Casa Hortensia Restaurante & Sidrería — Restaurant in Madrid

We werr visiting Madrid in Dec. 2017. First of all, the service was bad. we were the first ones to come in when it opened and stood there just staring at the wall. Maybe they didnt see me, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Next they told me to just sit wherever. We walked to the back as the waiters (who are more...grown,older men) just stared at us. They seemed grumpy. ALL of them. They almost just threw the menus at us. . Next, the food. We were told by Spaniards friend that they make the best FABADA. And as you can see below they supposedly make some of the best in the world. We ordered that but were forced to order one more thing for my brother since u can't really share and what not. Whatever, we ordered it. When the food got there it was if they just threw the bowl at us. We just ate and were quite uncomfortable. It's was mixture like they couldn't wait for us to leave or they were just ready to help. We noticed to other people they were less aggressive. Maybe cz we were young lol (20&22). I was quite let down with the fabada. I mean,it was good but seemed like something my mom makes at home like every other week so....I'm not one to EVER throw away food but I left more than half my plate CZ I couldn't finish it. I wasn't in the mood for that. But in the bright side,they are big portions. Also,maybe I should've googled what it is before ordering but I wanted to be surprised so... . When I got home I was told by my Spainaird friend that their attitude is normal. That that's how most older men are in Madrid and that they don't mean any harm. So,you be the judge of that. It was whatevers overall to me.for me personally it was not worth the price and wont be returning here on my next trip to Madrid. Check it out for yourself though. Maybe you'll love it. Follow us on Instagram...

I would not recommend this restaurant based on our experience. If I could give zero stars, I would.

The service was notably disappointing, with the server—wearing a blue blazer—demonstrating a particularly unprofessional attitude. He reacted negatively to our orders, seemed irritable, and at one point, when we tried to signal for assistance, he remarked to the host in Spanish, "why don’t YOU go and help them," in what felt like a dismissive tone.

The food was equally dismal. After ordering lamb chops, we waited nearly an hour for what finally arrived: a dish of fried, dried meat that smelled off and didn’t resemble lamb in the slightest. This wasn't what we ordered, and we could not eat it. Other parts of the meal were similarly disappointing; my partner's tortilla with tuna looked unappetizing, and she barely touched it, opting to eat only the eggs and fries.

To add to the frustration, the payment process was also unpleasant. When I tapped my credit card, the machine requested a PIN, though my credit card doesn’t require one. Instead of assisting, the server raised his voice, insisting that all cards require a PIN. I eventually paid via my phone, but he continued to lecture us loudly on how credit and debit cards "should work." It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, as other patrons looked on.

This experience left us feeling poorly treated, as we noticed other guests receiving prompt service and a more personalized approach. While I hesitate to make accusations, the server’s attitude did feel biased and discriminatory.

In the end, we paid 81 euros for a meal that included little more than some table bread, eggs, and fries, as most other items were left untouched due to quality and...

I was in Madrid for a few days attending a conference. This restaurant came recommended by one of the conference hoists and I'm so glad we took the advice. What a fantastic restaurant, simply divine food.

There were 8 of us dining on a Thursday night. We made a reservation for 21:30 but it was not needed which is quite surprising, you would think a restaurant this good would be packed every night. Service was very good and friendly, even though there was not much English being understood by the waiters. They do have English menus though, which made things a little easier.

We had a huge serving of bread with a blue cheese dip to start with. This was followed by a selection of tapas which included: artichokes which were done with ham; a simply amazing omelette made from ham, sausage and tuna - which looks and tastes nothing like an omelette, but is simply divine, I think this is the house tortilla, a hake omelette - which is more like a what you would expect from a tortilla; and the Hake's Napa with fries. We had a selection of deserts, all were great, but I had the Santiago Cake (Almond tort).

Everything was simply fantastic, all the food was done to perfection. We had several bottles of red wine to wash it all down with and quite a few coffees. We were given a selection of complimentary after dinner spirits at the end of the meal. The whole thing came to €45 per head which we all thought was very reasonable.

I don't think I've ever gone to a restaurant with a group before where everyone absolutely loved everything. Would I come here again, absolutely yes, I would happily visit Madrid again just to...