Lab84 Malasaña — Restaurant in Madrid

Small pizzeria run by an Italian. The menu offers a nice combination of classic and unusual styles, with a notable Southern Italian touch. We ordered two pizzas: the margherita and their signature "Lab '84" with artichoke spread, mushrooms and shrimps. They were both decent, although not mindblowing. The bottom crust is thin and rather stiff, whereas I prefer them fluffy. The margherita had been in the oven too long, rendering the bottom so hard that it didn't really fold. The Lab' 84 was doubtless the better of the two.

For us, the big disappointment were the starters. We asked the waitress explicitly whether the bruschetta was prepared the classic Italian way; she said yes but then brought us something that looked more like a flatbread, sort of the chef's own interpretation of bruschetta. We returned it and ordered the burrata instead. The quality of the cheese itself seemed good, but it was bedded on so much lettuce that the burrata flavor was hardly noticeable.

My favorite course was the dessert: "birramisù", a fantastic take on tiramisù, made with craft beer. But, overall, our dinner at Lab '84 was a bit of letdown, given the rave reviews. There are certainly better pizzerias in Madrid (e.g. NAP). The place is tiny and usually filled to the brim. We had to wait around 15 minutes, although we had a reservation and were perfectly on time. Our bill was €54...

Sicily style pizza, with superb pizzas and other dishes.

We had: Mushroom croquettes - delicious! Honey chilly bread - good but no need if you order pizzas Genovese pizza (First One on the menu) - we liked it the best. Nolan pizza (second) - very good if you like truffles 😊 Dessert: ricotta and pear tart - was good but different than we expected. Still, special flavors.

With drinks, for 3 people we paid 66 eur including tip. 22 Eur each is not cheap but not too expensive either.

The service was a bit slow at first but everything is freshly made so make sure you're not starving.

The place itself is really nice, pleasant and feels "artsy".

The only feedback I have is that the music that was played was a bit annoying - not the music itself but rather the speaker that had no base in the sound. If was on the hight tones 🙂

Other than that everything...

After 6 days of Spanish food that left us feeling kind of "meh", I told my husband to find me a decent pizza place. And boy did he! Right off of Gran Via is this little gem with a Chef/proprietor that made us feel as welcome as if he had known us for years. We came at a busy time but he made room for us. He is from Sicily and so his product is the real deal (we have had pizza in Naples so I feel qualified to say so). The burrata and prosciutto pizza is amazing. So is the burrata salad. Also, he carries Italian wine and his recommendation to us was super yummy. Dessert of the day made us feel like we were in Positano under the lemon trees it was so fresh. We will miss this talented chef and his creations until we find ourselves in Madrid again. Also note he does a hopping take away business if you can't...