Beautiful patio. Delicious red prawn - huge, plump and cooked to perfection. The steak tartare and roasted bone marrow dish was a standout. So much flavour! Would definitely return based on these two dishes. read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Red prawn - $9 and delish! - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all

This place was so much fun. The atmosphere is unbeatable. Upbeat music that is high enough to be much more than background music but not so loud that you can't listen to your friends. The food was great, I liked everything I tried with the exception maybe of their smoked duck paella that wasn't really a paella in my opinion. I enjoyed several glasses of their sangria and I would have more now if I could. Servers were very kind and attentive even though the place was packed and sometimes it took a while to catch one of them. Great place overall. read more

Great location .great take on traditional tapas. Good attentive service. Coming back here for sure . read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A relatively recent addition to the Distillery District and a welcome addition to the growing number of Spanish Tapas restaurants with a focus on quality. Madrina has an ideallic setting and its patio is gorgeous on a sunny day, ensconced by flowering hedges in the heart of the district's historic surroundings. Service was very good, attentive, and friendly. We sat on the patio but wait staff took the proactive step of offering us a table inside when the forecast started to hint at rain. The indoor decor is very nicely done, in a modern Spanish fashion with wood furniture and curved lines throughout the space. Now on to the food! We opened with the best patatas bravas ever! Perfectly crispy on the outside, warm and done just right on the inside. Served with a tomato relish and an aioli with a subtle but ingenious infusion of wasabi. Other notable dishes were the grilled octopus and the monkfish, both very tasty and cooked just right. The only critique we had was with the shrimp paella, which suffered slightly because the rice was a little too al dente and the flavour not as rich as paella usually is. Admittedly, paella is something that should not be rushed so is tough to manage on an order by order basis. We'll be back for the ambiance, the service, the patatas bravas, and some more dishes we didn't try the first time. read more

Nice atmosphere and service is good. Tapas is never cheap but I was here mainly because of Christmas market and just want to grab something to eat before. I don't remember the names of each food I ordered but I like the most is the one that has meats in the bun because all the juice is absorbed into the bread and makes it really tasty. There are some that are just alright, although it's good but not worth the price I think. Overall, it's still a decent place to go with friends and chat and grab a few dishes to share read more

See all

The chef's tasting (desgustacion) for $52/person was for the most part, a hit for us. BUT if you don't usually enjoy steak tartare, then I def would not recommend it because that's when I felt the most full! Instead opt for ordering separate tapas. We were pleasantly impressed with most of them but loved the Crab & Avocado salad Cannelloni the most. But while the selection of wine was nice, I didn't particularly enjoy the cocktail. Overall it was a very interesting and unique experience with modern Spanish tapas. Nice patio and close tables. The chef's tasting was pretty good for its value and as a first starter, Idk about getting it again but we could def order them individually. Lots on the menu! read more

See all

Great Welcome while Checking In - checking out by Asian /European Staff. Friendly / Helpful. Great food. Awesome wines. Terrific ambience. Lots of guests. Busy. Unfortunately - Sadly one white lady waiter was extremely dismissive, disrespectful & racial in her tone & attitude. Don't go if you don't want to be insulted. read more

Awesome food and experience at Madrina! I age had the pleasure of dining here twice for dinner and both meals have been amazing. While the interior of the restaurant is a bit on the small side compared to other restaurants in the Distillery District, the food here packs a big punch. Executive Chef Ramon Simarro with experience in various Michelin-starred establishments, demonstrate a lot of creativity here. His dishes here are contemporary with influences from international cuisines while keeping the taste true to his Catalan roots. The menu is separated into distinct categories - cheeses, conservas, iberico ham, gildas, pintxos, garden, seafood, meat, desserts. As with other Spanish tapas type restaurants, ordering a bunch of dishes to share is the way to go, and believe me, you would want to taste everything! Some of the highlight dishes for me include their Iberico ham, Patatas Bravas, Manchego Cheese Cappucino, Grilled & Smoked Octopus, and the Foie Gras de Pato Macarons. There are some interesting cocktails and drinks on the menu as well, particularly the Spiced Blue Margarita (with charcoal ice!), and the Argula Gimlet - both refreshing and visually unique. Their white sangria is a crowd favourite and it is easy to see why once you've tasted it. I was quite delighted with desserts too. Out of the four desserts there, the Croquetas De Arroz Con Leche (Warm rice pudding croquettes coated in bread crumb and charcoal, with a Malteser inside!) and the Crema Catalana were my favourites. Overall I really think this is the place to be if you want a great night out tasting some truly fabulous Spanish tapas. Highly recommended! read more

