How lucky were we that Casa Alberto was right next to our hotel!?…read more Me, my three sisters, my kid and my 22yr old nephew were on a mission to cram as much as we could into our overnight layover in Madrid. Driver picked us up from airport, we checked in and dropped our bags in our room, freshened up then came straight here. It honestly felt like we were in one of Anthony Bourdain's : The Layover episode. Casa Alberto has the kind of charm that only comes with age. You can sit on the high stools by the counter or tiny wooden tables with the little stools. Our waiter was just smooth. When ham croquetas were brought to the table, I just told him we wanted calamari ones and to please remove the ham from the final bill and did it without hesitation. Every bite was full of flavor. From the manchego platter we shared to the, patatas bravas with a smoky sauce and my generously poured sangria with a decent amount of oomph, everything was very nice. Casa A. was the perfect first stop for tapas and drinks before our next planned activity.

We got here at 12:50 on Sunday and it was packed. Luckily, we were at the front of the line and…read morethey were able to seat us within 10 minutes. Our large group was split into a 2-top and a 4-top. Space is tight here, even for Madrid standards. Our waiter was helpful and spoke English, but was definitely no-nonsense. The food: Rabo Estofado - Tail Stew - two large pieces of oxtail, stewed until tender. Comes with reasonably fried steak fries and a sliced baguette to scoop up the gravy. Highly recommend. Pincho de Bacalao Rebozado - Chop Battered Cod - this dish is like fish and chips, which I didn't know was a potential tapas dish. Fish is tender and has one of the best batter coatings I have ever had. Doesn't come with any sauce, but it was seasoned well to eat on its own. This dish also comes with shoestring fries. Callos a La Madrileña - Madrilenian Tripe Stew - listed as the first item on their menu under Classic dishes, it would not surprise me if this was one of their OG recipes from when they opened in 1827. It's a little chewy and a little gooey. If you like tripe, you'll like this dish. Has flavors of cured meat, paprika, and chile. Solomillo de Cerdo con Manzana y Cebolla Caramelizada - Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Caramelized Onion - pork was tender and there was a ton of caramelized onions. It was ok. Puerro a la Brasa con Vinagreta de Anchoas - Grilled Leek with Anchovy Vinaigrette - this was straight up weird. It's one giant leek that was cooked until very soft, but at the same time stringy/fibrous and almost impossible to eat. Served with some fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and pickled fish. No thank you. Other notes- Thought the red sangria was pretty standard fare. My daughter wanted a glass of milk, which comes warmed and slightly frothed via a steamer wand. I thought it was quite nice, but she was hoping for a cold one.

This is a spot that feels like a little bar but is actually more like a casa with some food items…read more Here, they are big on pig and there are Iberico hams located on and around the bar for easy access. If you are vegan, coming here will only piss you off. In fact, a vegan in Madrid in general is ill-advised. The setting feels historic and rustic with exposed brick and stone that appears to be centuries old. They seem to make everything (both food and drink) behind that cramped bar which explains why most of their menu items are cold, pre-made, or easy to assemble from short lists of raw ingredients. This does not mean that anything is bad. It just means it is like producing charcuterie in a dorm room bar. A large number of items involve Iberico Ham and one of the barmen is constantly shaving off thin pieces for service. In fact the freebie snack they send out from the kitchen had some Iberico ham and Manchego cheese on it which was a really nice warm up of what to expect. Over the noonish lunch hour, I was the only tourist in the place surrounded by many locals that clearly know about this spot. I liked those odds for assuring me of a genuine authentic experience. It was an accurate predictor. I'm not the most experienced when it comes to true Spanish tapas but this seemed to be a very genuine depiction of what the locals look for in a rustic Iberico ham experience. And frankly, even if it wasn't I can't find anything to really complain about. It was a cool historic setting, there was ice-cold vermouth from a tap, and I spent an hour shoving local Morcilla (blood sausage) and Iberico pig parts into my pie hole for the better part of an hour. It was a great experience any way you choose to look at it.

Everything here was perfect: prices, quality of food, service and the authentic touch of Spain!…read more Gracias Sara!!!

