La Esquina de San Miguel — Restaurant in Madrid

Yes, you are in a tourist zone. With that said, you are certain to enjoy the friendliness of the attentive owner and staff. We live just a block away and visit La Esquina one a month for their excellent rabo de toro -- one of their specialties. Everything is prepared fresh by the kitchen staff except paella. Good wines. Excellent selection of foods and overall -- just a lovely place for a romantic dinner or visiting guests or family.

We enjoyed taking our family from the States for Xmas-eve dinner -- it was a great time, great food, and the owner had us participate in the Spanish tradition of saying "Pamplona" with an entire polvorone cookie in our mouths. (The cookies are large and dusted with powdered sugar. You can guess how that ends as you strain to get the word out.)

The best part was when -- unexpectedly -- the music switched to a racy, sexy song that left us looking at one another laughing as the good-natured owner worked fast to change the song. This lack of pretentiousness coupled with very good dining, a fabulous staff, and the perfect location is unbeatable.

Try it. You'll enjoy it!

During busy seasons -- go in early to secure a dinner...

As a visitor to Madrid and the Royal Palace. This place was very conveniently located near the Palace and Sol. We were served by Diana who was so incredibly helpful and friendly with her service. Our food which was Paella and Chicken was excellent and quick along with WC availability and distance to other Madrid activities. Some things you may need to know is there tends to be a lot of vendors, musicians, and other individuals who will come by your table and attempt to sell/ask for money. Furthermore the restaurant may bring a basket of bread (we didn’t particularly ask for bread service), if you eat the bread it adds .50 euros per person. These things were not a damper to the experience. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant and especially Diana for their impeccable service and diverse array of options especially during the typical closing hours of other...

Decided to stop here because it was a nice day, they had outdoor seating, and seemed like a great place to grab a bite and watch people flow by.

Others probably had the same idea, as place was packed. Staff had no system for making a list for those who were waiting for table. If you got lucky and got to an emptying table, it was yours, no matter how many people had been waiting longer for it.

The food was barely edible. I had a calamari sandwich that was disgusting, and I left it after a couple of bites. My kids had Churros con chocolate, which arrived without chocolate. After asking for it, they brought out a thin hot chocolate, in a flimsy plastic cup, that my kids also abandoned.

The only reason this place gets a star is because of the great location. Perhaps if all you wanted were drinks, and no food, it would be a better...