Maricastaña

Excellent tapas here and very pretty place. The truffle tuna and egg was soooo good. Green tomatos were also very unique and delicious. The pork tenderloin had a fun presentation hanging on a skewer, but was not as tasty as the chicken fingers! Our waiter was super nice and the Albarino was delicious and refreshing when it was super hot!

The front desk person Rosanna from Hotel Princesa recommended this restaurant and it did not disappoint. The ham croquettes were great and the baby squid dish was wonderful. Great food and service!

I came during dinner time and it was quite full. The service was excellent, but I would blame them for not knowing the English language. There is a very small selection of food on the menu. But what we got was very tasty and my recommendation for tacos and an appetizer with hummus!

Quick bite to eat. The decor felt island themed. Tables were spaced out nicely side by side, but it was a bit tight for tables behind me. The service was great. They spoke limited English, but they tried their best to figure out what we wanted. Food wise, it was okay. It was my first restaurant in Madrid, so I didn't have high expectations. I liked their squid ink potatoes and calamari, but the fries under the tuna tartare and eggs were soggy.

What a cozy breakfast spot! I found this place as I was walking around the neighbourhood I am staying. I love hot coffee, and the coffee was actually served with a heated cup. The lady working here looked really efficient. She was busy serving and making coffee, but she was kind and pleasant. I saw some local people working with their computers as they were having breakfast. I believe this place is popular among locals.

I had a fantastic experience at a cozy restaurant in Malasaña, Madrid. I ordered the lunch menu, which included "quesadillas de alcachofa" and "huevos rotos con tartar de atún ." Both dishes were a wonderful choice. The restaurant is pet-friendly, and the staff is pretty cool. Highly recommended!

What a cute coffee shop! It has charm, it is elegant and cozy. Great vibes for a date. Their coffee was really good and it is not served in your traditional glass/ceramic ware. Service was struggling a bit, my coffee sat there for about 5 min before they could bring it to the table since they were dealing with a few errors with the guests next to me.

Food was good, I had the tacos. Staff was kind. We walked in during the day and it wasn't crowded and we also didn't have to make a reservation.

One of our favorite meals while we visited Spain! We stumbled upon it by accident & really enjoyed it. We liked the majority of the items on the menu. Service was friendly and accommodating. We had the burrata, potatoes and the fried green tomatoes. We were so happy we stumbled across this restaurant!

With a relatively early bus ride down the freeway to Andalucia facing us the next morning--and with our stubborn refusal (up to this point) to abide by a Spanish dining schedule--we were looking for a good early-evening dinner option near our hotel over near the Callao metro stop. Like at 7pm, which we figure is barely the end of lunch time in Madrid. Or maybe a time at which 95-year-old Spaniards look for the Early Bird Specials. Maricastaña fit the bill, with a menu apparently available all day. At this hour, most everybody else at the restaurant was having either coffee and dessert or pre-dinner drinks. Except for us--and these two madcap young British gals at a neighboring table, who had a hankering for burgers and Coca-Colas (WTF?). We sat at the bar, where the ladies on duty didn't seem all that enthused about serving dinner at that hour. But they did so without fuss, and the prices were very reasonable given the food's high quality and the urbane feel of Maricastaña: Croquettes with ham and pumpkin squash (?) were a tasty starter, if nothing to get to excited about. But the marinated tuna with strawberry and sprouts, which sounded like a bit of reach, was ingenious and delicious; I only wish there had been more of it. We shared a main, which was hanging skewers of "solomillo ibérico" and veggies; at first, the dim light fooled us into thinking we were getting just pork, but we soon realized we were getting beef as well. Both meats were succulent, wonderfully seasoned, and perfectly cooked. Maricastaña has a lowlit, casual, comfortable ambience. (Very manageable sound levels at this early hour.) Apparently, not all that long ago Malasaña--especially this section of it--was gritty and counter-cultural, but this restaurant had the pleasant, conventional feel you'd expect in just about any urban and urbane (and white-collar) neighborhood around the First World.

This was probably the best meal I had in Madrid during my visit. I was recommended to visit this restaurant by my tour guide. I expressed to him that I wanted to find a place to have a great but filling meal. After reviewing their website, I decided to visit the restaurant for lunch so that I could sample the menu of the day. The menu of the day included 3 courses for just 11.50€. There were several options in each course from which to choose. Course one for me was a shrimp lettuce roll. I would equate it to a handheld salad because the roll encased shrimp and vegetables. It was good but it was topped with mayo and a bit too much mayo for my liking. I selected the Merluza with mushroom risotto. This was absolutely delicious! The fish was lightly seasoned but the portion was perfect for my greedy self. It was topped by a wonderfully flavored mushroom risotto. The risotto was rich and perfectly balanced with salt. I would have loved a second helping of the risotto. I chose cheesecake for dessert. It was ok. The cheese was a bit curdled and reminded me more of a flan than a creamy cheesecake. I arrived at 1pm without a reservation. They accommodated me but told me I would only have until 2pm. That was one hour to eat which should be fine but I was a bit bothered that I was on the clock. Since I was on vacation I prefer to be a bit more leisurely and not feel rushed through my meals. I ended up finishing on time and not being too rushed. This place gets busy though so I would recommend making a reservation especially if you are visiting in a group. This meal is an amazing deal. Although the restaurant is open for most of the day, the menu of the day is only offered from 1-4pm. The deal was perfect and I left feeling full. Oh and I forgot to mention the menu of the day also includes a glass of wine, beer or juice. So needless to say I would recommend this place for sure. My only reservation is they allowed a dog inside the restaurant during service. This was a pet, not a service animal. The staff all touched this dog and did not wash their hands before touching and serving food. Luckily I was done eating already.