See all

This spot at the edge of distillery district serves up some pretty awesome Spanish tapas. From the moment I saw the ham legs displayed proudly out front, I knew I was in for a great meal. We mostly ordered from the del mar and de la tierra section which made up the last page of the menu. The 4 of us shared 10 tapas and I'd say that was a pretty good amount. We were not stuffed but very satisfied because a lot of the items were very rich. Out of the ones we tried, the grilled octopus, huevos estrellados con chorizo (poached and seared duck egg), and steak tartare on a roasted marrow bone were my absolute favorites. The smoky octopus was super tender. The huevos estrellados here is a re-imagined version of the original Spanish dish which is eggs over potatoes. a delicate duck egg is placed inside potato foam and topped with chorizo bread crumbs. The result is something like the best potato stew I've had, super comforting. I wished I had something similar to bread to scoop it all up with. The steak tartare is a dish I would order every time. Fresh tartare on top of rich marrow, I loved the flavors. Other dishes I enjoyed were the whole fried sea bass, sea bream crudo with amazing dressing, patatas bravas madrina, and beef tenderloin. The dishes that I will skip next time are the razor clams, foie gras, and paella. These dishes were also beautifully crafted, I just didn't enjoy them as much. The decor is modern yet warm and inviting and the servers are very accommodating. Overall, the price is a little high for the portion size, but the unique bites were pretty amazing, and worth a try. Great fancy date spot. read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - beautiful interior - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

So many amazing dishes at this Michelin start restaurant. The chicken skewers, oyster mushrooms and tuna cones were my favourite. One bad thing is the portions are very small and come with only a few bites. Going in a group of 2, 3 or 4 would be great but 5 or more is too much. read more

Dinner with hubby & adult son. What an experience and what a feast! Ordered way too much but thoroughly enjoyed each and every dish. Decor, plating, service and food are all outstanding! Must return but next time will order less in order to be able to fully appreciate some of the dishes. Surprisingly filling despite the small (as expected for tapas) size of dishes. Highly recommend! read more

See all

This was one of the first restaurants I've come to since stage 2 of opening in Toronto, and I was pleasantly surprised! The restaurant has a great patio with excellent music, and a contact-less menu that you can access from scanning a QR code on your phone. Also plenty of hand sanitizer to go around, and every server was wearing a mask. Onto the food: one of the best places for Spanish tapas in Toronto. I recommend the grilled octopus which is one of the best I've ever had. The shrimp paella was also good but quite small and I couldn't fully enjoy the flavours after having to share with the table. Ambiance is also amazing - the patio is located right in the middle of the beautiful distillery district with a great playlist to boot! I refrained from giving 5 stars for 2 reasons: 1. Our server was not very attentive and it took over 20 mins to get his attention for him to give us the bill, even though he attended the larger table next to us quite often. 2. The portions are quite small for sharing and even after spending close to $50 per person without drinks, we were not full. read more

Great food and drink at a reasonable price for Toronto. Highly recommend. Must try The bone marrow and cheese dessert

We came here for our mom's bday and our table was being hoarded by a prior group that refused to let go of it for awhile... Nevertheless, the staff / manager were diligent in their follow-ups and managed to diplomatically push the prior table out (no easy feat). A couple people in my party were still miffed at the time, but I applaud the restaurant's earnestness! I see value in that. They even gave my mom a free Manchego cheesecake, which I appreciate too. The food was great and comparable to Patria, my old favourite. Table confusion aside, I'll likely be coming back for more tapas and I thank the manager & his team again for their attentiveness. read more

See all

Randomly bump into here after visit the Christmas Market in Distillery District. The food taste good, especially the bone marrow is heavenly. Staff are caring and nice, sit comfortably, had a cozy night with my boyfriend. read more

Nice food, but nothing exceptional. A bit pricy for what you get - not the place to eat if you're hungry. read more

We tried the meal for 2 (vegetarian) option. I have to say the food was amazing with great variety and flavour. The quantity and number of items were perfect to get you full satisfaction. The service of great, it look slightly long for 1-2 dishes but the restaurant compensated by giving other dishes/ drinks. Will definitely return. Kids sea bass was awesome too!! read more

It was amazing just to start with. The outdoor patio is beautiful with nice greenery. Service was top notch, gal was quick and personable but not intrusive. Everyone we dealt with was very pleasant in general. Food. Oh my. If you come please get the beef tar tar with bone marrow, if you're weird about items like that I bet my money you'd still love it. We also got the fried seabass , shrimp paella, and milk croquettes for dessert. The seabass needed a splash of lemon (I asked for some on the side), the shrimp paella literally tasted like the sea, it was so fresh. And the croquettes, some dessert I have never had before, was absolutely delish. Cocktails - very refreshing and a good variety A bit pricey but you get what you pay for! Overall this place was stellar, great for groups or date night! read more

Loved the food and drinks. First time in Toronto and won't be the last. The nice server asked us to leave a review of our experience so here is a 5 star! read more

We came for an early dinner with a friend on a Tuesday night and the place was pretty packed by 6! I had seen photos of the food and drinks and really wanted to try it out.(Who doesn't like instagrammable food?) We had a new server and she was shadowed by another employee, though nervous she gave some good recommendations! We were 3 so we shared a bunch of tapas, my favorite was the bone marrow tartar. Overall it was a great early dinner but on the pricey side. read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all

