I don't really like this place.. it's cute but I've given it 2 tries and both were pretty bad…read more Smoothie is just orange juice with a chunk of banana, toast with avocado and salmon has potential but the bread was so soggy. No way you can call that toast, but scraping what was on top off was fine. Coffee wasn't my fav but

A very cute cafe with delicious food! Service was great. I had the fluffy pancakes with banana…read morewhich was fantastic and large in portion size. The lychee Jasmine tea is unsweetened, just FYI. They had a little sign up that says not to use laptops here on weekends ‍ Overall, this seemed like a popular, busy spot and I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area!

A great experience. Extremely busy restaurant but well orchestrated team of people working save…read moreknowing what to do. Daniel our server did San excellent job taking care of every detail. The ambience couldn't be better, a place to enjoy and experience what is to be in the oldest restaurant in the world. The food, El cochinillo ! Wow! It's an experience.

Sobrino de Botín is the oldest recorded restaurant in the world according the Guiness Book of World…read moreRecords at over 300 years old. What foodie would pass up the opportunity to dine here? When I found out I was coming to Madrid I had to book a table. First things first, my suggestion is book way in advance. This place fills up fast. My friend and I waited too long and the only seating we could get was at 11:15 PM. No big deal though there's plenty of places you can get a light snack in the surrounding area while exploring the city. Walking in, the architecture immediately hits you. Low ceilings, gorgeous old brick, tight dining rooms, it really feels like you stepped back in time. The whole atmosphere is elevated without being stiff. Staff was super friendly and made the experience feel smooth from start to finish. There's also apprently a really nice wine cellar at the bottom I overheard other patrons bragging about. Food wise, I will keep it real, it was good, just not my favorite meal in Madrid. The sangria was solid, definitely one of my highlights. The croquettes were fire. Crispy, creamy, exactly what you want. My friend's seafood casserole was actually really good too, I lowkey wish I went that route. Now the misses. The sautéed vegetables with Iberian ham didn't do it for me. The veggies needed seasoning bad, and the ham leaned a little too salty, so together it just felt off. The suckling pig, the signature dish, was good, but I was not blown away. If I find myself returning here, I would explore other options. After dinner, there was a little show and they let you keep a souvenir menu, which was a nice touch and made the night feel more memorable. Overall I had a solid 3.5 star experience rounded up to 4. Sobrino de Botín is history, it is iconic, and it is worth saying you have been. Just do not expect it to be the best meal of your trip. Hit Botín, soak it in, then go explore the rest of Madrid's food scene, because that is where things really start to shine.

Great find in Madrid!! After slogging through a small part of the Prado (art museums are not our…read morefav), we were ready for lunch. This place is right behind the Prado - perfect location. Ambience- cozy place with good indoor and outdoor seating. We chose indoor as the weather is cold today. Service was excellent, so nice! Food- first they brought out hot baguettes! Hubby was in heaven. He had the French onion soup and loved it! We shared the patacones (please excuse spelling). These are crispy delicious plantain pancakes served with avocado, crème fraiche and feta. So good!! I had Ghandi chicken salad that came with banana bread and greens. Beautiful presentation and tasted delicious. So glad we got a chance to try this place before we leave Madrid. Highly recommend!!

Murillo Café feels like one of those places you don't expect to find outside Venezuela. I tried…read moreseveral things and everything was on point, but the polvorosa de pollo really stood out. It instantly took me back to Venezuela, where I had it many times growing up -- pure comfort food, the kind that brings memories with every bite. The tequeños were light and crispy, not oily, and clearly made with care. The numpias were another favorite, crunchy, flavorful, and even better dipped in soy sauce, which adds a subtle Asian twist without taking away from what makes them special. The sliders were just ok. What truly completes the experience is the attention. It's warm, natural, and welcoming, making you feel at home without trying too hard. Murillo Café delivers authenticity, nostalgia, and genuinely good food.

