El Torrezno Filipino — Restaurant in Madrid

El Torrezno is my go-to Filipino restaurant in Madrid, and I’ve been a frequent visitor for a long time because their food is just that good! I’m a huge fan of their sisig, tocino, and lumpiang sariwa – the flavors are always ON POINT. However, I’ve noticed that the portion sizes can be inconsistent. Sometimes you get a generous serving, and other times, it feels like less than usual.

One major issue, though, is their PAYMENT POLICY. When I first started going, they accepted card payments with no problem. But a few months ago, when I brought some friends, they suddenly told us they no longer take cards. The excuse? Their dataphone is “broken.” This has been going on for months, and it seems shady. I asked one of the staff about it, and she got really nervous and gave a vague explanation about needing cash for buying ingredients. It doesn’t make sense, especially in Madrid where most places prefer card payments. Plus, they don’t give receipts, which raises even more red flags.

At one point, they accepted Bizum, but then the waitress mentioned they got FINES from the bank for using a personal account instead of a business account. After that, it switched to CASH-ONLY PAYMENTS. It’s really frustrating because my friends and I suspect THEY’RE AVOIDING TAXES, especially since this happens at their other branch near Atocha as well. In fact, one of my friends is seriously considering notifying Agencia Tributaria since his dad works there. I love their food, but if they don’t fix this soon, it could lead to bigger issues. I REALLY HOPE THEY GO BACK TO ACCEPTING...

We stumbled upon this small Pinoy Restaurant because my spouse was craving for crispy pata. Unfortunately on the first day it was already sold out given the fact that the restaurant was also loved by the Spanish people. But we were not disappointed by the food that we even came back the next day. Their siomai is amazing and remember to ask for their homemade chili garlic oil. Their Lomi reminds me of the Philippines. I've been to many Pinoy restaurant here in Italy and this is the first time I found something that reminds me of home. My personal fave is their LAING. It's to die for . The Lechon Kawalis was crunchy eventhough they've put a sauce on top. And their CRISPY PATA it was amazing. The meat was so tender it melts on your mouth and the skin was so crunchy. The only thing we didn't like is that the vinegar is a little sweet for the meat but all in all everything was AMAZING. Their service is amazing too. They make you feel welcome...

How happy I was to find this place! It’s a simple neighborhood eatery, no frills, but the food is authentic and very good. (I am half Filipina.) We didn’t get a menu, just took whatever the server suggested. He was friendly and very helpful. We had a complimentary dish of deliciously gelatinous pig’s ears to start, and a basket of lumpia wrapped elegantly long and thin as pencils. I will have to try that at home. Then we had an excellent pancit mixing two types of noodle, and a dish of crisp lechon. I needed a vegetable and he suggested laing, the dark green leaves of the taro plant stewed in coconut milk with bagoong, topped with red chili slices and served with rice. I am so stuffed I can hardly walk, and the price was excellent. (Cash only.) I am sorry we are leaving Madrid so soon. I would have liked to stay another week just to explore the Filipino...