I came across Madrina while touring the Distillery Distract and got super excited as soon as I saw "Tapa". It was a nice day out, the patio was open but we decided to sit inside for faster sitting. Definitely loved the aesthetic of the place but the food sizing was very disappointing. First of all, the Tapas were super tiny that not even a baby will be satisfied. I have been to many tapas places before and never in my life have I seen such tiny servings. You definitely can't go there super hungry and with the expectation of sharing with your friends because you will be left super hungry. It was also, kind of expensive specially since the serving were super tiny. Even through the serving were tiny i liked the ham croquets and the papa's bravas. Also, we ordered white Sangria and it was delicious. The drinks sizes are huge but the Tapas is a no. read more

See all

If you're in downtown Toronto, you must visit this popular tapas place! Amazing ambiance, service is top notch and the food was delicious and so many choices. You won't be disappointed! read more

Over priced, poor value proposition. $20 for paella which consisted of 1 shrimp and at best 5 spoons of rice served in a 6-7 inch by 1.5 inch dish. Octopus dish was served in a fancy dome but was highly disappointing as were the 2-3 tapas dishes we ordered. Ordered a beer on tap that was served warm and when I told the waitress it was warm she said 'yes I'm sorry there is something wrong with the cooling system' which begs the question why serve it in the first place or why not bring it to the customers attention and the customer decide. I don't mind paying extra but please provide a reasonable portion - focus less on fancy presentation and more on substance. Wouldn't recommend it and won't be going back. read more

Loved all of the food! Ham croquetas (2 small ones) and potato omelet (shareable) were good. Tomato bread was very good and added some bulk to the meal (it came with 5 pieces). I really liked it, but my husband would have preferred a chunkier tomato. The patatas bravas and steak tartare with bone marrow were exceptional and unique. I would definitely get them again. My husband didn't love the chicken lettuce wraps (chewy dark meat). We had 3 cocktails between the two of us. All were good, but seemed a little small for the C$15 per drink prices. Great service and recommendations from our waiter, Luke. I think our check was about US$120 with tip, driven up by drinks. I would definitely recommend this place to foodies. Big eaters should go elsewhere. Note: they had a lot of seafood choices that we didn't get to try. read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Tomato bread, one piece already eaten. - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all

My gf and I really enjoyed the food there. They taste very unique and delicious. I love the mussel most! BUT, it's definitely not a place for regular dinner or lunch to me. It's more like a wine bar and the food is more like appetizers and snacks for wine tasting. Every table in the restaurant has wine and people seems really enjoyed the wine there. Unfortunately my gf and I are now wine person so we ended up still hungry after the meal loll. You probably have to spend quite a lot to get full there if just ordering food. But again, we really liked the dishes there. Awesome place for after meal friends get-together or night snacks with wine. The service and atmosphere was great! read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great service, great food. The rosé and sangria were delicious. They serve you sherry at the end of your meal. Worth every dollar.

The food is good. Most if it are just in small portions. The service is good. Staff are nice and friendly. Ambiance is fine. read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Excellent service and a fun spot in the Distillery District. When we had for cocktails, they were comped. The scallop tapas was especially good, but smaller than the rest so order more than 1 if you're sharing. read more

We had a great meal here! From the cheeses to the paella, everything was delicious! We would highly recommend the seafood dishes.

Cool looking spot but the food was very mediocre and the service was horrible. The glasses also smelt like they were washed without soap. Won't return. read more

Food wasn't spectacular. Over cooked razor clams. Sangria was too sweet. I told them we didn't like the drinks and so we ordered white wine instead and they still charged us for the sangrias. The tables where tiny and design of them made it hard to put so many plates on the table at once. We ended up having to rush eat items just to make room for more plates. Overcooked beef as well. The only decent dishes were the steak tartar and crudo. read more

What an interesting experience we had here at Madrina's! We came across this place just walking around the Distillery District and decided to go in for dinner since they were the only place open pretty late. We sat at the bar and got a very unique view of the kitchen. The service was a tad slow for two people sitting so close to the action but the food was terrific! Very refreshing to see authentic Spanish food being highlighted in a beautifully modern way. Between my boyfriend and I, we split five dishes which was a perfect amount. We left feeling satisfied and full. The only thing I was disappointed in was the drinks, nothing special going on there to justify the price. read more

Amazing gin bar inside the Distillery District. This place made me to start liking mixed drink with gin. Ordered the Vecino drink from the cocktail menu. It was awesome, great sweet flavor from the honey gin. They have a special way to mix the tonic with gin. Their tapas were great, we ordered Manchego cheese and Pa Amb Tomaquet (Catalonian bread with tomato and olive oil). I will definitely come back to Toronto just for this place. read more

Madrina Bar y Tapas - Vecino cocktail - Tapas Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all