Looking for places to get good food.
No 3 star types.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
We just got back from Madrid. After five days in San Sebastián we wanted to stay away from high end type starred restaurants - keep things more simple and cheaper. We had three excellent dinners which were all very different - here are some quick thoughts which I can try to add to when I have time. Many places we looked into were not open at the beginning of August (particularly a couple of seafood places that I really wanted to go to) but we were very happy with the following three:
First night - El Paraguas - more upscale than the other two - outdoor seating as well - excellent wine list across all price ranges and generally reasonable (went with a 2001 La Rioja Alta 904 for 60 E and a Pazo Senorans Seleccion de Anada for 45 E). Good service. Thought the food was varied and excellent. So, a nice intermediate step down from something that is more serious dining to the casual. This was a rec from my father but I read a lot of Trip Advisor reviews and other online write ups that were very favorable.
Second night - Casa Benigna - casual place known for their very serious take on paella. We are far from experts on paella but it was terrific and the other dishes were nice too. It was obvious from the moment that we set foot in the restaurant that they cared about their guests and took what they did very seriously - owner created his own special paella pans and carefully selects different types of rice for different dishes, even smoking one type of rice…special production olive oil and they make their own aged balsamic (give guests small bottles of both on the way out). The waiter knew every detail about each dish and the owner’s philosophy Surprisingly good wine list and pretty well priced - some great choices of reds including some excellent Riojas for basically retail price but we felt like a white. Get this - I was torn between two different whites that I wasn’t particularly familiar with that the waiter suggested (he spoke English) and he just opened both and asked me which bottle I preferred to keep drinking. Read a few dozen of the Trip Adviser comments and you’ll get the picture. Don’t recall where I first got the name of the restaurant but then read reviews. The next day when I was talking with the concierge about a restaurant for our last night and showed him a list I had previously made which included Casa Benigna, his eyes lit up when he saw that name and he said we had to go there - was happy to hear we had such a good experience. Quite reasonably priced as well - a few apps, three paellas, a bottle of wine and it was 120 Euros. From the reviews we expected a nice evening but they really over delivered and made us feel like we were “regulars” (they even comped an extra app, a dessert and tea) - as a sign of the evening (and I don’t do this much but the service was so personal and enjoyable), I left an extra 50 Euros .
Third night - Las Tortillas de Gambino - quite casual atmosphere and reasonably priced but everything we tried was quite nice. They are know for their version of traditional Spanish omlettes - I cannot comment on a relative basis but we loved them. Surprisingly decent and well priced wine list for a small place - chose a very nice 2014 Pazo de Senorans Albariño for 18 Euros. Overall very reasonably priced (at 80 Euros the cheapest dinner on the trip) and a nice place for a relatively quicker and more simple dinner. I also don’t recall where I came up with this name but the online reviews were very favorable (and turned out to be accurate).
I don’t know that any of these would make a list of sought after Madrid restaurants but each one really hit us the right way for what it was - for us, after a week of focusing on the well known and top type places, these worked out nicely. Look them up as one might fit what it seems you are looking for.
I ate at Meson de Candido when I was in Segovia some years back. It isn’t cheap and pretty old school, and it is definitely a tourist destination, but the suckling pig was delicious.
I love to go to Sabrino de Botin in Madrid. Oldest restaurant in the world, Goya worked there, Hemingway wrote about it in The Sun Also Rises. Not a cutting edge Spanish restaurant, not a starred experience, but thier suckling pig and sopa de ajo are worth the trip.
http://www.casabotin.com/?q=en
Ditto. They make a nice pig. As I recall, decent winelist if you want local and don’t need a trophy. Which I always like in Europe.
Here are a couple of very casual places in Madrid.
For some of the finest, very regional-style paella along the lines of snails, rabbit meat and Murcian sausages, try going to El Ventorrillo Murciano. This restaurant, which uses only high quality and fresh ingredients, including using only the finest rice from Murcia, is a must for us whenever in Madrid. It’s in a slightly difficult to find area that’s better suited for a lunch, rather than dinner, for an out-of-towner. Of course, their wine list is very heavy into cava, with some local still reds and whites. Locals flock here because of the value and top-quality paella, so advanced reservation is a must.
Casa Lucio in the La Latina area in Madrid, amongst the rows of old/traditional city restaurants, is good for the traditional Madrileño dishes and local tapas, and they also have a decent al-Spanish wine list. Plenty of local workers frequent the place for lunch with families dining at night. There’s enough variety in the menu to please everybody.
We had a great time at Restaurante Jose Maria in Segovia. While a bit touristy, the Cochinilla (suckling pig) was fantastic. Very laid back too. http://www.restaurantejosemaria.com/
I was surprised that it was as good as it turned out to be, given its touristic nature.
Lot’s of Madrid recommendations in the travel forum…
Many thanks guys!
