LA CARBONERA - QUESOS, VINOS Y BUENA COMIDA — Restaurant in Madrid

This was my second visit to La Carbonera. As I really enjoyed my first experience there, I made a reservation for four people last Sunday after the theater with four friends. Similar to my first experience, the cheese was delicious. My four friends and I each selected a different wine and were all pleased with our choices. However, I was very disappointed with the staff. The bar was lively (medium noise level), but not inappropriately so, and my friends and I, nor anyone else in the bar wasn't being what I would consider 'loud' or disruptive. Mid meal, the waitress turned around to our table and a few others, suddenly slamming her hands together in a loud, jolting clap and screamed SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH at the entire bar, looking mainly at us -- but also at a few other tables who were also speaking in English. Apparently, she couldn't hear the table next to us ordering. I was very offended at being 'shushed' in a BAR of all places, and the way she did this was extremely rude and uncalled for -- I felt as if I were a child being reprimanded in school. I think it was mainly due to the fact that we were speaking English, as she (as well as the other waiter) had commented earlier on how our accents when speaking Spanish were "strange" as my group was all native English speakers who also speak Spanish. I felt very uncomfortable after this unnecessary 'shushing' treatment. The waitress could have easily asked us in a nice way if we could speak softer so she could hear the order (even though were not evening being loud!). I won't be back to La Carbonera thanks to this incident, which is a shame, because the cheese and the wine were quite varied and tasty. Anyone who is not a native Spanish speaker, beware at this restaurant, as you may be treated differently here than a Spanish...

Why is this place not rated the best in Madrid? Why are there not six stars? La carbonera is the end of a treasure hunt, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow… the place you want find magically when you are looking for an experience!

First: incredible welcome, exceptionally nice and attentive staff and an amazing wine selection. As starter we got the four cheese: you probably feel drawned to more, but portions are substantial so if you are 2 people 4 cheeses is enough. The cheeses are INCREDIBLE and come with nuts and fruit. DO NOT SKIMP on the bread, do not for a moment think “I’m not gonna pay for bread”: pay for the bread coz this, in and of itself, is a dish. The basket is full of crunchy, chewy and nutty goodies that marry the cheese perfectly. As a main dish I got the bacalao, which brought me back to my childhood for its creaminess and softness, and which is paired with a beautifully fresh fennel and beetroot salad. I cannot even begin to express how perfectly balanced this dish is! My partner got the cherry tomato and burrata tarte tatin. I know: we have all seen it on Instagram, thought “oh cool, looks easy”. Well, it isn’t. La Carbonera chef perfected it to the point that if someone told me they invented it I would believe them!!! The last bit was the chocolate and orange tartelette was spectacular and so complex in flavours and textures. Overall this was an absolutely magical experience! We will...

Worst cheese place ever, don’t go to this place unless you want to be hugely disrespected by the serveur and to be not able to get your food due to her talking to other people for a LONG time right next to your food.

The serveur pushed me when I entered the place saying it’s 10 mins left until the last order time - so I hurrily ordered my food, it came out very soon and sat in the bar table.

I knew it was mine, the serveur stood right next to my food but did not stop talking to customers, making me wait for quite a time and making another customer taking picture of my cheese plate.

When I asked her colleague to come and bring my plate in order not to disturb her conversation, she suddenly came to me saying that she has to finish conversation about artisan cheese with her customers asking me to wait for another few minutes. I told her I’m unhappy to wait although my food was sitting there for a long time, and told her that I respect her cheese story but she has to respect the cheese that I ordered too. Although her customers said okay to her, she kept resisting to come to me with cheese so I had to leave this place feeling seriously disrespected and neglected.

Dear serveur, please do not forget that you have to serve every customer with respect. Why was it so difficult to come to me when I told you multiple times that I feel unhappy being disrespected? Hope you learn from...