Last night in Madrid, and after my tragic dinner fail at Casa Macareno, I handed over…read morerestaurant-picking duties to hubby. He chose Gusto--a short walk from our hotel. We passed a bunch of outdoor tables in the square, but hubby was on a mission: he wanted to sit in the cave. Apparently, that's what sold him when he was scouting places earlier. He talked to the waiter (with some entertaining translation confusion), and after a few hand gestures and some international charades, we were pointed toward a stairwell on the side. Down we went--and boom: full-on cave vibes. It legit looked like we were dining inside a giant pizza oven. Super cool atmosphere. There was only one other table occupied, and for some reason, they sat us right next to them. In an empty restaurant. Because... logic? A little odd, but whatever--we were here for the food. And the food delivered. The staff were friendly, the menu had English (thank you), and one of the servers spoke enough English to keep things smooth. I ordered a glass of cava (small pour, mildly tragic), and hubby and the kiddo got sangria, which was fantastic. We started with tapas: octopus, crispy pork belly with padrón peppers, and cod croquettes. All were excellent--honestly, 5/5 across the board. For the main, we shared the black ink paella (no mussels by request), and it was chef's kiss. Perfectly portioned for the three of us and absolutely delicious. We thought about dessert, but the options weren't that exciting. Our server suggested Torrija, but after the honey-soaked disappointment from earlier at El Riojano, we weren't emotionally ready to go down that road again. Too soon. Final bill: €90, and totally worth it. Great food, cool setting, solid service. Would 100% recommend--just maybe ask not to be seated right on top of the only other diners in the cave!

Nice service and served tasty tapas with cold and well prepared sangria the ambience was great…read moreexcellent service nice spot for new Madrid arrivals to rest and take it all in

Our favorite tapas spot on our trip to Madrid! We liked it so much, we came twice in two days…read more Beautiful ambiance, fine wine, delicious food. We loved the tempranillos, €4-6 euros; The first time, we tried the grilled quail breast w/ salmorejo, prawns buenas w/ garlic (the best we had in Madrid!), and the albondigas - the best we had in Madrid - great flavor, so tender, delicious sauce. The next night, we stopped in and had wine and the Bistecca which was served on a sizzling platter and was amazing! Absolutely recommend and we will return next time we are in Madrid!

Really great tapas place with a pretty decent variety. We got mixed cheeses, an octopus + hummus…read morespecial, and a few of the "skewers" (which were essentially toppings on bread): tuna + roasted peppers, duck ham + eggplant, and the amazing jamon Iberico with tomato. In retrospect, I wish we would have only done the skewers -- the jamon + tomato pieces were so great, a meal based just on those alone would have been excellent. Overall, a really solid spot with very good food.

IGolfo's fresh fish especially Bash is awesome. It's in the heart of the Plaza de Santana. We even…read moretried different Spanish local food such as tripes with chick peas, blood sausages etc. We will come back for sure !

We ran into this place randomly and had a great experience. We ordered the off menu dishes, a…read moregrilled hake (a whole fish) and a grilled razor shell dish with bread based on our waiter's recommendations. Both dishes were amazingly fresh and tasty and came with generous size for 2! We didn't have any room for desserts or other side dishes. The service was great too. The waiter was friendly and explained the menu very well. Would definitely recommend to seafood loving friends.

Great food and nice place, good service, great taste, we want to come back soon the environment was…read morewonderful

This place hands down had the best sangria we tried in Mardrid. They offer white, red, and cava…read moresangria. All types are delicious and worth trying to see which type you like best. This was also the only place we went to that offered free small tapas with drinks. This is a must try while visiting central Madrid. All the waiters were super nice and spoke both English and Spanish very well, which was nice. Tables fill up fast outside, but there is a ton of seating inside, including a really cool window seat that is great for taking pics.

Stopped in after walking around town and noticed this place was mentioned on social media as being…read moregood eats. I ordered the daily special and the food was good including the red wine. Good service and clean tables.

this place is more like a 3.5 out of 5 stars…read more this was our last meal in europe... sigh, i wish we were still on our vacation, but alas, we must return back to reality. during our last night in madrid we were on the hunt for paella. There were plenty of places to pick from in downtown madrid, but some restaurants were closed, and others were not offering it that early for dinner. sidenote: i find it weird that spanish people eat dinner so late!!!! anyways, we started the meal off with a meat and cheese plate and got the seafood paella. they also gave us bread along with tomato paste. honestly the tomato paste was very very simple and reminded me of salsa...lol. the food portions are huge! make sure you come here with a very hungry stomach or multiple people. paella actually comes with 4 different options: seafood, chicken, mixed or something else. and for 10 bucks, you really cant go wrong with whatever you choose. The one thing i would comment on the paella is that it wasn't as flavorful as i imagined... but really can't complain for the price i paid. the service is very quick, and the person who was taking my order spoke english and was really helpful.

We ordered some Pankitos, which are strips of breaded chicken, but one of the strips was still raw…read morein the middle. Also, if you go towards the end of the day, they might not have as many tapas available since they will run out.

Perfect little spot that we would return to any time…read more Super nice owner, Nacho, was a great host. Service was excellent and we loved every dish! Nice wine, too. Resolving art display adds to an eclectic, and chill ambiance! One of our favorite stops in Madrid that I highly recommend!