Restaurante Vegetariano Artemisa - Gran Vía — Restaurant in Madrid

Food was edible (if you are very hungry) but not at all tasty. The glass of wine tasted like cheap wine you typically get for 1 Euro a glass in the less desired bars in Andalucia (yet it cost 3.15 Euros).

The nettle "cream" soup was made of dry (not fresh) nettle. It was not creamy at all (a watery broth).

Seeing the price was 7.35 Euros or 7.50 Euros for the soup and that mid March is the season for nettle in (Southern and Coastal) Spain I was hoping for a wholesome fresh nettle leaf soup but my hopes were dashed. Nettle soup is my favourite soup and I always eat it with potatoes, leek etc. I couldn't sense any of the ingredients I use in making Nettle soup here and I suspect it is on their menu simply because their version is the cheapest to make (weak vegetable broth with some dry nettle sprinkled into it) but still has an impressive name.

The so called Lebanese Burger has absolutely nothing to do with Lebanese Cuisine.

It was a very dry pattie with a very thin layer of uneventful hummus spread over one side and melted cheese on the other side and stuck in a dry bun.

I lived in Syria, UAE, Lebanon etc. for some years and I never came across a dish that combines hummus and cheese (now I know why. The combination is very bad).

The sauce to go with it? Sachets of Heinz Ketchup and Heinz Mayonnaise (same as they serve in McDonald's and KFC!!).

Finally the dessert - an "organic' Greek yoghurt. It is of course impossible to verify whether the yoghurt they serve is in fact organic but the problem is they add a large lump of industrial raspberry jam and one half of an expired industrial biscuit.

Everyone in the world knows (except perhaps clueless Madrilenos) that Greek yoghurt should only be eaten with honey, carob syrup and/or fresh fruits and nuts.

The bread was fresh and it came with beetroot mousse which was ok but not spectacular.

On the bright side the service from the young server was fantastic and the french fries were handmade and delicious (hence the second ⭐ star).

Contrary to other capital cities, the rule of thumb in Madrid is that if the locals love it - a foreigner/tourist probably won't.

This is equally true for the ambience and it applies to Artemisa. The temperature 🌡️ in Madrid was a comfortable 22 degrees celsius and inside the restaurant it was around 25 degrees celsius which is not optimal and could be easily remedied by keeping the entrance door open for 10 minutes...

First, the food was absolutely delicious. There was a menu del día that had two options for the main course. The courses were fresh-tasting, ample and flavorful. I especially loved the beet “burger” and the quinoa.

Sad to say that the service was my first poor experience in Madrid. The server came to our table and we greeted her (in Spanish although I am not able to speak it) and said we each wanted the menu del día and a bottle of wine. She intimated that the wine is not included and we were fine with that. She seemed very flustered at our inability to communicate well and things went downhill from there.

We asked for 2 glasses of water (in Spanish) - no water was ever provided.

No bread was brought to the table (it’s part of the menu del día) until I asked for it although everyone around us had bread automatically with their starters.

My main course was placed in front of my husband instead of me.

The wine was opened by the server and plopped down next to two upside-down wine glasses and she walked away.

She took our dessert orders (for two desserts which I pointed to on the menu) and she only brought my husband’s. She kept looking at me as she moved about the room but never brought my dessert. I signaled to her that I had typed into Google translate that I had ordered the Tarte de Santiago. She read it, walked away and continued setting up tables and greeting guests. I flagged down another server, showed him the same message on my phone. He promptly returned with the dessert.

I honestly felt like I was being punished for not speaking Spanish. The food was really great though. If you do not spesk fluent Spanish, I would recommend either avoiding here or bringing someone who does.

Everyone has a bad day now and then. If that’s the case here, it’s a shame that her bad day colored mine in...

I must share a concerning experience regarding food allergy safety at this restaurant.

My wife and I dined here recently and ordered the 'ARTEMISA TASTING PLATTER N°1.' Upon ordering, we informed our server of my wife's allergies to nuts, mustard, and peanuts. The menu explicitly stated this dish was free of these allergens.

However, when the platter arrived, I noticed pistachios sprinkled on top - an ingredient not disclosed on the menu. While we fortunately spotted this before my wife consumed any food, this oversight could have led to a serious medical emergency.

When we raised this issue, the server's response was inadequate. Rather than preparing a fresh dish, they simply scraped off the item with pistachios directly on top, leaving residue on the rest of the platter that could still trigger an allergic reaction. Furthermore, instead of acknowledging this serious error, the server suggested we were at fault for not specifically mentioning pistachios, despite having disclosed a general nut allergy and the menu indicating the dish was nut-free.

The situation was made more uncomfortable by the server's dismissive attitude when my wife, understandably concerned for her safety, chose not to eat. I have included a photo of the menu showing this dish listed as nut-free for reference.

Given this experience and the casual handling of food allergies, I cannot recommend this establishment to diners with allergies. Proper allergen labeling and staff training appear to be significant issues that require...