La Charca Taberna — Restaurant in Madrid

A few years ago Mary and I made an unexpected boat trip to Santa Pola, Spain, just outside of Alicante. We stumbled on Restaurante Asturiano La Sidreria, with a nice outdoor patio next to what looked like an ancient fortress. We didn’t know it, but this simple eatery was famous for an Asturian dish.

Cachopo is pure comfort food, think chicken fried steak but instead of gravy, it’s stuffed with cheese and all sorts of tasty ingredients depending on the chef’s preference. We’ve had a cachopo craving ever since we landed in Spain and yesterday we satisfied it in a lovely little restaurant, La Charca Taberna. It lived up to its glowing reviews on TripAdvisor.

The modest dining room was comfortable, the staff friendly. Of course, we ordered cachopo, but we also ordered a tomato, white asparagus, and tuna salad to start. Although it's not prime season for tomatoes, these were the sweetest we enjoyed on the trip.

But the star of the show was the very large and magnificent cachopo served on a rustic cutting board. It was the best we’ve tasted since Santa Pola. The beef was fork tender, the crisp coating satisfyingly crunchy, and the ham and gooey three cheese filling savory.

We barely made a dent in it. But that’s OK; we now have enough leftovers for another delicious meal. Salud to the chef and staff. We’ll be back any time we come to Madrid, which...

We had an outstanding dining experience at La Charca in Madrid. Andrea made us feel completely at home. Her service was friendly, attentive, and full of great recommendations. We appreciated talking about Spain and our travels with her.

We started with the cachopo, perfectly crisp on the outside and packed with tender, flavorful meat and melting cheese – easily one of the best we’ve had in Spain. The oxtail was slow-cooked to perfection, falling off the bone and rich with flavor. Both dishes paired beautifully with a glass of Emilio Moro – smooth, well-balanced, and perfectly picked by the wait staff.

The roasted peppers and potatoes on the side were simple but done so well, adding color and comfort to the meal. The fries dipped in the oxtail au jus was almost like a poutine.

If you’re in Madrid and want authentic flavors, generous portions, and heartfelt service, La Charca is a must-visit. And if Andrea is working, you’re in for an even better experience!

Make reservations ahead of time so you don’t miss out. If you time it right you can do a quick walk to Temple of Debod for an amazing post-dinner sunset.

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Went there with family and had a great time. The place came recommended from the concierge and quite honestly it was a good recommendation I was able to make a reservation and we went and immediately found the table... The place is very quaint and warm and has a real homey feeling. We started with the bread and could not stop after that. For starters we ordered warm goat cheese salad and paper salad with Tuna belly. I also ordered scallops and my son ordered grilled octopus. I have to say all the food was excellent, the tuna belly was really good. The food had a very home cooking like style and we loved it. The the main dishes came, My wife and I had monk fish, the others had turbot and grilled baby squid in squid ink. The monk fish with garlic was the most tender monk fish I have ever eaten, the turbot was excellent and my son cleaned his baby squid. Had a great meal and will definitely go...