Casa Ciriaco

Booked this as we had read that it’s very popular and authentic and always busy so thought we’d try it. Arrived and luckily the basement was empty so our lovely waitress (wish we had her name, from London) offered to take us down to have a look around which was very cool - definitely ask to do if you go. She gave some great info about the history of the place. The menu was authentic but also somewhat pricey (expected). Weren’t sure what to go for so very friendly waiter gave us some great recommendations despite our limited Spanish which turned out to be great. Croquetas and albóndigas were good. Had a bottle of the house wine which was nice and were able to take away with us as well.

The restaurant was decorated with old photos at the top half and ornated wall tiles at the half bottom part of the wall. The white table cloth gave a elegant look throughout the whole dining area. The Vermut was sweet, refreshing and aromatic. Cinnamon and clove are the most pronounced herbs. We tried: Callos a la Madrilena - Madrilenian style tripe. Soft but chewy white tripe, which soaked with flavorful soup. Gallina en pepitoria - classic spanish chicken dish, unfortunately didn't match to our palates. It's hard to explain the complexity of the flavor. Pork chicharron was nice. It's served with chips. The safest to go food in every spanish restaurant we visited.

What a wonderful experience. Not only their food was Real Madrid tapas but the history of the restaurant is amazing. Our server Edwin, gave us a tour of the underground saloon where the king has dinner with his family once a year. If you are in Madrid, Casa Ciriaco is a must. Not only for their food, their history but because they been doing it for over 100 years.

Authentic Castilian cooking with generous portions and honest flavors. Casa Ciriaco offers a warm, historic atmosphere and friendly, unhurried service. A reliable spot to enjoy traditional Madrid cuisine, simply done, right in the city center, without unnecessary fuss overall.

This over 100 year restaurant was a great choice for lunch while roaming Madrid’s Calle Major (Main Street). The bar area is a casual drinking and dining area while the rear section serves for more formal dining. Service staff were friendly and helpful even though we only managed a few Spanish words. Highly recommended is their award winning Callos Madrilano, an unctuous stew with beef, tripe and chorizo sausage. Get some bread to mop up all the delicious stew. The Empanadilla is available in many tapas bars but not many have the Rabo de Toro (Oxtail Empanadilla). Don’t miss this and be sure to add the beef gravy when eating the empanada. The ubiquitous Madrid favourite Ensaladila Rusa (Russian Salad) helps provide a light balance to the rich food. The Jamon Croquettes and the Fried Bacalao were both good. Both the Cheesecake and the Vanilla and Strawberry ice cream were spot on and a perfect ending to the meal here. Do order the Vermut here which is served from the tap. Be warned that it packs a real punch and you should stop at two unless you’re heading back to the hotel for a siesta after the meal.

Typical taberna in Madrid. Not the cheapest but good place to eat some local specialities or have a drink.

This restaurant with tapas option is a great & authentic choice for food near the palace. We had two dishes and wine. The gallina sauce is what everyone says it is… simply amazing. I wish I could take it home. They have a house wine made for them. It’s devine.

Dropped in because it was suggested by a tour guide. They had just conveniently opened right after my morning tour of the royal palace finished. I walked over and got myself a table overlooking the main street where I watched people come and go. The main dining hall doesn’t open until 1pm so you have to settle for the front area that’s basically a bar. I found myself having a beer at 11am most days. It seemed like the right drink to start the day off. I got a couple items that were both potato based. They like to mix their eggs with potatoes. I’m with it. What I had was just enough to tied me over until my scheduled dinner. I kinda wish I was able to try their proper menu since the only stuff available was the tapas items which was limited. A family I had seen during my tour came in to try to eat, but left after they found out they had to wait another 30 minutes to be able to sit down inside.

Dropped in because it was suggested by a tour guide. They had just conveniently opened right after my morning tour of the royal palace finished. I walked over and got myself a table overlooking the main street where I watched people come and go. The main dining hall doesn't open until 1pm so you have to settle for the front area that's basically a bar. I found myself having a beer at 11am most days. It seemed like the right drink to start the day off. I got a couple items that were both potato based. They like to mix their eggs with potatoes. I'm with it. What I had was just enough to tied me over until my scheduled dinner. I kinda wish I was able to try their proper menu since the only stuff available was the tapas items which was limited. A family I had seen during my tour came in to try to eat, but left after they found out they had to wait another 30 minutes to be able to sit down inside.

Incredible character in this XIX century historical restaurant. It serves traditional Madrid cuisine. It is famous for its cocido, and it's callos, gallina en pepitoria. The service bings you to a time of elegant professional waiters, that knew their job well. If you have respect and love for this city, this place will help you understand what cultures it is built on. Don't miss this one.

This one of the best authentic Madrid cuisine I ever experienced! This place has been opened since 1887, really, no kidding. You need to experience this place for once in your life visit to Madrid.

Beware, this restaurant is not customer friendly, we had the worst meal tonight. We waited to be seated because of a large group gathering. Once seated, the waiter rushed us to order our food and would not wait for us to take the time to look at the menu. Both meals were poorly prepared and not good. I posted my concerns on google and the manager approached us and said the posting was a lie. Said we were drunk and could tell good food. He followed us out yelling about our posting. Don't waste your money here.

Yum! While on holiday in Madrid my family and I came here for dinner on our last night. It was completely empty when we got there and stayed that way the whole night, except for one other American family that showed up halfway through our meal. They brought us complimentary bread and some sort of potato salad to start. The bread was crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside - qualities of a good bread. The potato salad thing was good, even though I don't like mayonnaise. For a starter, we got langoustines (like shrimp but better) and they were so tender and fresh. For our entree we got steak frites and roast chicken to share between the three of us. The steak was cooked perfectly so it was so juicy and seasoned perfectly and the fries were crisp and mealy. The chicken was so moist and flavorful. For dessert we got vanilla ice cream and cheesecake with a berry topping. The cheesecake tasted great but had a weird texture - maybe we were just too used to New York style cheesecake. The best part of our experience was our waiter. He was so friendly and sweet and gave us a little postcard with the history of the building that the restaurant was in.