Restaurante Gala — Restaurant in Madrid

Restaurante Gala C. de Espronceda, 14, Chamberí, 28003 Madrid

We visited Restaurante Gala with high expectations, encouraged by its “Michelin Bib Gourmand” recognition—typically a reliable indicator of good value and quality. Unfortunately, our experience fell well short of that standard.

Service: Well-Intentioned but Poorly Managed The staff was friendly and clearly made an effort, but the overall service was disorganized and inconsistent. A glass of wine we ordered never arrived, and after three separate requests, it took approximately 20 minutes to receive the check. The team appeared overwhelmed and lacked coordination, which negatively impacted the dining experience.

The Food: Disappointing at Best We ordered a variety of dishes to give the menu a fair chance. Regrettably, most ranged from mediocre to inedible.

Scallops: Served cold in the center—something that simply shouldn’t happen at this price point.

Tuna Tartare: Overly sweet, which overpowered the flavor of the fish.

Ceviche and Steak: Bland and uninspired. While technically fine, neither dish left a positive impression, especially considering the cost.

Several other dishes were particularly disappointing:

Grilled Squid: Served in a heavy cream sauce with chorizo and excessive oil—reminiscent of cheap microwave pizza. The flavors and textures did not harmonize and were unpleasant overall. The dish was left mostly untouched.

Beef Tartare: Prepared by the manager at a small stand in the middle of the dining room—right next to the dry, unremarkable bread. The setup raised hygiene concerns, as the same individual was also managing the floor, directing staff, and interacting with guests. When we politely noted that the tartare didn’t taste quite right, the manager was dismissive and insisted it was prepared correctly. Regardless, the flavor was off, and we chose not to finish it.

Lamb with “Mole”: The lamb was mostly fat, grey in color, and the sauce was overly sweet. It lacked balance and depth, and the dish, like others, was left mostly untouched.

Final Thoughts: While Restaurante Gala may carry the Michelin Bib Gourmand label, our experience did not reflect that level of quality or value. Between the disorganized service and disappointing food, we left feeling let down. In a city with so many excellent dining options, this is unfortunately not one we would recommend.

Also, we couldn’t help but notice that many of the positive reviews appear questionable—most are written by “TheFork reviewers” or designated “Local Guides,” with nearly identical writing styles. The uniformity and tone of these reviews raise suspicions about their...

What an incredible place! Easily deserving of a Michelin star. The Gala Menu is an absolute steal.

The food was beyond anything we’ve tasted before. The pesto with the bread was incredible and the strawberry gazpacho was revolutionary in both taste and texture. We got 3 starters: the Galician beef which melted in our mouths, the foie gras magnum which was the most experimental and strange thing ever, and the Russian salad with tuna tartare, an explosion of the senses!

We had to take breaks after every bite of our mains, the lamb shoulder and steak centre, because it was SO GOOD.

The wine that was recommended to us paired perfectly with each dish. The whole bottle for €25 was a steal. They have such a great variety.

The apple tart was amazing. Nothing compares. It might even be as good as my Grandma’s.

We can’t compliment the chef and all the staff enough. The host was so lovely to us throughout and always ready with personalised recommendations and suggestions.

Thank you so much Restaurante Gala for making our final night in...

Pedimos el menú Gala, el cual consta de tres entrantes a compartir (servidos en medias raciones por persona), un plato (carne o pescado) y un postre, ambos por persona. Como aperitivo nos sirvieron un cono de lomo con cremoso láctico, cebolla caramelizada y pepino que estaba un pelín aceitoso pero muy rico. También nos dieron a escoger pan, y nos decantamos por el de pasas y nueces y el de semillas, y depende del gusto individual, pero ambos muy bien. Junto con ellos nos sirvieron aceite y mantequilla ahumada. Como entrantes escogimos la ensaladilla rusa con tartare de atún, huevas de tobiko y algas wakame (muy rica, el tartar increíble), la cecina de Astorga, dulce de manzana y queso valdeón (la cecina muy rica, pero el queso y el dulce muy escasos, sin nada en las lonchas inferiores) y croquetas de matanza con alioli de calabaza (no estaban mal, pero con un sabor muy poco intenso, y más teniendo en cuenta que su interior debería de ser potente). Uno de los platos principales que pedimos fue el centro de solomillo de vaca con foie y reducción de P.X., el cual viene con patatas fritas. La carne estaba pasada del punto pedido y tenía bastante grasa, la mayor decepción de la comida. Escogimos también la ventresca de atún rojo Balfegó ahumada al perfume de naranjo, la cual nos gustó más (pero llevaba wasabi y no se especifica). A la hora de los postres pedimos la tarta de tres quesos de horno (tiene un sabor peculiar, nos dijeron que era dulce pero no lo era, sino intensa y tenía una temperatura extraña, ya que no estaba ni fría ni caliente), y llevaba unas frutas por encima que en nuestra opinión no le pegaban. Escogimos también la cookie cremosa de pistacho con peta zeta y helado, pero la cookie era de chocolate (aunque estaba rica) con pistachos por encima de una mitad y no llevaba peta zeta. Además, el sabor del helado (de pistacho) resultaba muy artificial. Finalmente no nos sirvieron los dulces que vienen incluidos en el servicio a mesa. Los tiempos entre platos fueron excesivos (por ejemplo, media hora entre la cecina y las croquetas) y el local resulta un poco frío. No es un sitio que...