La Pescadería — Restaurant in Madrid

Summary: uniquely bad experience, including being served raw hamburger, multiple waitstaff refusing to bring drinks (including water) for 50 minutes, but an apologetic manager who comped the final bill.

First, the following is not due to a language barrier, as we were dining with a fluent Madrid native.

We have been here three times previously over the past two years, as recently as six months ago, but were severely disappointed with the decline in quality and service during this most recent visit.

After standing at the hostess stand for some time to check in for our reservation, the hostess arrived, ignored me, and promptly seated a couple who were just walking through the door. After finally being seated, the waiter initially brought the wrong drinks, then wasn't seen again for the remaining hour+ we were in the restaurant. We ordered a second round of drinks from three different waitresses over a 20 minute period, none of which ever arrived. In fact, two of the waitresses told us we had to order from our original waiter, who by then had been absent for the better part of an hour. They wouldn't even take a request for a new pitcher of water- telling us that our missing waiter had to get us water! She remarked, "your waiter is new and busy but doing his best so you will have to wait longer." Totally unacceptable service.

When the food came, I bit into my burger and found it was cold, so I cut it in half and saw the center was raw. I sent it back asking for a new one - though the same burger, cut in half, with a bite out of it was brought back to me, charred black, covered in the original (now hot) mayo-based sauce still slathered on it.

By this time, we decided to cancel our drinks (that we'd first ordered 50 minutes prior), send back the blackened burger, and advise the manager. The manager, who was filling in for the night, was apologetic about the experience, and comped the bill, which was very much appreciated. In the future, however, given the obvious indifference of the waitstaff and improper food preparation, this restaurant won't be one we visit when coming back to Madrid.

On the plus side, the tenderloin my spouse ordered is excellent, if you can endure the effort required to get it...

Terrible experience – completely disrespectful service.

We walked into this restaurant on a Sunday evening and were immediately met with rudeness and a complete lack of professionalism. When I politely asked if we could dine in, the first staff member simply walked away without acknowledging us. The second person sighed and looked visibly annoyed before finally allowing us to sit outside — meanwhile, another couple walked in just after us and were warmly welcomed with smiles and promptly seated.

We ordered a bottle of water and waited 25 minutes, yet no one came to offer us a menu or check in on us. The waiter, who was working behind the bar, was casually chatting with other tables and even taking photos for customers, all while deliberately ignoring us. He clearly saw us waiting, but chose not to engage.

When I finally went inside to pay for the water and leave, I asked the same waiter — twice — if I could pay. He walked past me without a word and pretended not to understand me, despite “water” being universally understood. He didn’t even look at me once.

Strangely, he was then perfectly friendly and attentive to other couples entering the restaurant, offering them menus and seating them immediately. It genuinely felt like we were being ignored or dismissed simply because I was there with my children.

Incredibly poor service, rude staff, and discriminatory behavior. Avoid this restaurant...

Everyone wants to sit outside (in any restaurant) but they will be all reserved by 8pm. But I came for the food and the inside space is really nice (dark wood but modern). Check with the waitstaff and they will find you a nice table. My waitperson was Caroline and she couldn’t have been more friendly and happy to explain the menu to me. I noticed that they had plenty of floor staff and all customers were being served efficiently (it doesn’t hurt that they are all young and attractive either). I even loved how they wore t-shirts with their role (staff, bar or kitchen) on it. While I didn’t have a cocktail it seemed to be a specialty of theirs. They had a great cocktail list and I saw them being made expertly. I had a vino tinto and then some nice house rioja. My only small gripe is that they are not so consistent with the amount poured in the glass ( my second was a bit under). I started my meal with the bull tail Tacos. They were juicy and delicious. I see why they are a best seller. I then had the baby squid (chipirones frescos encebollados) which for me were the highlight - absolutely outstanding! A must try. The earlier complementary rustic bread (came with a bowl of olive oil & tapenade mix) was perfect to soak up the juices from the squid dish. I loved the food at La Pescaderia and thanks to Caroline for...