From a previous post:
Here are our now somewhat dated comments about our October 2011 dining experiences in Spain. As I have said before, but it is worth repeating, we are not professional critics, but we do eat well and think we know what is good. Feel free to take the comments below with a grain of Cadiz sea salt.
Madrid – Dinner at Casa Patas on Calle Cañizares – Well-known place with a show of Flamenco music, singing, and dance and pretty good Sangria in a dark back room, followed by our first genuine tapas experience (albondigas, pork shoulder, bellota jamon [wow, is that stuff delicious!], grilled octopus, and oxtails) at the crowded, boisterous, and friendly bar: what’s not to love? A fine start to the journey, and we would return if we desired more Flamenco.
Madrid – Lunch at Casa Salvador on Barbieri – As Anthony Bourdain indicated, this place is pure, old school, traditional perfection with ancient, smiling professional waiters happily and enthusiastically serving large Gin & Tonics (note: there seems to be an obsession in Spain with this drink) and hearty, delicious classics. Great olives and jamon to start, followed by shrimp with garlic, oxtails (order confirmed by our laughing waiter pointing to the tail on one of the bull statues in the room), perfect flan, and a great dish of arroz con leche. We would return and I’d love to try dinner there.
Madrid – Dinner at Restaurante Esteban on Cava Baja – Chosen by whim and perhaps a dash of instinct on the crowded, crazy boulevard of tapas, this was a warm, friendly, delicious evening. We stayed in the bar area up front, but watched many folks head for the dining room. Traditional tapas galore: pimientos rojos, those amazing light green olives, jamon, albondigas, chorizo, morcilla, and substantial servings of slices of suckling pig and a leg of roast baby lamb my wife saw, smiled, and pointed at while exploring the room. The house Rioja flowed and it was a wonderful meal. Before we could leave, one of the very friendly waiters insisted we wait so he could go to the freezer, pull out a mysterious bottle, and pour us short glasses of a terrific digestif, perhaps a Pacharán? We would return.
Madrid – Dinner at La Giralda on Calle Claudio Coello – One of a small local chain renowned for seafood. Our first slightly upscale dinner, meaning we actually sat down in a lovely dining room, where I believe we were the only tourists among noisy family-filled tables. Very good gazpacho; tuna, tomato and onion salad; a fine paella; and tasty but rather small lamb chops, served by a spectacularly forgetful waiter (if we did not remind him what we had ordered, we might still be sitting there waiting). It was a good meal, with lackluster service, and not one that would call us back.
Madrid – Dinner at La Barraca on Calle de la Reina – This place is famous for paella and, based on my limited knowledge of the dish, rightfully so as it certainly was a delicious meal. Reservations needed and it was packed late into the night. Excellent starters, including sautéed “wild” mushrooms, Buñuelos de Bacalao (codfish fritters), and “Madrid-style” tripe (even I enjoyed this dish and our chef traveling companion Anders opined it may have been the best he ever tasted). We ordered two different paellas – the “Valencian” with rabbit and chicken, and the “Reina de Mariscos,” which arrived covered with numerous, beautiful shellfish. This was really a very fine dinner, and we would return."
Segovia- Lunch at Jose Maria on Cronista Lecea - Our travelling companions and Spain guides Anders and Maria talked this place up big time, really increasing our expectations of what Anders promised would be the best dish of pork we ever tasted. All I can say is, verdad! We knew we were in good hands when our starter dishes arrived: great morcilla; my new favorite legumes – “judiones” (gargantuan white beans, perfectly cooked and served in a fantastic sauce loaded with pork bits); and a mixed jamon platter including some of the best chorizo any of us have ever enjoyed. Then, the main attraction arrived, an entire roast piglet, which they do not slice, mind you; rather, they cut it, somewhat jarringly, with the side of a heavy plate. This is “cochinillo asado” (roast suckling pig) country, and Jose Maria is justly famed for its truly amazing rendition, with perfectly crackling, crispy skin; a thin layer of milky fat; and succulent, moist, tender, white meat. It really was an amazing dish. If we return to Segovia, which is likely because it is a really cool town, we will return to Jose Maria.
Enjoy!
Andrew
Thanks to all. We went to several off the beaten path places but always ended up at our hotel where they had the best jamon de bellota. I don’t know where they got it from (purveyor) but the jamon was so delicious.
In Segovia, I wished I would have chosen Jose Maria instead of Meson de Candido.
It was touristy. Food was good however. Just not what I was expecting. Next time.
For my wife’s birthday we went to El Club Allard. It is a two star but such a value. 14 courses. I can’t really relay how fantastic this place is. Perfect execution. Inventive. Attentive and knowledgable staff. They treated my wife like a queen. If you get a chance you should go there.
Don,
When we get the chance, we will! Thanks for the suggestion.
Glad you enjoyed yourselves!
Cheers,
Andrew
I have a short trip to Madrid coming up. Anyone been recently?
In Segovia, El Duque
In Madrid, let me ask my in laws.
Juan de tolosa in the old town. Best steaks in the world. Simple.