My fellow Yelpers who are visiting Madrid don't let the 3.5 stars deter you. First, Yelp isn't actually a big European thing. As of this writing there were less than 80 reviews. However, if you Google Mercado de La Reina, it has 4 stars with nearly 7000 reviews. Second, we actually went here TWICE during our Madrid stay. This place was great! Don't let the Gran Via location make you think it is a tourist trap. During our two visits I noticed that the hostess and Chef Alvaro were greeting customers by name and even giving hugs. That means locals. In our first visit he checked in on us and noticing that we are Filipino he excitedly called his Filipino team members over who chatted with us as well. This really made for a welcoming family atmosphere. Food was fantastic. The tapas scene is obviously the thing to do in Spain when it comes to eating. There is a sit-down menu restaurant towards the back but we opted for the tapas bar scene. During both our visits it ranged from mellow to full on crowded-elbow-your-way-to-the-counter. Sounds dismaying but THAT is the way the tapas scene is. I found it amazing that the people behind the counter are able to keep track of all the orders. As tapas go, you order to share and share we did. Everything was tasty and went well with a refreshing red vermouth. We were even surprised with a dessert which was a ridiculously amazing cheesecake. Highly recommend! read more

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Service was great. The waiter spoke enough English to work with us. The food was very good. I enjoyed my Iberian Ham Croquettes.

Convenient place right on Gran Via, steps from a bus stop. Often busy with locals and tourists alike. Tapas were delicious. Service was great. Gilda (olive, anchovy) was the day's special and was the best tapa - delicious olive oil flavor. If you try the restaurant (back of the restaurant), their crispy eggplant was amazing. Crunchy strips of eggplant with a sweet drizzle. Great combo of sweet and savory. read more

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This place is a nice place for a quick bite. It is nothing fancy just tapas raciones and beer / wone / sangria. / simple Cocktails. However if you are passing by, a Good place for a chat With friends and snack and a drink or two. read more

Apenas llegue a Madrid el bus me dejo en Cibeles y este fue el primer lugar que vi para comer entonces entré por que se ve apetecible and vi un menú de tapas. Inmediatamente pedí el tinto de verano para el calor y decidí probar tapas. Era mi primera vez en Madrid entonces tocaba hacerle honor a las famosas tapas. Mi favorita fue la de pulpo y la de chicharrón. Las aceitunas de los pinchos fueron las mejores que me eh comido. Buen sitio, lo recomendaría. El servicio fue excelente, la mesera muy atenta e amable al igual que el señor de la barra. El ambiente de el sitio es chèvre, elegante pero a la vez relajado. read more

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The gauspacho was FANTASTIC, and I loved the paella with seafood too. The wait staff was kind, and brought the food promptly. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Paella with seafood - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

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We went here on our first night in Madrid and what a great pick! We ordered several taps and an entree: Grilled octopus, ensalada rusa (on the house), pork and calamari skewer, patatas bravas, tortilla espanola, and salmon tartar. Everything was amazing but the stand outs were the octopus- the char was heavenly, the calamari skewer and the ensalada rusa. They also give you complimentary bread to pair with olive oil on the table. I wish I could take the can of olive oil home it was so good. The portions were generous and the tapas were very reasonable priced. The entrees were a little more but again, great bang for your buck. Friendly service and tasty wine! read more

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This restaurant could be fatal. Please be aware of this restaurants food and its attention to detail, especially If you have young ones with allergies, and you carry EPINEPHRINE. Ordered ice cream and asked if there were nuts in the ice cream. We were told NO. Fortunately our youngest did not like the vanilla because we found walnuts in the ice cream. We asked in both English and Spanish before and even after the ice cream was delivered if there were any kind of nuts in the ice cream. We told them there were nuts in the vanilla ice cream and there could have been a life threatening situation and they literally said I am not going to deal with this with you. My wife speaks English and Spanish. Asked in both languages about nuts and allergies and ice cream. Amazing that there was no concern or care. Please be aware of this restaurant. Attention to details with their food could be fatal to you or your children. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Mercado de La Reina - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

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Came in at 12:15am craving fried fish! I leave tomorrow to the United States. I could only order what's been sitting on the counter. I ordered the jam on with cheese sandwich. Always a lot of bread and little meat and cheese. But hey, they treat their pigs really good. Their wine rocks. Rivera. I tried the pinto cava Hong's. Horribly Waiter put it in the microwave and forgot all about it. I should have kept my mouth shut and not remind them. I ordered the yzaguirre vermouth. Delicious. My last night in Madrid. They close at two. Asta luego read more

Mercado de la Reina - Rambo de toro con pure' de pastas. 10,00€ and Tinto D.O.Rioja 100% Tempranillo 3,20€ - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

Stopped in for a quick dinner. Service was great from the moment we sat down. Great selection of tapas and food was served quickly. Prices were great considering everything was between 2-10 euros. The tortilla, eggplant, asparagus and shrimp were all good. We got there around 10:30pm and had no problem getting a seat at the counter but by 11 the line was out the door. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Shrimp, fried eggplant, tortilla - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

This was the OKest place we ate in Madrid. I was a little disappointed that it was not better.

