Gracias Padre - Jungle Club - Restaurante Mexicano — Restaurant in Madrid

We’ve been frequent visitors of Gracias Padre in Chamberí, drawn by our love for Mexican cuisine and the vibrant atmosphere. However, our recent visits have left us with mixed feelings — some days everything runs smoothly, and other times we find ourselves saying, “this might be the last time.”

Last night was unfortunately one of the disappointing visits. When we arrived, the restaurant was nearly empty — only two small tables were occupied — but there was no one at the door to greet us. We stood at the entrance for 5–10 minutes with no staff in sight, and eventually more guests started arriving and waiting alongside us. A waiter finally appeared and seated us, but it was clear the team was understaffed.

Understanding the situation, we decided to order right away to avoid delays. Unfortunately, the waiter seemed unfamiliar with the menu — for example, he told my partner that the tacos they ordered came only with cheese, when they actually included meat (as they always have). Thankfully, they arrived correctly, but it was a clear sign of training or communication issues.

We waited a long time for our starter — just chilaquiles verde con aguacate because apparently they didn’t have the one with pollo, which aren’t exactly complex to prepare — while other tables who arrived after us were served first. We even saw a kitchen staff member return mid-service with shopping bags, which made us wonder if the kitchen was also dealing with shortages or poor planning.

What was meant to be a quick, enjoyable dinner turned into a stressful and time-consuming stop. In the end, we decided to pay at the bar and leave.

As someone with experience in the restaurant industry, my suggestion would be: when operating with limited front-of-house staff, don’t open the entire restaurant. Focus on seating guests near the bar, where the team can manage service more effectively without running around needlessly, which only adds to delays and guest frustration.

To the managers or owners of Gracias Padre: repeat customers are hard to earn and easy to lose. With so many dining options around, consistent service is key. We’ll take a break from visiting for now, but we hope things improve — we’d love to come back and have the kind of experience that first made us...

I had high expectations and thought the restaurant looked cute from the outside. Unfortunately, reality didn't meet my expectations when I received my food. I ordered crunchy fish tacos and nachos. The nachos were too hard, nearly inedible and the guacamole was overly salty with no other flavor. The price of 12.50€ was too expensive for the quality.

Additionally, the fish tacos smelled really horrible and the sauce had a really odious taste, making it difficult to chew and swallow without feeling nauseated.

However, I must acknowledge that the service was excellent, as they kindly replaced my order with different tacos. Although the flavor was lacking for the price of 14,90€ for...

Hemos comenzado con un plato típico mexicano, totopos con queso fundido oaxaca (queso con chorizo), también ponen unos tacos por si lo prefieres así. Nos han gustado bastante aunque en cuanto se enfría un poco el queso es difícil de coger y se hace bola. Luego hemos pedido unas flautas de pollo, muy buenas, con un sabor suave. La masa blandita y crujiente a la vez. Por encima lleva una especie de crema agria. Ideal para los más peques. Y pasamos a los tacos, probamos los de cochinita pibil, para nuestro gusto los mejores, super sabrosos, con bien de salsa, y un sabor buenísimo. Los de carnitas, para aquello que les gusta el tocino del cocido, ya que tiene parte de grasa. No apto para todos los paladares. Lleva cilantro y lima (opcional). Finalmente pedimos el pastor, carne macerada en chili, no picante, con piña. A mí me ha picado mucho, pero es verdad que no aguanto el picante por muy poco que pique, no pude con el. A mi acompañante, que le encanta el picante me decía que no picaba nada 😅. Todos los tacos muy cargados, se hacía difícil comerlos sin que se cayera algo. Para terminar hemos pedido el brownie, enorme y recién hecho. Estaba bueno pero prefiero el brownie tradicional bien prensadito. Las coca colas tamaño pequeño, ya no se suelen ver. Como sugerencia podrían poner el tamaño grande aunque cobren más por ellas. Nos ha atendido una chica, parecía ser la jefa o encargada del local. La atención inmejorable, amable, simpática, nos ha aconsejado y dado opciones desde que hemos entrado hasta que hemos salido. Ojalá en todo sitios te atendieran así, da gusto. La decoración muy adecuada y genial para sacar unas cuantas fotos. Estaba muy bien ventilado el local, tanto que hacía algo de frío. Calidad-precio perfecto. No hemos salido ni a 30 euros por persona y quizá el postre, que lo pedimos por gula, hubiera sobrado.

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