La Primera — Restaurant in Madrid

I'm upset to say this but my experience was far from good, due to the TERRIBLE service. We had dinner in less than an hour and we felt harassed. Food was very nice, even though my so called pasta with mussels and langostines had no mussels in it.

As soon as we sat down we were asked if we wanted wine. We didn't know yet so decided to look at the food menu to make a choice and decide on the wine. In about 3 minutes time 3 waitress visited our table asking if we were going to have wine. The fourth time the same waitress that had already asked us once, incredibly rudely said: "so are you going to have wine or not?"...

I ordered tap water and they brought bottled water, which I had to ask to be changed.

While we were eating, again 3 times the waitresses tried to take the centre plate away. It had some sauce that we were clearly still savoring with the bread that they had brought to our table. I felt like I had to "defend" my right to dip a piece of bread in the sauce. After the third time I had asked them not to take the plate away, one of the waitress removed my plate without even asking. Fair enough, it was empty, but I had a piece of bread in my hand and there was still food in my friend's plate. Haven't these waitresses been taught the number one rule of never removing a plate if other people are still eating?? When my friend was finished the same waitress asked "so are you done NOW?"...

The bill (~65€) included 2 portions of bread that we hadn't asked for (yes, we had bread, but if they had given us the choice we'd have asked for one portion, as the other one went to waste) and the bottle of water that I hadn't consumed. Obviously they removed the water, which is fine, but I'd have appreciated a bit more care about these little details.

An absolute shame, because the place is beautiful, in a great location and the...

La Primera is probably the best seafood restaurant I've ever been to. Full stop. You don't need to read anything else, just close this review and make a reservation!!! ...still here? Ok, then I'll give you some juicy details 😏 The location is very classy and elegant, with low lights, small tables, and overall a very relaxing and romantic atmosphere. Service is also quick, attentive, and very polite. They serve both seafood and meat, but I only got the former... and it's been AMAZING. Be it an appetizer of peppers, mushrooms, and langoustine; or hake on garlic sauce with prawns on top; or the red scorpion fish pudding; or the tuna tartare with avocado; I could go on and on, but everything is just so original, unique, and delicious!!! Being from Italy I'm used to good food, but kid you not La Primera left me deeply impressed! 😮 Desserts are also really good and different than the usual - although not on the level of seafood - with my recommendations being the lemon cake and the creme caramel. Oh and you can ask half of anything, if you want to try many different dishes; the portions are very reasonable, so don't worry about eating too little. They don't have a selection of wines, but the white fruity one they brought me was pretty good nevertheless. Prices are very fair considering the overall quality: for one appetizer, one main course, two half-cakes, wine and water I spent 50 €, and I was full to the point of exploding. As I said, absolutely fair prices. I don't think there's anything left to say, except that I immediately came back the following evening to try many different delicious dishes. La Primera is...

El fin de semana del 28 de junio de 2024 tuvimos el placer de visitar mi mujer y yo "La Primera", un encantador restaurante ubicado en la primera planta del edificio en Gran Vía Nº1, en pleno corazón de Madrid. Desde el momento en que entramos, nos cautivó su elegante decoración y su acogedor ambiente.

Decidimos probar los pinchos de tortilla de patatas y tortilla de patatas con bonito, y ambas opciones fueron simplemente perfectas. Las tortillas eran muy cremosas y deliciosas, destacando por su excelente ejecución y sabores equilibrados. Es evidente el cuidado y la atención que el chef pone en cada plato.

Además de las tortillas, también disfrutamos de otros platos que destacaron por su calidad y presentación, reflejando una cocina cuidadosamente elaborada con ingredientes frescos y de primera calidad. El tartar de aguacate y salmón ahumado de Las Coruñesas estaba riquísimo y era un plato muy fresquito, perfecto para abrir el apetito al comienzo de la comida. La merluza meuniere de 1981 fue sencillamente excepcional, con una preparación que resaltaba la calidad del pescado y la delicadeza de la salsa.

Curiosamente, llegamos a este restaurante gracias a la recomendación de una pareja encantadora que nos encontramos por la calle. Queremos expresar nuestro agradecimiento a esta pareja, chico y chica, que tan amablemente dedicaron unos minutos de su tiempo para recomendarnos estos lugares. Nos encantaría que, si algún día leen esta reseña, sepan que ojalá, caminando, nos encontremos con ellos por Murcia y se les ocurra dirigirse a nosotros para preguntar recomendaciones acerca de restaurantes. De hecho, les brindamos la oportunidad de dirigirse a mí por privado, y así podremos darles las gracias como se merecen, porque fueron encantadores y súper amables.

Además de "La Primera", nos sugirieron otros restaurantes interesantes en Madrid, como Kuoko 360, que nos dijeron que también es fusión asiática; Celso y Manolo, cerca de Chueca, donde comimos el sábado y disfrutamos de una excelente comida; Vinoteca Moratín, en Las Letras, que visitaremos en una próxima ocasión; y Las Meigas, un gallego cerca de Chueca ideal para empezar con una cervecita en un ambiente más informal.

El servicio fue impecable, con un personal atento y profesional que contribuyó a una experiencia gastronómica memorable. Quiero destacar especialmente la amabilidad del camarero Hugo, que nos brindó un servicio excepcional. Hugo no solo nos atendió con amabilidad y profesionalismo, sino que también nos proporcionó indicaciones precisas sobre cómo llegar en transporte público desde el restaurante a nuestra siguiente cita, la coctelería El Coleccionista de Dani García en Paseo de la Castellana 52, también absolutamente recomendable.

Queremos expresar nuestro agradecimiento a Hugo y al resto del equipo de "La Primera" por hacer de nuestra visita una experiencia tan placentera y memorable. Su atención y cuidado fueron verdaderamente excepcionales.

En resumen, "La Primera" es una excelente opción en Gran Vía para disfrutar de deliciosas tortillas, así como de platos como el tartar de aguacate y salmón ahumado y la merluza meuniere de 1981, en una cocina de calidad y un ambiente sofisticado. Recomendado para aquellos que aprecian la buena comida y un servicio excepcional.

Sin duda, volveremos en nuestra próxima visita a Madrid. Y no sólo a comer sino también a desayunar, para lo que no hace falta reservar, según nos comentaron las dos jovencitas de la recepción de la planta baja, educadísimas y...