Retiro Park is like the Central Park of Madrid. This gigantic park has it all. Large grassy areas…read morefor a picnic or long pathways to run or walk. A big lake in the center to rent a row boat and ride around or a crystal palace to swoon over. Retiro is big and it can be hard to see everything on foot. There are lots of available rental bikes to make your trip throughout the park even easier.

Beautiful park ! Lots of space for kids to run and play ! Plenty of cafes to grab coffee before and…read moreevening stroll! Came in winter and still is stunning

We were looking for inexpensive dining options and Lateral was recommended by our hotel staff. The…read moremenu had a very unique take on familiar options. I was craving a burger. They had one but it as made with veal, which kind of turned me off. Instead I decided to have the gyozas. (Dumplings which were half with veggies and half with minced chicken.). They were good, but they were not quite warm. They came with a dipping sauce which added a little kick of flavor. My sister had the veal, which was very thin and breaded. She said it was quite good. The restaurant was clean inside, but very informal and plain. Service was good and they had a full bar. Lateral was good; but nothing special to warrant a second visit.

This place was recommended by our Airbnb host. This was his favorite spot for tapas…read more You should know, majority of Spain eats dinner late by American standards, like 9-11pm so we were lucky that they were open at 6pm. I'm embarrased to say we ordered like typical Americans and ordered like half the menu lol. The restaurant had AC, clean bathrooms, and everything was delicious!

This chocolateria has been in business for over 130 years, so it was probably safe to assume they…read moreknow how to make chocolate and just as essentially, the churros upon which their chocolate clings. Based on the definitive opinions of travel vloggers, this appeared to be the place to get the fabled chocolate con churros. Jamie W and I made our way here through the labyrinth of streets near Puerta del Sol. It was early evening so no surprise there was a queue, but it moved quickly because this historic place was a model of efficiency. It's the type of place where you need to be ready to order the moment you're in front of the hostess. Luckily, we had made mental notes of what to order from one particular vlogger, so we were ready. It only took a minute to secure one of their marble cafe tables. Our order arrived fairly quickly. It consisted of a 2,5€ plate of Churros, six long sticks of chewy, delicious dough. Unlike the Mexican version, it wasn't dusted with sugar because the 3,7€ cup of Hot Chocolate was more than enough (Photo 8). Incredibly rich and only lightly sweetened. The churros might've been enough for a neophyte, but we double-downed with a 2,5€ order of two Porros (Photo 7). Porras are a thicker, doughier version of churros, so of course, they were our favorites because they really held the chocolate with assurance. Even though we went through two cups of hot chocolate, we still had 2,4€ cups of Cafes con Leche to wash it all down (Photo 10). It was an ideal dessert experience because who doesn't love awesome doughnuts? Definitely a must-gorge when in Madrid. FOOD - 5 stars...the motherlode when it comes to chocolate con churros...get the porros AMBIANCE - 4 stars...crowded but historically atmospheric with enough elbow room SERVICE - 4 stars...speedy TOTAL - 5 stars...pretty essential Madrid experience RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/RH4DbI4Fwc

Churros con Chocolate -- 10/10: literally who am i to judge a churro recipe/spot that has been…read moreserving the same recipe 24/7 since 1894 loool ofc it was phenomenal!!! i fear i will never find another churro as good as this. the chocolate dipping sauce was also so good i wanted to drink it Tucked into an alley in Puerta de Sol is this vintage chocolateria. Stepping into the alley feels like you're entering a vintage postcard. The workers were nice and I had a very pleasant time enjoying my churros and admiring the history and decor inside.

We have eaten at restaurants from South Africa to Las Vegas and all over Spain this vacation and…read morelive in Las Vegas and never had a meal as good as the meal we had tonight. From the snapper to lamb chops ti lemon and Monchegio cheese dessert . The meals made my eyes close and savor every taste. Deserves a Michelin Star and a restaurant in Las Vegas USA . The ambience and service and music and restaurant sublime.

Beautiful setting in a location slightly out of the beaten path. Friendly service, great tapas,…read moregood wines. Very enjoyable experience.

