Food reviews


On Thursday I went to a vegan restaurant and without a doubt, it was the tastiest vegan meal I have had in Madrid. I will certainly go back.



Here are some of the reviews of Vega on Trip Advisor:

***** 28 September 2017 Dinner

We went last Saturday evening. Food was yummy. Simple wholesome dishes filled with organic veggies and accompanied by some yum black rice. The mushroom croquetas were really tasty. As was the dessert, Panna cotta. The staff were helpful and very friendly. Would definitely go back.

****  22 June 2017 Fun, different and tasty!

We visited on a Saturday night and they were full (so definitely book in advance, thankfully we had). The atmosphere was great, it's a small place and it was bustling. The dining style is fairly casual with high tables, people eating at the bar and regular tables but the food was very special.

We ordered tapas and tried some local beers and had a really fun evening. We were visiting for our anniversary celebrations and the food served was definitely suitable for such an occasion. We shared croquettas, a really interesting green tomato salad, bruschettas and a few other bits.

I'd definitely recommend a visit if you're over on that side of town. The staff spoke good English and were patient when my terrible Spanish was difficult to understand which I'm grateful for.

My only criticism would be that the waitress who greeted us was quite rude about our booking, trying to turn us away. This was a bit of a poor start given we'd booked quite far in advance and said it was for an anniversary meal. I'm sure it was just because it was busy and they're only human after all. The experience was nothing but positive from the moment we sat down.


On Saturday I dropped by the Mercado la Cebada in the La Latina neighbourhood. It is similar to Mercado de San Fernando in Lavapiés and a welcome change from the likes of Mercado de San Miguel.

Here are some reviews that I found on Trip Advisor:

***** 31 August 2017 Authentic local

Our friend who lives in Madrid took us here. Not fancy or upscale or touristy. Just many booths selling local fish, meat and veg. Authentic. Been there for years. Don’t miss seeing this look at real life in Madrid.

****   9 May 2017 Shop like a local

If you want to take pictures at a very fancy and expensive market it is worth a visit to Mercado San Miguel, but if you want to experience a market the way the locals do, go to Mercado la Cebada, they have everything, be careful with pickpockets (you should anywhere in Madrid) but go there with an open mind, you will be surprised.

***** 29 May 2017 From fresh fruits & vegetables to Arepas and Jamon Iberico -- under one roof

If you want to get to know a city like a local, the best place to start is a market and the Mercado la Cebada in the La Latina neighborhood is a great one. La Cebada originated as an open market and moved into its present buildings in the late 19th century. Like with most mercados in Spain, you can find just about everything remotely related to food in La Cebada. Beautiful fresh fish and seafood, fresh and cured meats, cheeses, olives, fresh fruits and vegetables and, of course great little places to eat and drink.
La Cebada is also a great place to see firsthand what locals eat. Hang around any food stand and notice what the locals are buying or eating. If you pay close attention, you will be introduced to unique foods. My wife and I stood around a small deli stand selling about a dozen types of olives and charcuterie and were introduced to two types of olives that are now our favorites. One is a green olive stuffed with anchovy paste and the other was a green olive marinated in spicy paprika. In one meat market we found some of the best jamon Iberico we have eaten at a reasonable price. If you get hungry and thirsty after seeing and smelling all that food, you can visit a number of small food and drink stalls (cafeterias and bares). If you are in La Latina, the Mercado La Cebada is a must stop.

Comments

Elena said…
Good afternoon Graham,
I have just read the reviews and I want to share with you my experience in another restaurant. It was last friday when my boyfriend and I were deciding where to go to have dinner. We always try to innovate and, even though sometimes we end up in the same restaurants because we like them, we usually look up in "El Tenedor" to find discounts and new restaurants we have never been to. "El Tenedor" is a very useful app in which you can find lots of different restaurants near the place you are and you have the option to look them according to the price and the type of food you want. The more you use the app, the more points you accumulate and then they discount you some euros from the bill.
The point is that we went to a restaurante near Alonso Martinez which is called "La Sanducherie". It was our first time there and everyone treated us politely and sweetly. We ate two delicious sandwiches with fried potatoes and what we liked was that you can choose the type of bread you want. Each sandwich has a suggested bread. We also tasted for the first time two different cold teas that were very refreshing.
Overall, I loved the restaurant because the atmosphere was so comfortable, the food was luscious and we enjoyed the dinner so without doubt I recommend it.
Graham said…
Hello Elena,

I think I have heard of the place that you recommend but I haven't got round to checking it out yet.

... It was last Friday when my boyfriend and I were deciding where to go to have dinner. We always try to innovate and, even though sometimes we end up in the same restaurants because we like them, we usually look up a place in "El Tenedor" to find discounts and new restaurants we have never been to. "El Tenedor" is a very useful app in which you can find lots of different restaurants near the place you are and you have the option to look at them according to the price and the type of food you want. The more you use the app, the more points you accumulate and then they discount you some euros from the bill.

