Cervantes Cervecería — Restaurant in Madrid

Cervantes is just incredible. I don't have enough superlatives to describe how much I like it. Since being in Madrid these last few months, it was a regular haunt prior to lockdown and I'm so happy they swiftly re-opened after restrictions were eased. This one tapa bar / restaurant is worth 50 other restaurants as far as I'm concerned. It is unassuming inside with some traditional decor, clean and buzzy when all of the tables are full. Everyone that works there is lovely - shout out to Alfonso - and efficient and liberal with the tapas (and sometimes the odd drink at the end of a meal). And the free tapas are great! Proper little morsels of deliciousness that change every time you order a drink. The busier it is the better for tapa diversity - mussels, followed by a strong cheese, olives, patatas. And when you order a racion you won't be disappointed, the quality is great and they have a huge choice of dishes, my go-to raciones are currently the boquerones, which are the best I've had in Madrid, really juicy, just the right amount of vinegar and a generous portion; the pulpo - OMG THE PULPO! This is a show-stopper right here. Massive portion of the most tender, melt-in-the-mouth pulpo going, it is normally cooked to perfection with liberal amounts of olive oil; also have to mention the torreznos - really tasty too. They also have Mahou Maestra on draft - definitely the best Spanish draft beer going. As a wine lover, if I could I would change their by-the-glass wine choices - best to stay away from them really and just enjoy a beer or vermut, they're not great. All in all, this is probably my favourite place to go and eat in Madrid. It has authentic character, is great quality and the service is brilliant. Highly highly...

Delicious Spanish food, a place not to miss when visiting Madrid if you want a local experience. Has a wide range of tapas that can be ordered as portions, or “raciones”. It is important to know that you can also order half portions, which is usually a better idea for small groups. We tried the iberian ham croquettes (half), the small peppers, the spanish omelette with potatoes (half) , the iberian ham (half) and the cheese platter. They were all very tasty especially the peppers. Personally, we only did not love the cheese selection of the platter. We drank the vermouth which was super nice, another must try when in Madrid. Overall it’s a very local and tasty experience. If you want to try lots of different food, ordering half portions is a great idea. For all the food for three people, we payed...

Smack in the city center, and a lovely throwback to traditional pensions. A third-floor viewless walk-up (unless the tiny, aged elevator happens to be either on your floor, or properly exited by the previous user) with narrow, well worn, but nicely finished wooden stairs.

The few rented rooms are small and very simple, but upgraded with modern amenities that are now considered standard:

AC (noisy in-room floor units that struggle to cut the summer heat) private bathrooms (cramped, with misfitting fittings) Good Wifi delightful (though non English-speaking) caretaker

It also has throwbacks to some elegant perversion traditions: high ceilings (that add to the AC's struggles) Large, comfortably furnished public common room Tall, heavy wooden shared doors that are nicely finished...