El Landó — Restaurant in Madrid

I'm really unsure if we ordered the wrong dishes but our experience was extremely disappointing.

The place came highly recommended and reviews on google support the recommendation.

However our food was bland ranging to inedible. The bread on the table was hard as a rock and took both my grubby hands with a tight grasp to force it to break. The stewing tomatoes left on our table were possibly the only tasty part of the meal. The black pudding was equally nice. The rest was awful.

We ordered a lot and a wide range. Clams were criminally small to eat and covered in grit. The sauce being the only redeemable feature with an initially umami flavour swiftly followed by a lingering bitter after taste.

The steak of the house was tough and mainly just chunks (not marbles) of fat, although well presented on a sizzling plate. Accompanied by bland and tough fries adorned with peppers, which to be fair were the only tasty thing. Perfect blend of spice and sweet.

After dropping €124 for such a poor meal on our last night in Madrid I felt rather deflated.

The interior is equally underwhelming. Tucked underground with a beautiful wooden ceiling which unfortunately is covered in cobwebs slowly making its way to your dish. The celebrity photos covering every part of the wall soon lose their entertaining factor.

Staff are nice, although I got the sense with all the dignitaries and celeb clientele didn't really have time for us plebs.

The owner is very sweet and makes his rounds introducing himself and enquiring about the food but in Spanish. So he skipped us but not without shaking our hand and smiling politely.

Maybe you'll have better luck with the food. Personally I believe there are better places with better food and better prices in Madrid such as Casa El Salvador or Taberna...

WILL IT STAND AFTER SO MANY YEARS? UPDATE :-) This is one of those restaurants that you know since for ever. So I was somehow afraid if finding a dusty old fashioned restaurant with too classic dishes.

No dusty at all and yes classic preparations, thanks God! They keep the essence of classic restaurants with the best products and careful cooking. The jamon is of the best class available, the grilled green asparagus delicious, the broken eggs "huevos rotos" unforgettable, meats tender and tasteful... All was good and service classic (no runners and bussers) but eficient. So I recommend it. And I also recommend a view from the square beside and to the environment in general. UPDATE

I really think that this place deserves to have 5 stars. Everything that we had was delicious and very tasty. I read some lower rating reviews and realized that these people does not understand "nothing" from food. Each plate, from the simple tomato salad to the desert was in one word delicious. Highly recommended the "Angulas" and for sure the simple grilled artichoke and for sure the desserts. Highly recommend to have a meal here. The only thing remember that you can reserve a table only by calling them. You do not have the option to reserve on line. The place is very popular for the locals therefore highly recommended to reserve a table. The service that is wonderful is an addition to the place. Signor Alecandro the owner is taking care one by one to each table. That is showing how he care about the service. A must when you...