish was a bit canned tuna tasting... - Appetizers of bread, olives, and peppers. They charged you if you ate the bread BTW... Overall, a very memorable experience and loved the attentive wait staff. They timed all the dishes to come out when we finished the appetizers. read more

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Definitely the best tapas restaurant we visited this week. Service was great with very friendly staff happy to help us with menu. Food was really good. I'm not an artichoke person, but I will admit it was awesome. Actually ordered a second portion. The sautéed mushrooms with fried eggs in middle also great, shrimp plate was flavorful, cheese plate very nice too. I would highly recommend! read more

Maybe my favorite bar in the world. Come to the bar or grab a counter Inside or out and simply order a caña(small draft beer €1.50) or a copa de vino. Each drink will bring you a tapa served by maybe the best waiters or bartenders I've ever met. Nice. Funny. Enjoying their frantic, difficult job with a true attention to hospitality and care. Each tapa is different. Simple. Small. Bursting with flavor. Sit back. Soak in true neighborhood Madrid ambiance. Cannot recommend it more. And if you decide to have dinner, IF you can get a table, simply divine food. read more

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La Castela is Top 10 restaurants in Spain. For my humble experience, it's by far my favourite seafood restaurant in Madrid. Mini squids with onion & Layered tuna salad are the must-order. I wish we are able to come visit again sooner. Highly recommended!! read more

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May be the best lunch I've EVER had. And in Spain, lunch is a big deal. It's seafood, so if you don't like that, move on. If you like seafood, move in and take a fork, spoon, anything and EAT. We started with a pincho (small bite) of salmon marinado- salmon on toast with dill, olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic. We then had their "tuna tower" it was the best dish I've ever tasted. And we got the garbanzoa con langostinos, so flavorful and filling. read more

Excellent old Madrid classic. Well known and loved by Madrid connoisseurs; and a celebrities spot since Michell Obama dinned here. The food is consistently good. Try as diverse as you can. Beautiful space, crowded at the front, calm at the back. Impecable service. Good value. Don't miss this one. read more

This is the very first place you should go in Madrid. La Castela is where you will get the best seafood in the most typical normal neighborhood restaurant tapas bar. So lucky to be far from the tourists. And its crazy close by a good long walk or an easy taxi or metro or bus. Start with a cana, small beer, read menu and no matter what start with Zamburinas a la plancha and a Txocoli white wine, move onto more seafood... Maybe sit outside if the weather is nice, or at the bar, or at a table in the back. This is the best place in Madrid for price quality neighborhood feel. read more

I love this place! The staff is super friendly and they definitely remember their regular customers. My favorite dishes are the cocinas, gambas rojas, arroz meloso! I always bring friends who are visiting the city to this place. It's one of my favorites ! read more

The bar outside of the restaurant was full of people enjoying cocktails and tapas which is always a good sign. The dinner at the restaurant did not disappoint. Two of us split three dishes which was the perfect size. We did the layered tuna salad and it was amazing. We also had the house specialty of garbanzo beans and shrimp and would recommend. Finally we finished with beef carpaccio and mushrooms which while good I would replace with another option read more

La Castela - Spanish Near Me - Madrid, M

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Just a quick stop to whet our whistle... that then lead to a longer visit. Beer cold, wine dry. Mussels and olives were served as our tapa. We then opted to order the Tuna/red pepper salad, foie gras/apple toast; rabo de toro. The servers were super fun and helpful. Muy excellente!! read more

We feared that this place would be too touristy given they have menus in multiple languages...but that turned out not to be the case at all. Popular for a good reason.  Friendly staff, great food, and reasonably priced. read more

Dinner Food, service,value, ambience: 4.5/5 Repeat: yes Notes: there is a tapas bar and a resteraunts, reservations recommended. The house wines are great. Reservation in advance is recommended. read more

Excellent dinner and service. We dined at the restaurant at the back. Recommend these desserts: apple tart (uniquely made on a thin layer of crispy tortilla) and rice pudding cake (another unique dessert for us). Hake with garlic and potatoes was so well made. Garlic shrimp was tender. Another dish we loved was tiny fava beans with asparagus (contains small ham bits). Overall an excellent e read more

La Castela is one of Spain's best bar/restaurants. I visit frequently and never miss the revuelto de merluza and the garbanzos with langostinos. Today we also tried the grilled artichokes and the filet mignon with foie. Both were delicious. For dessert we tried the arroz con leche which was very good. Enjoy and try as many dishes as you can as you will not be disappointed. read more

Amazing, amazing!! The garbanzos with shrimp is one of the most incredible things I've ever eaten. Go to the bar, have a number of cañas, get free small tapas, and order a few dishes to go along with. Busy, chaotic, fun scene that brought Spain to the foreground. A must if you are in Madrid. read more

I went here with a coworker of mine for dinner. We had a few beers and some tapas out front before heading into the quiet dining area in the back. The food was stellar and the services was wonderful. I could see this being a great place to bring a date. The French colleague of mine said this is one of his favorite restaurants in Madrid. read more

Delicious simple and elegant food. Flavors are delightful and the whole experience is really very nice. An excellent place to enjoy Spanish cuisine. We will definitely be back. In a great neighborhood near Retiro park. read more

We stumble on to this place. So far, our best experience in Madrid. The croquettes are light, the garbanzo beans with shrimp are awesome. Great vibe...local gem!! read more

This is best place I've been in Madrid. The food is amazing. Prices are reasonable. If you look for the quality, here is the address. Try steak tartare. read more

Probably the best bar in Madrid. Everything is good but some things are unforgeteable like their tosta of manitos de cerdo with ali-oli.