"The Queen's Market" Indeed! The quality of food is superb, fitted for a Queen. Vegans great news you are in business! The vegetable selection is endless, peppers cooked in so many different ways, artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes cooked in all possible options, potatoes, eggplant... endless. "The best jam croquettes" in town (I am a croquette junky/expert) the croquettes here really touch your heart(my parents are Spanish so my review is legit), the consistency is just perfect and you actually can taste the jam. I recommend the Pinxos & Tapas menu vs. the dinner menu. Portions are generous so don't get carried away. The Iberico jams are delicious Wine selection of course is excellent. Eat like a Royal... Service don't expect much you either have high quality food or high quality service, but cannot both in this establishment. read more

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There are few places which serve local Spanish food - not the tourist kind. This place is one of them!! Great tapas at the bar menu with drinks. If you have kids you can still enjoy the bar tapas menu on the side bar which is away from the alcohol and next to the open kitchen. Our server 'Raul' was very welcoming and passionate. He recommended us with few dishes which were great and food quantity for three of us. We tired the sangria, tapas of salmon, mushrooms and chicken rolls, fried potatoes(drizzled with sauce) and calamari (doesn't come with any sauce) I asked for Tabasco and ketchup. Desserts were great try there apple pie it's home made single served warm with vanilla ice cream! read more

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This place is awesome! I ordered a 33 euro/pp dinner menu for me and my girlfriend. The dinner came with a bottle of wine, 3 appetizers, an entree, and a desert. Everything was delicious and the service was really good as well. I highly recommend to anyone visiting Madrid! read more

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Great food reasonable prices Staff courteous and friendly they make helpful suggestions Menu was in English so it was easier to choose our food read more

Todo delicioso. Atención rápida y amable. Sangria 100 puntos y todo hasta a tomar desayuno regresamos. También nos gusto.

I found this place to be ok overall. Food was prompt since some of my requests were already made and 'On deck' so to speak. All they did was warm it up. I ordered, ran to the restroom and 2 of my dishes were already out. They were the ham and Brie cheese tapa and the ham and tomato jam tapa. I also grabbed a croqueta of ham, yes I like ham. Only had some water to drink. Cool spot for drinks and pretty trendy, definitely tailored to attract Americans. Service was ok, as they aren't the friendliest but most out here aren't. They also mischarged me which again, reflects service. There are many other spots to enjoy, it's not bad but I probably won't be coming back. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Ham and Brie cheese tapa - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

This was one of our favorite spots in Madrid. Located right on the Gran Via, this places is an awesome spot to pop in for some tapas and a nice cold beer. This place gets really busy with what seems to be mainly people on the go. We came here about 3 different times during our stay in Madrid. We've tried: - Rabo de Toro - Croquetas caseras de jamon - Pulpo a la brasa - Iberico jamon Everything we've had was great! My favorites were the pulpo a la brasa and the rabo de toro. They pour a great beer (Mahou) which is served on nitro. We loved it! They are reasonably priced and offer free wifi. There tapas are available all day long too, which is great if you're craving a tapas dish instead of a traditional breakfast dish. Definitely a spot we enjoyed very much! read more

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Like most tapas bars in Madrid, you get a small plate of food here with your drink. But unless you're on a liquid diet, you're going to want to venture into the pinchos ("quick bites") offered up at the bar. The Ibérico ham is always a winner, and the fried jalapeño and cheese croquettes are simply amazing. An order of 3-4 tapas and a couple of beers should set you back about 15 euros. read more

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Three of us ordered the blood sausages with fried eggs and potatoes, oxtail, grilled octopus, and truffled fish & caviar tartar. Everything was pretty good. I think the blood sausages and the tartar were my favorites. The dishes were more on the pricey side, but it's also a little fancier than a tavern. There was also the option to sit outside on the patio. read more

Ooh this place is great. It's on Gran Via, so you might expect to by ripped off by poor quality touristy tapas however that is not the case. Its rammed full each evening after the offices close, and does really brilliant tortillas, croqes and garlic prawns, jamon etc. Highly recommended for early evening wine and tapas. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

I was in the restaurant the same night as Alexander below and agree with him because I got violently ill after eating the raw pork. It was not the color. Shame on you for blaming some Spanish style. It was too busy and the kitchen was backed up and after waiting 1.5 hours my food arrived cold. Fellow Americans, avoid this place. The manager message below was just a bad excuse for bad food and bad kitchen management. read more

Party of 2, arrived 8:30pm for dinner. We ordered fried calamari for starters and then a tenderloin and Iberian bellota pork. The calamari were ok, but we had to wait a very, VERY long time for the main course. We cancelled the tenderloin order as we were filling on bread as we waited. When it was served nearly 90 minutes later the meat was RAW. We asked our waiter to send it back to the kitchen. It came back, STILL RAW. Maybe the cook does not know that chicken and pork MUST be thoroughly cooked, or you get sick. Cooking 101. read more

