Movida at Hotel Madrid — Restaurant in Milwaukee

This is my third time visiting Movida. The first time was on a weeknight and my husband, and I sat at the bar. The second time was for his birthday, and we had a table of six on the patio. Both times we had a great experience, however the third time was the worst, and it was not due to the food. We went to Movida Friday night. We reserved a table for two on the patio. Upon arrival our server took a very long time to come to our table. Once our server Parker arrived at our table, he asked if it was our first time at the restaurant. We told him “No and we were aware how it worked”. He gave us time to look at the drink menu and came back 20 minutes later. At this point we were ready to order food as well, however we gave him time to put the drinks in. We waited another 20 minutes and someone else brought our drinks out. He still had not come back to take our food order. In the meantime, we saw him walk past to tend to other tables and even check in on a table next to ours. When he finally returned to our table we let him know we would be doing the unlimited option. He then felt it was necessary to let us know it was $44 per person. We let him know we were aware. This rubbed us the wrong way as he already asked us if we had been to the restaurant prior, and the prices are on the menu.

We put in our orders of food, however during the process of waiting for our food items I had to ask for ice for our water (he brought out warm water), he then took the water jug and left the cups of ice with no water at one point. I had to flag him down to ask for things such as napkins, to clear out old plates and cups from our table, check the status of items, and for the bill. While we had such a hard time getting our server to do things in his job description, he spent most of his time at another couple’s table who was seated directly next to us. He asked if they needed plates cleared out, needed boxes, needed more water, wanted desserts, etc. He constantly checked on them, however walked right past our table or would hurry off after checking on the table next to us. I am thankful that I took the liberty of making him do his job, because he would have received his 18% gratuity regardless of the work he did. It is a shame in this modern day and time that people still form opinions of others based on how they look. The food was great, and the Sangria flight was amazing, however I am very disappointed in the service me and my husband received. This was a celebratory dinner; however, the service left a sour taste in my mouth. I do not know if we will be back...

This is a story about an experience that started off great and slowly got worse, up until the very end.

This was our first time here. We had a 6:00 reservation on Saturday and got right in. They gave us a table on the second floor. It's a wide-open space that has a bit of an industrial feel to it. Plenty of light from the large windows. Interesting ceiling light fixtures—an assemblage of antlers with small lights.

We met our server right away, got waters, and settled in. Very personable and explained the menu. Ordered the flight of sangria and a Movida Old Fashioned, along with Empanadillas for an appetizer. A small vegetarian empanada made with flaky dough. Super tasty with the included garlic lemon aioli. We were still waiting for our drinks when this food came.

When the drinks arrived, we ordered our next course: the Barbacoa Tacos and the Garlic Shrimp. The tacos looked like they were thrown together—not much attention to the plating. The meat was flavorful and tender. The pita was fine but a bit much for the amount of meat filling. The Garlic Shrimp was good. It came with "crunch bread," which the server explained as "toasted." The entrée was good; however, besides the shrimp, there was very little else in the dish (the promised tomato or pepperoncini).

Our next course was the Loma Tosta, grilled pork loin. Well, when it didn't arrive after 15 minutes of waiting, we had to wave down our server to ask. After checking, she told us there was likely some mistake and someone else got our entrée. Then we waited another 10 minutes. What came out was good but disappointing. There were two pieces. The first was excellent, with the bourbon peach jam and creamy brie. The second piece barely had any of those two ingredients.

During the end of the meal, we barely saw our server. Someone else had to replenish our water, and for the last entrée, we did not have plates, so we simply ate off the serving plate.

There are plenty of excellent restaurants in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, our experience at Movida was a huge disappointment. Not sure I would risk coming back for a...

Starting off, the ambiance is very cute. Its romantic, quiet, and the fires outside make it feel super cozy. The waitress we had was also super friendly and attentive. The issues start with the food and drinks. I ordered a Negroni, and what I received was super watery and tasted like there wasn't even Campari in it. The Gin and Tonic was okay, but tasted a little too close to Lavender soap. I did quite enjoy the Paloma though, it was very pineapple forward and tasty.

Moving to the food, it was rather disappointing. I understand pacing is important for a Tapas restaurant, but having the ability for a dish to come out in 30 seconds is not worth it sitting around for three hours before it is ordered. We got the Pan con Tomate, Empanadillas, and Street Corn Fritters to start. The Tomate was on ciabatta that tasted cold and quite stale. The pastry part of the Empanadillas was super soggy and just felt old, but the filling was still okay. Lastly the Street Corn Fritters tasted good, but again, felt old and stale, like they had sat under a heating lamp for around 4 hours. Again I understand speed of service, but I do not think it is unreasonable to ask to fry those fresh for orders. They would just be so much better!

Under their tapas section, both the Patatas Bravas and Garlic Shrimp were very good. The Patatas tasted fresh and crisp, and the shrimp was hot, nice and spicy with some lovely lime hints. Those were both really quite delicious. Not so great was the mushroom tosta and barbacoa tacos. Again the ciabatta was the issue for the mushroom tosta as well, as it just tasted old and stale. The mushrooms were also a little on the bland side. The tacos were also a disappointment, as both the beef and bread it was served on were cold.

I don't usually write such long reviews, but we had been to Movida a year previous and really enjoyed our time. This year though, the quality seemed to really go down hill. I really don't think that having thoughtful, fresh, hot, and good tasting food is too much to ask for, especially when you are spending around...