VALDEMESO — Restaurant in Madrid

Sat for a meal midafternoon and wanted to try my first paella with my wife and a guest. Our guest ordered from the daily menu tuna stuffed peppers and a plate of ckicken and fries. My spouse and I ordered the chicken dish and a paella mixto. To start, Santiago brought us several bread picked out of a uncovered box under a counter. I tried our guest's primero, tuna stuffed peppers, and found it to be lacking in texture as the pepper and tuna were both the consistency of baby food and the flavors were equally bland. The chicken dish consisted of what I believe were two thighs with leg bone exposed for handling. While this was cooked okay there but again there was little seasoning. The potatoes were nicely crisp but sat in a pool of fat on the dish. The paella was so awful I doubt I can ever order it again. The expected delightful crispy rice at the bottom was cooked on to the pan, so little was dislodged. The chicken that made up the mixto portion was the other half of the quarter of the chicken consisting of the meat still attached to fractured pieces of bone. My first bite included chunks of bone and I had to spit it out to avoid damage to the teeth. While I could harvest some pieces of chicken I had to be careful. The prawns were whole (I suppose my rookie mistake as I didn't know how to eat) but the most unappealing part was the digestive track when I finally had the shrimp and poop opened. None were eaten. The only good cook was the mussel but there were only two! We complained to Santiago and he reluctantly reduced the price of the paella 50%. Santiago did offer a dessert and our guest accepted a flan and after a bite remarked it was bitter. I could believe it was just my American expectation, but our party all agreed with the result, and I was the only American born. Lastly, the server was not comunicative or remotely friendly and one member of our group remarked he was arrogant. I wouldn't recommend Americans to stop here nor those who appreciate food with...

This place will always hold a special place in my heart cause it was the last place I ate before I caught one of the last flights out of Europe before the world shut down for the Covid Pandemic. Small storefront on a side street, you'd miss it if you didn't know where to look. Authentic Madrid style tapas bar that cranks out delicious food consistently. I first discovered this place cause I needed something quick to eat on a bus ride I had to Lisbon and they make delicious quick to go sandwiches any time of the day. The pork with the peppers was so good. They have a front part where the bar is and a more relaxed seating area in the back that's more like a sit down restaurant. I usually always sit at the bar and there's usually some local sitting there too. I love the fact that you can drink a beer here early In the morning and not one person gives you a look of judgement, my type of place. The ladies seem stand offish but they're actually really nice they're just always busy and don't like people cluttering the space up since it is small. My advice sit at the bar and have them serve you suggestions of their best tapas. You can get anywhere from 4 to 5 plates with a couple beers and still pay under 20 Euros. The Calamari & Paella are delicious, and I had another dish with sausage and fries topped with egg which was soo effing good. Make small talk with the ladies and they'll give you insight not on just their food but other suggestions for the area if youre a foreigner. I just really enjoyed all my interactions with the workers here and it definitely made me fall in love with this place. If you want cheap quick tapas you have to check...

This restaurant may not have all the glitz and glamour of the others in the same area but the food is the star and the service is like family.

Our server is very welcoming, and not in the rehearsed way the others are to tourists. He gestures and speaks loudly and bluntly, but his demeanor and smiles are very warm. The menu is easy to understand, lots of photos.

We ordered the mixed paella and the octopus. The octopus is a must try! The taste of the fresh seafood is not over prepared so the octopus stands out as the star while all the other components compliment it to create an amazing dish. The paella is good, flavorful with the saffron expertly used. I am not used to rice cooked al dente, but it is the way, and the way is still delicious.

Even the complimentary potato salad was amazing. Simple, but we can't stop eating it.

He showed us all the dessert they have available and I chose the flan. It was absolutely delicious, not the stuff you see dressed up at other places, and made me believe that I got transported to grandma's kitchen.

You won't find any fancy, Instagram-able cute foods here. Instead you will be treated like family and eat...