Mercado de la Reina - RAW PORK - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

Great seafood, with perfectly grilled vegetables. Definitely a must try! Freshly fried calamari. Dishes are balanced in flavor and nicely put together! read more

What an AMAZING restaurant! It's located right on la Gran Via and has a very cool ambiance. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was even better. Our waitress Mahal was very attentive. The pulpo was TO DIE FOR. I'll definitely be back here! Que rico!!!! read more

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This place is really awesome, their draft beer is service just how I like it (a lot of foam) the price is great. Hard to fine a place to seat but wait around and seats will open up. The service is not that great, you really have to get their attention other wise they will service someone else in front of you. I had the salmon with pistachios, it was truly die for. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

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I walked in s my last night in Madrid celebration b and was asked if I'm doing tapas, dinner or drinks. I said (speaking Spanish very well) all of the above. The host said he was booked. I asked what is the wait for a table? I was told they were booked for the rest of the night. They had open tables ALL NIGHT LONG. We had 2 dinners, bottles of wine, cocktails AND tapas. I guess it depends on who you know or if you say you're eating dinner??? 2 of us asked if we can replace mixed veggies that comes w salad w asparagus instead and were told yes. Then the waitress comes back and says the head chef said it would be an additional 6.90 eu per plate because it costs 4x as much. Ha! It's frickin asparagus!!! Mind you they call green and red peppers "mixed vegetables". The salmon dinner was good if they didn't put any extra "personal" seasoning for complaining about original asparagus request. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Their "mixed vegetables" w salmon - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

Bad food, weird sitting arrangement. You have to be by the bar to eat tapas or whatever. Okay servers, they're not really friendly or welcoming to tourist. I would want somebody to offer suggestions because we've never been here. Also, the best sellers on the menu are really bad tasting food -.- so idk why it's labeled best sellers. Stay away from the fried potatoes and grilled red prawn and potato salad. Potato salad says with breadsticks it's like 4 pinky sized breadsticks. Hahaha read more

I am not sure about the quality of my food. I ordered oxtail ravioli and it was so salty that I couldn't taste my food! Also we had a burger here! Same thing! Very very very salty! read more

Amazing ambience with locals having lunch drinks at the bar. Very quick and friendly staff. Fruity sangria was delish. Mushroom bruschetta with truffle oil and caramelized onions is truly to die for! Very good coffee too! read more

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Warm ambiance in this popular restaurant on Gran Via. A bar at the entrance and then a dining room. Service is good, Spanish tapas and dishes are well served and cooked. You won't be disappointed. read more

One of the best places for tapas. Sit at the bar. They speak most languages and are very friendly. Have the tortillia with onions. Also jamon with brie. Very relaxed place quite trendy. Can get very busy later on. Not the biggest menu but what they do, they do well. read more

Mercado de la Reina - Jamon iberico y queso brie - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Madrid, M

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Amazing food. Loved the ravioli and grilled octopus. This is a very popular tapas area for locals. Also the apple pie was one of the best dessert options. read more

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Zero ambiance, but good, reliable food/tapas. Good, free proper tapas with each caña, not just some olives or potato chips. My friends who are locals go here, so although it's on the Gran Via it's not just for tourists. read more

Great tapas place. Extremely trendy with music and good atmosphere. Food is really great, we came back 3 times, really liked it. Staff are usually very busy, in a constant hurry and very hard to get their attention. If you are looking for recommendation or some explanation from the staff, just forget it. read more

Entered restaurant,no waiters around.Asked 3 staff members,none willing to help.I dont know why this place has a 4 star review

We really loved this place, amazing value, great food and friendly staff. We chose the "anniversary" set menu as it was really good value (35 euros per person) which included goats cheese and mushroom pintxos, ham croquettas and Andalusian gazpacho with Iberian ham to start. I'm not usually a fan of gazpacho but this was spot on. Next up was octopus in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, again very well done. For the main we had a choice between grilled cod in a sweet red pepper sauce and entrecôte and fries so we took one of each and shared. The entrecôte was seasoned to perfection, honestly the best steak I've ever had. To finish we had a traditional flan with cream and a mi-cuit chocolate served with custard. All of this was topped of with a bottle of house red. This was all included in the 35 euros set menu so really amazing value for what you get! If anything it was a bit too much for us, so if you go for this option make sure you go hungry!! read more

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Excellent tapas and pintxos in downtown Madrid, highly recommendable.

This place has a tapas bar and a restaurant. I tried the restaurant. It has a nice chic decor and the food is pretty good although not exceptional. I had their 33 euros menu that includes 2 appetizers, one main dish, one des see and two glasses of wine. It looks like a good deal. However my second glass of wine never came and I had to ask multiple times to have it and they eventually gave it to me just before leaving. read more

Excellent eats, excellent friendly service. Great prices. Plus it's a trendy and lively place. I approve!