Charolés Restaurante — Restaurant in San Lorenzo de El Escorial

After months in confinement, I was really looking forward to visiting this iconic restaurant in the historic area of El Escorial, about 30 minutes from Madrid. You would think that they too would extend themselves to shine after this long period of imposed rest.

Nothing could have prepared me for the level of disappointment experienced. I made the reservation 2 days before and was informed that the day of my reservation was "cocido" day (a typical dish of garbanzo beans and several meats) and that if I would like to order it, I must reserve it in advance, which I did.

Upon arriving, and even though the restaurant was completely empty, my guest and I were unceremoniously directed to a table at the furthest reach of the terrace, smack dab in the hot air flow and noise of an an air conditioning vent. I have lived in Spain for over 20 years and I politely asked in Spanish for another table and after some deliberation we were pointed to another table at the far opposite extreme of the outside terrace in an area that would be partially in the sun. After some insisting, they finally acquiesced to seat us at a table for 2 with a side table as the cocido service requires several side platters.

The next surprise came when, even before taking our order, a surly waiter placed a Spanish flag on our table and when my guest asked why, he simply said "it is the policy of the management". Now I must say that I have nothing against the Spanish flag, in fact I am a Spanish citizen, but my guest is from another region of Spain and the act of simply planting a flag on our table after we were already seated did prompt the question of why not simply ask?

Given that it was a record hot day, my guest simply wondered if the cocido dish was going to be his preferred choice, and was also somewhat concerned given he was scheduled to receive his second dose of Covid vaccine, but the maitre d' practically threatened us to order it "as we had reserved it in advance". My guest complied so as to not create a scene.

Continuing with the food service, which was slow and without any empathy, we wondered how such a famous and well-located restaurant with few patrons had so fallen from grace and if the Charoles was simply coasting in its previous fame from another age.

The cocido was undoubtedly good, but extremely over-abundant to the level of absurd waste. I suppose that it is a way of partially justifying the also excessive price which we didn't have any way of knowing in advance because it is not printed on the menu given to us.

I promise fellow future visitors that throughout the meal I kept hoping that the previous events were a bad dream, and given my attention and deference to my out of town guest I was completely courteous throughout and did not "raise a stink". After my guest needed to leave for his vaccine appointment I waited alone for over 30 minutes with no waiter attention just to get my check and another 15 minutes to be able to pay. No "thank you for coming", no complimentary shot (as is customary in high-end Spanish restaurants), and frankly I left sad that what was once a paragon of good Spanish cuisine and attentive service was no longer.

What is also no longer is the anonymity that bad customer service fortunately is shared so that it may be corrected by management and if not at least patrons should adjust their...

Extremely Disappointing Dining Experience – Far Below Michelin Standards

We chose this restaurant based on its Michelin recommendation for 2023/2024, expecting an above-average culinary experience. Unfortunately, the only thing that stood out was the exorbitant price.

The food quality was severely lacking: The fish was noticeably not fresh, and despite the heavy use of garlic, the unpleasant taste remained. The duck was undercooked—when we raised this, the staff insisted it was their "style." However, unlike beef, undercooked duck with blood is simply unpalatable. The oxtail was overwhelmingly salty, ruining what should have been a rich dish. The veal was tough and hard to cut, as if it using 100 years old cow.

What made the experience worse was the poor service. When we mentioned the fish wasn’t fresh, instead of acknowledging the issue, the staff defensively brought out another fish to "prove" their freshness—completely missing the point. A simple apology or gesture would have been far more professional.

As tourists, we’ve had wonderful dining experiences across Spain—Madrid, Toledo, Bilbao, Córdoba, Granada, and Málaga all impressed us. This restaurant, however, was the only exception, leaving us deeply disappointed.

I’m giving 1 star only because zero isn’t an option. Avoid this place if you expect...

Food was great, but a there was a lack in service through the meal. Being someone that works in the industry I understand that mistakes can happen. However serving the wrong vintage in a wine, not topping up the wine while having my lunch but re-setting a table instead or not knowing what to recommend listing the desserts available instead are mistakes that can happen if the price is low enough to do so. However if a Spanish schnitzel costs 23£ And half bottle of marques de riscal (2015 instead of 2014 somelier did not seem to care that I mentioned it) costs 23,50, I do expect a high level of attention to detail. I hope that the next time we visit, which we will, as I love restaurants, trainings and CRM improves on this small details that do make a difference in a fine...