Had dinner at Maricastana recently. We had a reservation for 9 pm on a Thursday. The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived but filled to maximum capacity by 9:30. The restaurant is very dimly lit and cozy. There is a bar area, where a lot of people were hanging out. Our waitress was really nice and had good suggestions for plates to order. I tried the following dishes: Patatas Bravas (3/5): These potatoes were all right, definitely not the best that I have had. The aioli was also very sweet, which I did not enjoy that much. Ensalada de quinoa con calabaza, queso de cabra y vinagreta de miel (4/5): Really good salad with arugula, quinoa, pumpkin, goat cheese, and honey vinaigrette. The salad had a great ratio of quinoa to arugula to cheese. My dining mates tried the quesadillas and hamburguesa de pechuga de pollo al curry, which they both loved, and the tarte flambée de alcachofas, which they did not enjoy whatsoever.

Horrible service Waited for more than 30 min for the food and when it finaly arrived- the server carried all 3 dishes at once without a tray - ;one of which was an iberico skewer which was hanging on some tall hook ). With that AND our table being so tiny WITH the drinks on it, and and with language barrier ( we speak only English ) we started to assist the waiter with the food ( we had no choice abou it he expected us to do so ) and before we knew it- the hook with the iberico skewers was on the floor/ knocking down our drinks on the floor and all over my shoes. S...t happens,and this wouldn't have been a problem , but what astonished me - server annoyingly cleaned the floor ( wouldn't even hide that he was pissed ) wouldnt acknowledging us. He even left a broken glass on our table (!!!) . He never offered us to order anotheR drink nor food ( as our food ended on the floor ) It was us who picked up the fallen food from the floor and put it on nearby table which he acknowledged 10 min later. This particularly sucks because it's not our job to help him serve the food- and he should have not put us in this position. We are not trained servers!! He had at the time only 2 tables besides us. This place is wanna be hip place with its set up and the ( old ) but trendy music- but one thing is clear- being an angry, rude and unprofessional j.rk is not hip nor cool last time I checked . Keep trying .

So sad that I didn't stumble upon this gem until my last night in Madrid, because I definitely would have been back more than once! It has a very homey yet trendy feel to it inside. I wasn't too hungry so I just ordered two appetizers and would recommend both: pumpkin + ham croquettes and then sweet potato fries with fried egg, shaved Parmesan and truffle. The staff was super attentive and very nice. Not sure if they take reservations, but I went around 8:30 pm on a Monday and had no problem getting a table.

Solid 10+. Fine decor, welcoming and pleasant waitstaff, beyond spectacular food!!!! Very creative, and equally delicious menu. Had lunch here on Christmas day, absolutely amazing!!

Great lunch place with very nice waitstaff. We had burrata with tomato salad and the chicken curry burger which was very good. We did not have dessert but the carrot cake looked good. Overall great vibe, service and food.

Well I, ladies and gents, am lucky enough to live just a couple of doors down from this fine establishment. I've been here for about a month now and each time I walked past the cafe it looked like Christmas morning (that is, I often walked by on a cold, rainy night and the warm-colored inside looked heavenly). I finally made a first foray after attending a few mini-obras at the Microteatro Por Dinero just around the block. My first impression was a good one - the decoration was warm and cuddly (for lack of a better term), and everyone there seemed to be in their 20s or 30s and part of the "cool" Malasaña crowd. The waitress was attentive and we settled shortly thereafter on a couple glasses of house tinto. Delicious. Unfortunately, my stomach couldn't handle dessert after having a large dinner elsewhere, but the tartas on other folks' tables looked promising. I would definitely recommend this place as a good first date locale. The ambiance is comfortable and still cool, and the mood lighting sparks good conversations (as do their flavorful wines). Perhaps I'll see you there?

Found Maricastana after walking down a street suggested for restaurants. Walked in without a reservation, and were told there would be a 15 minute wait. During the wait, we had a seat at the bar, which had plenty of open seating. The meal was awesome for our first night in Madrid. Marinated Salmon, Artichoke Quesadilla, and the Duck Confit. These three were more than enough for two people, and the Duck Confit was the best of all. Ambiance is very cool as well. Kind of like a more low key New York restaurant. Highly recommend.

The decor was cute and most of the food was good BUT there was GLASS in the already bad nachos. We discovered this after I already ate some of the glass, not knowing what it was. They didn't seem very concerned at all.

Just my absolute favorite restaurant in Madrid. They have the BEST duck confit. I also love their fried green tomatoes, quinoa salad, and carrot cake. Flat bread has great and healthy toppings but very thin. Wonderful ambiance and staff!! On a lovely strip away from the tourist traps.