Another visit that was high on the list of things to do in Madrid…read more I bought passes that came with an English guide. I enjoyed having that, but you could easily come through on your own without a guide and be fine. Our guided tour was about 90 minutes, but you could also stay as long after as you desired. We ended up staying about another hour to catch some of the things the tour didn't stop at. Note that you cannot take photos inside. It also seems to get pretty busy early, so it might be a good idea to go fairly early or closer to closing. Would highly recommend the Prado.

We checked into our hotel kind of late and already had 5:30 PM reservation tickets for Museo del…read morePrado that we bought about a month in advance. It was close to our hotel but not close enough to make it there on time since we were literally just leaving the hotel at 5:30 PM. The hotel attendant immediately suggested taking a cab because we were already running behind. When we arrived, I swear the line looked a mile long! Thankfully my bf asked one of the attendants before we jumped in line because apparently all those people were waiting for the free admission window. We found out that they offer daily late-entry free admission Monday-Saturday from 6 PM-8 PM. Since we already had tickets, they scanned us right in and there was basically no wait. Huge tip: if you purchased tickets in advance, do NOT automatically follow the giant line! Walk directly toward the front and ask an attendant where ticket holders should enter. It will save you so much time! Lol. I mainly wanted to come here for the Francisco Goya artwork. The museum definitely feels very old world European and is heavily centered around royalty, religion, and classical art. After a while it can start to feel emotionally heavy even for a Catholic like me. If you really enjoy soaking in the artwork and taking your time, I'd recommend visiting earlier in the day so you don't feel rushed trying to see everything. My one complaint is that the directions to the toilets/restrooms were not very clear. We spent a while walking around trying to find one before eventually giving up and leaving since we were already exhausted and super jet lagged. Thankfully our hotel was only about a 20-minute walk away. It was still a great experience and definitely something I'd recommend if you're visiting Madrid. P.S. Photos are not allowed inside, so don't expect to be taking pictures of the artwork while visiting.

I stumbled across this largely by accident as I had arrived from my day trip to Toledo earlier than…read moreoriginally planned and still had the urge to explore something new. Unlike Retiro Park and other spots, this is one more partaken by the locals of Madrid rather than the tourists like me. Because of the heat, I didn't really explore the area in full. However, it's serene and blissful in the midst of a bustling metro. It's quite the way to escape from the madness. Fortunately there is easy metro access here so it isn't hard to reach.

The decision to place one of Madrid's highways underground provided an unprecedented opportunity to…read morelocate the city of Madrid within its surroundings, achieving a greater environmental biodiversity and a city that is greener, more habitable and sustainable.

I can imagine that Real Jardin Botanico gets overlooked by its more famous neighbor, El Museo del…read morePrado. But if you need a respite from the hustle and concrete of the city without leaving, this is really a very nice botanical garden to visit. There are many paths that take you through both well-planted and more wildly arranged beds with a variety of plants to enjoy. Fountains and art can be found throughout. There are also multiple, large greenhouses for the vegetation that can't survive the climate without assistance including a very arid house for cacti and other succulents as well as a rainforest greenhouse with high humidity and a catwalk to look down on the impressive assortment. You can also check out the bonsai path for some really impressive specimens. They also have a rotating exhibit, though I didn't pay the additional entry fee for it. I was really impressed with the gardens and hope that more people take advantage of such a great destination in the heart of the city!

It's a small botanical garden and seemed a bit unkempt with a few dead specimens and some weed…read moresprouting up. The conservatory felt messy and crowded, with plants not people, but I did enjoy the carnivorous plant collection. There was a small rotating exhibit in another building that was interesting. The current one was of plant in fashion, think plant based dyes etc. Compared to the nearby Retiro Park, or even the Parque del Oeste across town, this garden really was unimpressive. And it's the only one of the three that charges an entrance fee! Sure, 4 euros isn't a lot, but if you are short on time, I'd definitely skip this.