Ástor "Puerta Cerrada" — Restaurant in Madrid

Astor gets rave reviews but while the service is exemplary, I fear its food delivery is on auto pilot. And the music is stuck in Sinatraland. We were given an ‘amuse bouche’ shortly after being seated. Our Spanish is non-existent so I missed the description. But they were a pair of what appeared to be dough balls covered in something light brown. They were a bit tasteless and dry. Accompanied by a piquant yellow sauce which helped but in itself wasn’t that interesting. Bread and oil was delicious. You can’t go wrong with Jamon Iberica, but you pay for it…The beetroot humus and crispy pitta were good too. I had home made tagliatelle with a pale tomato and truffle sauce. This should have been sensational but wasn’t. In the cooking sections of pasta had become stuck together making for rather too al dente a texture. There were a few slices of truffle but the sauce lacked punch. My partner’s fish had a slightly spicy sauce and she quite liked the dish as a whole, but nothing to write home about. We passed on puddings and tea/coffee which is a bit of a sign. In parting we were given a couple of shots of what looked like limoncello. Nice gesture but too sickly in taste and not a stylish note to end on. The room is fine and aspects of the decor are ok - interesting metal ‘coolie hat’ lampshades over some tables - but an unfinished feel. Not quite sure where the raven/black bird fits in. The oddest thing was the choice of music which could best be described as ‘American crooner’. Not great for the atmosphere, but at least it wasn’t too loud. As we left at around 9.30 the street outside was rammed with people waiting to get in. So ignore me Astor, your formula is...

I’ve never come across a place with a 4.9 rating and so many enthusiastic reviews before.

The food was truly incredible, but what really stood out was the staff. They were simply outstanding.

When we tried to visit their other restaurant (same name, menu, etc.) and found it fully booked, the hostess didn’t just leave us hanging. Instead, she kindly offered to help us secure a table at their second location, just a short 4-minute walk away. She took the time to check availability and ensure we could enjoy our evening.

Instead of a simple “no, sorry, goodbye,” she went above and beyond to help us have a wonderful experience.

The level of care and attention we received was remarkable. From assisting us in choosing our main dishes and wine to warmly opening the door and wishing us a pleasant night, every interaction felt thoughtful and genuine.

It’s clear that this restaurant truly understands how to provide excellent service, which explains their abundance of heartfelt reviews. I'm genuinely grateful for the experience and appreciate the effort made to ensure we had a great...

The place doesn't look big from outside, but there has quite many tables inside and basement. If you have company reunion or family meals, you can reserve the private space in the basement, so you won't need to see other customers. The staff was really friendly and helpful, also they were really caring and explaining all the dishes. We ordered Hummus de Remolacha, Ceviche frito, Risotto de Hongos, Pappardelle and 2 glass of cocktails. We liked most of the dishes, the amount and quality were really great. But personality I think Risotto de Hongos was a bit over sweet for my taste, if it is less sweet and more milky, then it will be even better. For the cocktails we ordered GUARAPITA CHIC - refrescante and RAQUELITA - afrutado y refrescante were super refreshing and flavory. A wonderful place if you like Latin American style food with new ideas and enjoy...