... We also tasted for the first time, two different cold teas that were very refreshing.
Overall, I loved the restaurant because the atmosphere was so cosy, the food was luscious and we enjoyed the dinner so without doubt I recommend it.


Nice review!

Unknown said…
Some remarked words I found interesting and their synonyms:

Yummy – Delicious
Wholesome – healthful
Bustling – full of people
Fairly – reasonably
Greet – welcome
Turn us away – Deny
Drop by – go somewhere for a while
Fancy – luxurious
Upscale – exclusive
Booths – partitioned area at a restaurant
Pickpocket – thief
Hang around – to spend time with
Stand – kiosk/stall – at a market or fair
Stuffed with – fill sth to overflowing with
A must stop – a place you would regret not to stop

Alejandro
Unknown said…
This is a review of the Maccheroni restaurant in Rome, where I was last week:

I went to Maccheroni restaurant last Saturday, the same day we arrived to Rome. I don’t know if it was because we where tired and hungry because of the flight but we found the dishes delicious. It is well known that italian food is tasty but this was particularly yummy. The service worked hard to make us feel as if we were eating at home. Everybody was familiar and that together with a good food quality, made a perfect night.

Alejandro
Graham said…
Evening Alex,

Some words I found interesting and their synonyms: (not sure what you mean with remarked words)

Spme great words for a review here.

Yummy (inf) – Delicious
Wholesome – healthy
Bustling (positive sounding) – full of people
Fairly – reasonably
Greet – welcome
Turn us away – Deny entrance - the restaurant is fully booked.
Drop by – go somewhere for a while
Fancy – luxurious / posh
Upscale – exclusive
Booths – partitioned area at a restaurant
Pickpocket – thief who steals from bags and pockets
Hang around – to spend time in a place not doing anyhting special.
Stand – kiosk/stall – at a market or fair
Stuffed with – fill sth to overflowing with
A must stop – a place you would regret not stopping at.


This is a review of the Maccheroni restaurant in Rome, where I was last week:

I went to Maccheroni last Saturday, the same day we arrived in Rome. I don’t know if it was because we where tired and hungry because of the flight but we found the dishes delicious. We all know that Italian food is tasty but this was particularly yummy. The staff worked hard to make us feel as if we were eating at home. Everybody was friendly and that together with good quality of food, made for a perfect night.
Anonymous said…
Hi Graham,

I always find other's reviews so useful, mostly when it comes to sleep in hotels or aibnbs. Sometimes I also take in consideration reviews for going to a restaurant.
Normally, I don't put any review, only if the experience is truly good or bad.
I remember about an experience I had eating in a restaurant in Porto during my Erasmus year. Those days I had a friend from Madrid as a guest in Porto, and one day we decided to go out to eat the special portuguese dish called "franceshina". We ended up in a restaurant in the main street of the city. As soon as we sat down, we started feeling that something was wrong; the waitress was so confused with our food, there was a customer having a strong argument with the owner... in general everything was a mess. But the worst part was the moment to pay the bill. We found out that the bill was higuer than what we thought, and also there were some bites that we didn'd order.
We said politely to the owner that there was a mistake, but she was so angry, so we started having a strong argument, and suddenly my portuguese (I have a basic level) was fluent. The argument was rising and the owner looked a bit agressive so, we ended up paying all with a 1 euro discount...
Me and my friend we were so angry after that, it was so unfair! That night we went around the city out and dropped by that area just by chance. When we saw the restaurant and remembered about the situation, we peed at it's door.
Obviosly after that day I put a review on their website.
This situation was so random and hilarious, I hope they closed that restaurant.
Graham said…
Hello María,

I used to look through some reviews when trying to find a decent hotel. Unlike you, I don't mind paying a bit extra for a nice place. haha. I've stayed in dodgy accommodation but at my age I deserve a bit of luxury.

You should think of a nice restaurant or hotel and write a review using some new vocabulary.


I always find other's reviews so useful, mostly when it comes to booking hotels or airbnbs. I also take reviews of restaurants into account now and again.

I don't normally write a review, only if the experience is truly good or bad.

I remember an experience I had eating in a restaurant in Porto during my Erasmus year. Those days I had a friend from Madrid as a guest in Porto, and one day we decided to go out to eat the Portuguese speciality called "franceshina". We ended up in a restaurant in the main street of the city. As soon as we sat down, we started feeling that something was wrong; the waitress was so confused with our food, there was a customer having a heated argument with the owner... in general, everything was a mess. But the worst part was the moment it came to paying the bill. We found out that the bill was higher than what we thought, and also there were some bites that we hadn't ordered.

We said politely to the owner that there was a mistake, but she was so angry, so we started having a big argument, and suddenly my Portuguese (I have a basic level) was fluent. The argument was getting more and more heated and the owner looked a bit aggressive so, we ended up paying the whole bill with a euro discount.

My friend and I were so angry after that, it was so unfair! That night we went around the city and dropped by that area again just by chance. When we saw the restaurant and remembered the situation, we peed at its door. (How ladylike! haha)

Obviously, after that day I put a review on their website.
This situation was so random and hilarious, I hope they closed that restaurant.